I'm sure all of us have seen the debate about the subscription for MO2 in general and starting it in Early Access in particular. I've watched Henrik in multiple streams try to defend the decision with a few main points:
The summary is that SV is making a game nobody else dares to make, it's a risk and a niche, and they may need the sub to make it happen. Look at the comments, people come out of the woodwork to support the sub decision and respect them for it. Contrast this with the response to launch DLC in EA games. He lightweight implies it in a threatening way like, "you don't have any other choice", but I actually think given all of the above, there's a better way to position the sub.
Stop arguing from a value standpoint, because them people immediately compare to FF14, WoW or other sub MMOs and begin comparing and contrasting and thinking of all the other hugely funded buy to play MMOs. MO2 can't win that fight.
I think MO2 should position their sub like Youtube creators position their Patreon. Fully embrace who they are:
"We are a team of 30 passionate individuals who are making the game we've always wanted to play but have never seen anyone make. We are self-funded and realize this game may not appeal to millions of players. We're ok with that because we want to make the game we love and we have faith there are others out there who love this type of game too. If that's you, please consider supporting us by subscribing. In return we promise to work our butts off and continue to churn out content every 2 weeks to keep building this vision, with no pay to win convenience or other hidden costs. We can't do it without you and appreciate your support!"
When you are raising money, whether it's Kickstarter or Patreon or what have you, you don't sell like a product, which speaks to someone's logical side. You sell to someone's values and shared passion and desire to contribute to something bigger. Then people feel happy about supporting, as long as they don't feel duped, rather than feeling like they're entitled to X, Y or Z.
Everything SV does supports this, from their transparent roadmaps, to their clockwork biweekly content drops, to Henrik's totally unnecessary 4 hours Q&As. It shines through that this is a passion project, and I think their business model should align with that mentality.
What do you all think?
- The game is not done when it goes into EA, but it will never be done, and they intend the core features to be there.
- They will not have a cash shop or F2P annoying elements.
The summary is that SV is making a game nobody else dares to make, it's a risk and a niche, and they may need the sub to make it happen. Look at the comments, people come out of the woodwork to support the sub decision and respect them for it. Contrast this with the response to launch DLC in EA games. He lightweight implies it in a threatening way like, "you don't have any other choice", but I actually think given all of the above, there's a better way to position the sub.
Stop arguing from a value standpoint, because them people immediately compare to FF14, WoW or other sub MMOs and begin comparing and contrasting and thinking of all the other hugely funded buy to play MMOs. MO2 can't win that fight.
I think MO2 should position their sub like Youtube creators position their Patreon. Fully embrace who they are:
"We are a team of 30 passionate individuals who are making the game we've always wanted to play but have never seen anyone make. We are self-funded and realize this game may not appeal to millions of players. We're ok with that because we want to make the game we love and we have faith there are others out there who love this type of game too. If that's you, please consider supporting us by subscribing. In return we promise to work our butts off and continue to churn out content every 2 weeks to keep building this vision, with no pay to win convenience or other hidden costs. We can't do it without you and appreciate your support!"
When you are raising money, whether it's Kickstarter or Patreon or what have you, you don't sell like a product, which speaks to someone's logical side. You sell to someone's values and shared passion and desire to contribute to something bigger. Then people feel happy about supporting, as long as they don't feel duped, rather than feeling like they're entitled to X, Y or Z.
Everything SV does supports this, from their transparent roadmaps, to their clockwork biweekly content drops, to Henrik's totally unnecessary 4 hours Q&As. It shines through that this is a passion project, and I think their business model should align with that mentality.
What do you all think?
