Past Expansion Collector's Edition Bundle Now Available!

That would be rather interesting considering that there has only been a one of them.

Pricing methodology is the typical corporate-minded bundle-sales tactic.

Same thing Cable TV companies do, package 1 channel they know is popular with 499 channels of absolute crap then charge people 10x what they would pay for just that one channel & try to justify the value of it by saying "but look at all the options you get!"

Daybreak should learn from what's going on in the cable TV market where people are ditching the cable TV packages and saying to hell with that, and picking and choosing a few new sources like Netflix / Disney to just get the content that they want at a price they can swallow without all that added garbage they never wanted anyway.

Look how big Netflix has become as a result of that shift.

But hey keep on using outmoded sales tactics that annoy people, you'll just keep leaving money on the table....

This is temporary and mischaracterized phenomenon. You're not going to save money down the road.

1. These content providers are bundling themselves. Look at Discovery+. They've bundled Discovery, Travel Channel, HGTV, and more into that service. Disney works with National Geographic.

2. Content providers are cheap for now to get consumers in the door. Netflix is increasing their prices (nearly $20 at this point). I'm sure Disney+, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime will follow suit. This so-called a la carte phenomenon is just an illusory trial period to get people in the door then jack up the rates to monopoly levels (once everyone is hooked).

These are the same tactics used by most subscription services. You get an incredibly cheap introductory rate but later left with a huge bill (not to mention add-ons like movies on Disney+ Premium or HBO Premium).

Bundling will continue to exist in the TV business (under a different name). Content providers just want to cut out the middle man.

PSST... you have been paying just as much or more if you have been going the cord cutting route for the last 5+ years. Netflix, Amazon, HBOMax, Disney+/Hulu, and each cable channels' stream options end up costing you around $150+ a month to get you the most popular channels that everyone actually wants. You are not saving vs cable anymore, you just don't have as many options.

At worst it's a cyclic phenomenon.

The breakout from bundles will happen, then the "re-bundling" takes place until people grow tired again as the bundling escalates the bloat & empty filler increases & then they'll get to a point they can't tolerate it yet again then go find a stripped down alternative which begins the cycle anew - rinse & repeat.

The cord cutters stopped saving money several years ago.
As for Amazon Prime, I think that their main streaming service will remain a part of their prime sub for a long time, and the price will likely stay the same or near as well. They have something that the other streaming services don't have. Subscribers who don't use the streaming service at all.

I can see the point you're trying to make, but it falls flat. All those services are optional and can be billed for a single month or trial month. Just because someone has cable doesn't mean that they aren't going to pick up the Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu, Viki, Rakuten, Crunchy Roll, etc.

Cord cutting is way better than cable with equipment fees, regional sports fees, other fees, and taxes. You have more freedom of choice now than past days, and way less advertising.

Not me, I only pay for just the one, but myself & a few friends pay for different ones each and we share access amongst our small group.

UK doesn't have the massive range of streaming channels or Cable TV networks the USA has anyway which makes it a lot easier.

It's not a paradigm shift in business per your original post.

Bundling and monopoly is the name of the game. Darkpaw is not using some outmoded or morally questionable tactic of business by maintaining expansion bundles.

We'll have to agree to disagree there, it is in my opinion outmoded & eroded, customers have changed the direction of the TV industry from a static equation to a dynamic one, adapt or die. I am simply suggesting DarkPaw do the same.

DarkPaw have the luxury of their customers having no competition for their marketplace within the game so it's a captured market for them, that doesn't mean that their monetisation strategy isn't ineffective and should not take changes in outside markets into account, consumer habits are changing and what may have worked before might not continue to work.

In any case back on topic I've already said this package to me represents terrible value for money so they won't be having my custom for it, I might have had the price been more palatable (no not free I am happy spending my money where I feel it has value).

The Equipment fees are onetime, just like with cord cutting, unless you choose to lease something for some crazy reason. Never got any regional sports fees or any other fees. Taxes you pay regardless these days. If you don't watch more than one or two channels or you just pirate everything, then it is cheaper. If you watch shows from different channels and don't steal then you are paying more than if you just got the Cable version, especially since the majority of the time you can get the streaming for most channels via your cable or satellite sub.

Honestly, comparing 100, 250, and 500+ channel cable/satellite subscription options with a one-time purchase bundle of 13 items kind of falls flat. The items are all going to be Heirloom, so you claim them on a character that does not have them and pass them out as desired, so you can generally get full use of all of them. By contrast, the average viewer never does or could use the majority of the channels in their subscription. Also, there is a significant difference between something that offers 13 items sold together and billed once, and grouping of 100+ channels together in a recurring subscription.

Darkpaw and Daybreak are far from the only company in gaming that bundles items like this. In fact ALL gaming companies do these kind of bundles currently. So it is not outdated, outmoded, or eroded, it is current and average. They are selling a set of items that was previously given out for a limited time and providing a way for new characters and players to get them today. This isn't new, but at the same time it is in no way out of style. In fact this has been explicitly asked for by the playerbase of EQ every year for the past 10+ years. The common suggestion since the Marketplace was introduced has been that each expansion's pre-order/physical box only/collector's edition items should be priced at the same price point as upgrading from a standard edition to a collector's edition, so a $40-$45 price point for a single expansion's items. As such, the Past Expansion Collector's Edition bundle is very reasonably priced at 79.99 see as there are 10 expansions worth of items it, even though there are only 13 total items.
Real issue is more with the Tears of Alaris Collector's edition items, since it is only a single expansion, and they previously did the same thing with the House of Thule Collector's edition Revival which they priced at $39.99. I rather wonder if the ToA CE items are priced wrong.

You can continue to argue cord cutting is more expensive, but it isn't. I can write a very lengthy reply, but I'm just going to leave you to your own beliefs. I'll just add that I've never met anyone with cable that didn't have Netflix, too.

What you fail to see is very few would pay $30-40 for non-illusions and irrelevant items. So people wouldn't be paying that at all. These are not "special" items. They are garbage that junks up bags and bank space. Can argue they're collector's editions when they're simply boxed editions, but the items included simply are not worth collecting. There's nothing to this bundle compared to an actual collector's edition from a 100+ expansion. One expansion more current would blow the entire bundle out of the water easily.

I cut the cord. What we had of one out here in the country lol.

So now I have OTA Free TV -about 30 local channels which include the major station feeds to local affiliates. If I want the latest movie or sports what ever I stream it as its happening....free if you know how.

For other movies, series etc I use Free Pluto, Peacock and a few others.

So the cost is just the internet connection. And that is used for EQ & Game systems. My life is really too busy to justify what all that other stuff costs when I would never watch any of it.

But I would pay $10 each for a Sceptre of Draconic Calling for each of my multiple characters on one account. Or the same for each of them to have a Mark of Brell

So they would make about $100 just for 5 of each of those items for each of my characters.

This is just a common player's view. Not full of fancy words or mathematical equations

I think part of the appeal with Collector and Premium Edition items is not merely the cost-benefit analysis or value calculation (which is highly subjective) but deriving the satisfaction that you get goodies for supporting the game (contributions, pledges, crowdfunding).

Most people do not receive the monetary value back in a PBS T-Shirt or NPR mug donated to their respective fundraisers, but they are supporting an organization that they find enjoyment in.

Not even remotely reasonable to me, for something around $20.00 for a bunch of pre-order included items that came with expansions I'd open my wallet.

But at $79.99 DarkPaw can go take a long jump off a short pier, this is really terrible value for money even to a brand new EQ player & I will say disrespectful of any existing one who already bought those expansions once already.

But hey if you are enjoying being the cash-cow, have at it.

Honest question: are we supporting EQ1, or are we supporting that new Marvel title? Or are we merely supporting the marketplace itself?

For all we know, all the profits could go to more marketplace-fluff, and not to improving the actual game... all the dev-time spent on funny mounts could have gone to revamped player-models or monsters...or even zone-revamps.

I haven't noticed any sudden and massive improvements for EQ1, since they introduced the marketplace. There have been the usual incremental improvements over the years, but are they related to marketplace-profits?

I cut the cable cord in 2010, not a single year since have I payed anywhere near what cable costs. I have had Netflix since I cut, Hulu for most of that time, Amazon Prime because shipping (but we use the free videos too), and Disney+ since it came out. I even live in an area with two cable providers that keeps prices competitive-ish. It's not even close, and I don't even need to keep all these services active at the same time, I just do because it's so cheap and I like the options.

Anybody arguing that cable isn't ridiculously expensive must not live in the U.S., or have to deal with a company like Comcast. Equipment fees are one-time? Not where I live. Comcast will waive them for six months so you think you got a good deal, then bam, every box, every anything, fees out the wazoo. Even though there is competition, you are forced to switch companies every year or so to take advantage of it. They expect you to hop, and don't try to keep you, because they know it's a hassle and you'll likely just pay to avoid it.

It's true that "we'll just make our own service" creep is happening, everybody wants a slice of the pie. But that's still optional, you can cancel or keep what you want to pay the price you are willing to pay. There are services I sub to for a month or two to watch things, and then cancel. It's still better than getting a $250 per month bill for internet and cable.

I stand by what I've said. DPG can use whatever marketing strategy they want, but if they want more of my money than what they get now, they're going to have to offer things that fit my value calculations. I'm not asking them to devalue things they think are valuable. Maybe they get enough from the whales so my money doesn't matter, but if they don't then they should consider things like the clockwork merc (or many of the others) as things that would sell by themselves for lower price points. If they sell enough of them then that could be great. It just depends how many other people feel like I do about it.

Sounds like you're interested in less people playing and the game eventually sunsetting with that mindset.

Well based on your replies to all the people who disagree I would say you and Benito are in the minority on this one.

I generally respect your opinion and Benito's as well but I think you guys are looking at this from the wrong perspective. Out of the 82,000 active users do you think 1000 of them will purchase this bundle at $80 or 8000 DBC?

Do you think more people out of that 82,000 would be likely to spend between $5 and $20 if they broke this bundle up and sold it as individual items instead?

This is like going to McDonald's and having to pay for a big bundle of food that you don't need or want just to get 1 or 2 things you might need or want. That business model generally doesn't work especially in 2021 with so many other options out there.

Daybreak has been woefully misguided on all the Marketplace stuff and the expansion prices, bundle prices of other things and so on.

I highly doubt very many of the 82,000 active accounts purchased the $140 or $250 versions of the last 2 expansions.

The biggest revenue Daybreak has made lately is the TLPs (subs) and people buying gear there from each other (kronos) and the TLP centric bundles they have sold.