Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Power players and player retention]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/03/eve-evolved-power-players-and-player-retention/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/03/eve-evolved-power-players-and-player-retention/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/03/eve-evolved-power-players-and-player-retention/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

As I mentioned in our coverage of the EVE Online Fanfest, the best part of the experience for me was discussing EVE with players who are as involved in and enthusiastic about the game as I am. On my first night there, I got into a fascinating discussion with a few players on a topic I hadn't really considered before -- power players. Every MMO has players who get heavily involved in their chosen game. EVE's Fanfest really highlighted this, as around a thousand of EVE's power players flew to Iceland just to talk about the game, contribute ideas in roundtable discussions and find out what the future holds for the game.

Ultimately, the fate of EVE lies in its community. EVE's main strength as an MMO is the fact that with so many players in one game universe, people form very real ties with each other. Corporations and alliances are more than just collections of people; they're sub-communities with their own aspirations, internal politics, playstyles, personalities and even senses of humour. These organisations give people support and a place to call home in an unforgiving universe, and it's the power players of EVE who make all of that possible.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore the importance of power players in MMOs and what the concept means for EVE's development.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Power players and player retention

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Power players and player retention originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ccpccp-eveccp-gamescommunitiescommunitycorpcorporationcorporationscorpsdevelopmentemergenceemergenteveeve-ccpeve-evolvedeve-mmorpgeve-onlinefeaturedfollowersleadersleadershiponline-communitiesopinionorganisationorganizationplayer-retentionplayerspower-playersretentionsubscribersSun, 03 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do alts help or hurt game retention?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/20/the-daily-grind-do-alts-help-or-hurt-game-retention/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/20/the-daily-grind-do-alts-help-or-hurt-game-retention/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/20/the-daily-grind-do-alts-help-or-hurt-game-retention/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I'm going to share with you something I've struggled with and then ask for your professional opinion, Internet Friends. As a natural altoholic, I'm forever filling up my character select screen with a wide variety of heroes. And by heroes, I mean "experiments." Having a main is all fine and dandy, but sooner or later the winds of whimsy wash over me, and I feel the uncontrollable urge to roll up an alt.

My struggle is this: Is my altoholic nature helping me stay in the game longer or hurting my interest overall? On one hand, having a single character to focus on helps me to bond strongly with that toon, explore high-level content, and dedicate myself to a focused journey through the game. On the other hand, having alts adds the spicy variety that I crave and lets me explore the game in new ways.

But I've noticed that several alts can erode that tight attachment I have to an MMO, especially if I keep bouncing around between them. Does this happen to you? What do you think: Do alts help or hurt game retention for you in the long run?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do alts help or hurt game retention? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>altaltaholicaltsinternet-friendsopinionretentiontdgthe-daily-grindvarietyvariety-is-the-spice-of-lifeSun, 20 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What's a good player retention level?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/10/the-daily-grind-whats-a-good-player-retention-level/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/10/the-daily-grind-whats-a-good-player-retention-level/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/10/the-daily-grind-whats-a-good-player-retention-level/#commentsFiled under:

It's curious how the exact same data can be taken as brilliant news, confirming a game's enduring appeal, and terrible news, dooming the game to oblivion, depending upon who you ask. Take Age of Conan, for example. Not so long ago, we saw a video that confirmed AoC's current subscribers at around the 400,000 mark. With 800,000 boxes sold, that's around a 50% retention rate. Yay, we win at math.

But what's far less cut and dried is whether this figure is really bad, or really good. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on the matter. It's worth observing here that you can't expect everyone who picks up a game to stick with it. If a game loses half its players every quarter, that's terrible; but if it keeps half of all players who buy it, that's a very different story.

So we're throwing the question open to the players: what do you think is a healthy retention level for an MMO, in terms of keeping players after their first free month? And while we're on the subject, has a game ever surprised you with its retentiveness? Have you ever tried to quit and gone back after a while?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's a good player retention level? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocretentionthe-daily-grindWed, 10 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Is Age of Conan a rousing success or a stinking failure?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/is-age-of-conan-a-rousing-success-or-a-stinking-failure/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/is-age-of-conan-a-rousing-success-or-a-stinking-failure/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/is-age-of-conan-a-rousing-success-or-a-stinking-failure/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


There's plenty of doom and gloom discussion surrounding Funcom's Age of Conan. The hours played and reported by X-fire users plummeted since it hit desktops. Possibly the wackiest and most critical bug ever seen in an MMOG ever won't be fixed anytime soon. Unfinished content has diminished Age of Conan's reputation in the later parts of the game. The rap sheet goes on; however, a strong demand exists for a new MMOG as an astonishing 700,000 accounts were registered in the first month alone. That number is quite a feat, but the overall number of subscriptions four or six months down the road comes into question as most players that leave after their first month tend to be very unforgiving.

Stropp, an MMOG blogger, remains optimistic in his post entitled "Why Age of Conan Will Succeed" and points out all the advantages that Age of Conan and Funcom possess. While Stropp did cancel his Age of Conan account he believes the game will not die anytime soon and projects long-term success. Funcom is certainly a capable company with experience, but how many subscribers are needed to claim rousing success or do the crude pitfalls from an all-to-soon-launch already make Age of Conan a failure from a business standpoint? You decide.

MassivelyIs Age of Conan a rousing success or a stinking failure? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocconanfuncommetricsopinionretentionstroppsubscriptionTue, 08 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Player vs. Everything: The retention game]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/player-vs-everything-the-retention-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/player-vs-everything-the-retention-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/player-vs-everything-the-retention-game/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The conventional wisdom in any service-driven industry is that it's far, far cheaper to retain an existing customer than to recruit a new one. This is especially true in the MMOG industry, where your business model is largely dependent on maintaining a long-term subscriber base. The concept also applies to transaction-driven and episodic games, where you need your customers to want to stick around and continue spending money. Box sales are great, but ultimately they're pretty useless except as an indicator of how many people actually bought the game -- returning players are the bread and butter of the MMO world.

In fact, that's exactly why companies are so interested in finding out why you're quitting their game. If they can fix issues that are making a lot of people quit, they can retain more customers and drive up their revenue. Surprisingly, Blizzard is the only company I know of which actually makes people fill out an exit survey in order to cancel a subscription. It's not that annoying and it gives them great information about how to make their game better for you (so if you're adamant on copying Blizzard, that's a good thing to copy). Unfortunately, Blizzard keeps notoriously quiet about their internal numbers like that. So why exactly do people quit MMOGs, and what can and should game companies be doing to keep you interested?

Continue reading Player vs. Everything: The retention game

MassivelyPlayer vs. Everything: The retention game originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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