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Star Wars: The Old Republic has 1.3 million active subs, new content packs coming

Matt Daniel — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:40:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, MMO Industry, News Items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

We all know that the Star Wars: The Old Republic galaxy is a huge place, but thanks to some new numbers from EA's 4th quarter financial reports, we now know exactly how huge it is. According to the report, SWTOR is home to 1.3 million active subscribers (down from 1.7 million as announced in March).

On top of that bit of information, the report also reveals that two new content packs will be available for players sometime in the first financial quarter. We don't know a thing about these content packs yet, except that they're (at least tentatively) titled Legacy (presumably the current Legacy patch) and Allies, so conspiracy theorists, start your engines. Let the speculation begin!

Star Wars: The Old Republic has 1.3 million active subs, new content packs coming originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 May 2012 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated]

Matt Daniel — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, Economy, MMO Industry, News Items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

It looks like Star Wars: The Old Republic didn't let its daddy down, as EA has reported much better sales than expected for the December quarter, largely thanks to the runaway sales of the new MMO title (as well as many of EA's other heavy-hitters). The company ended up earning an adjusted $344 million for a total net loss of $205 million, which isn't too shabby if you consider how much money just went into the development and launch of The Old Republic.

Perhaps most interestingly to players, however, is the fact that EA has reported sales of more than 2 million units of The Old Republic with about 1.7 million subscribers. Those are the highest (and the hardest) numbers we've heard so far. EA's Chief Financial Advisor, Eric Brown, stated in an interview that EA managed to pull in more SWTOR subscribers than the studio had initially anticipated. He added that at launch, the studio was able to add a great number of users per server courtesy of some technical improvements. If you're economically minded and want to get the full, dirty, stock market details, just click past the link below.

[Thanks to Gabriel for the tip!]

[Update: Darth Hater has compiled some additional TOR-related statistics and Q&A from today's EA earnings call: "2,000,000+ copies sold, 40% sold through Origin; 1,700,000+ active subscribers, 1 million concurrent." The company also notes that "Active subscribers means anyone paying OR in their trial period. MOST of those 1.7m are paying at this point."]

EA reveals SWTOR subscription and sales numbers, beats financial predictions [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses

Brendan Drain — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, Lore, MMO Industry, Opinion, EVE Evolved

Over the last few months, the phrase "Flying in Space" has been increasingly used by both EVE Online's developers and its players to describe features other than those of Incarna. It seems like a redundant phrase as all of EVE's gameplay currently takes place in space, but the distinction has become necessary when discussing the allocation of development resources. Members of EVE's player-elected Council of Stellar Management have recently spearheaded a wave of new complaints about the level of resources dedicated to EVE's in-space features, claiming that developers have been left without the resources necessary to do a good job.

In the previous three EVE Evolved columns, I discussed the upcoming nullsec revamp scheduled to begin this winter and the incredible new gameplay players might get as part of it. Members of the CSM know exactly how many people will be working on that revamp, and although those numbers haven't been made public, several delegates have gone public with their disapproval. EVE's subscription fees are currently paying for the development of CCP's upcoming fantasy MMO World of Darkness and its ambitious console MMOFPS DUST 514, leaving few resources for new EVE gameplay and content.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look back at the success of EVE's first blockbuster expansion and ask why development on EVE Online has dramatically decreased over the past two and a half years.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses

EVE Evolved: Expansions, not excuses originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Culture, The Game Archaeologist

To many veteran MMO players, the opening horns of EverQuest's score are enough to trigger vivid memories, violent hallucinations, and an unstoppable desire to leap through the computer screen to return to Norrath. It all depends, of course, on which MMO you first cut your teeth, and while many gamers would claim titles like World of Warcraft as their first, there is a large contingent who will confess that EQ was their first MMO lover.

In fact, before WoW came on the scene in 2004, EverQuest was the gold standard of MMOs for a half-decade -- it was insanely popular, perfectly addictive, and absolutely revolutionary. It was a giant that roamed the virtual lands of those days, a giant that continues to forge new grounds well over a decade from its inception.

It was 1995 when John Smedley realized the potential for online gaming and roped in Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover to start putting together an online RPG for SOE. What began as a small project ballooned into a crazy endeavor as the growing team created a monster RPG the likes the world had never seen before -- a game that would forever shape the MMO genre.

This month, the Game Archaeologist is going after one of the biggest treasures of recorded history as we unearth the secrets to EverQuest's popularity, legacy, and longevity. The first step on our journey is to look at some of the highlights that made EQ what it is today.

Continue reading The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights

The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: The highlights originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The state of the subscription MMO: Revenues up, WoW's stranglehold slipping

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Business Models, MMO Industry

While MMO subscription numbers are largely hidden from public eyes, GamesIndustry.biz found a report by Screen Digest that delivered solid figures for the rate of subscription growth and revenue from the Western market. It's a classic case of "good news, bad news" for the industry.

The good news is that MMO subscriptions rose from $1.4 billion in 2008 to $1.6 billion in 2009, a respectable increase, especially when you consider the increase of free-to-play and microtransaction titles. This number is expected to hit the $2 billion mark by 2014. The bad news is that the average revenue per player is down 10% during the same time period due to "the popularity of cheaper premium subscription services." So more people are playing and paying, but they're spending less per person.

The analysis noted that World of Warcraft's domination in the subscription MMO market is slipping, going from 60% to 54% during that time period. Screen Digest says not to count the subscription MMO out, however: "We maintain our view that subscriptions will continue to play an important role in the MMOG sector. Certain consumer groups and types of service are well suited to subscriptions but we also acknowledge the growing success and adoption of microtransaction-based MMOGs as an alternative business model for operators."

The state of the subscription MMO: Revenues up, WoW's stranglehold slipping originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Craig Morrison talks MMO numbers (or the lack thereof)

Jef Reahard — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Age of Conan, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion

Ah, the numbers game. It's often quite comical when it comes to MMORPGs and their die-hard fans (or detractors, as the case may be). Aside from Blizzard, very few MMO development houses release real numbers relating to their playerbases, and forum jousters are thus relegated to citing guesstimates and, in most cases, pure supposition sprung from the likes of wildly inaccurate measuring tools such as Xfire or the late MMOGchart.

Funcom executive producer and Age of Conan game director Craig Morrison weighs in on the perplexing state of MMO number-crunching on his personal blog, offering a bit of insight as to why hard data is, well, hard to come by. He cites a lack of context for the near-universal reticence of developers when it comes to publicizing their community sizes. "Without standard definitions everything ends up in that vague, murky and entirely subjective middle ground... and a middle ground that very few could reasonably be expected to accept as being worthwhile exploring in a business sense," he writes.

So what's his solution? In broad terms, he mentions a rating system, citing television's Nielsen metrics as well as cinema box office figures as semi-comparable standards. While such a system probably wouldn't stop the endless fan bickering, it might at least provide an answer to the question of how each individual company defines success.

Craig Morrison talks MMO numbers (or the lack thereof) originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PAX 2010: Selena Gomez is Wizard101's new damsel in distress

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Events (Massively's Coverage), Wizard101, Family

She plays a fledgling spellcaster in Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place, but soon Selena Gomez will be taking it to the next level. KingsIsle just announced that Gomez will be coming to the magical world of Wizard101 as a princess in distress who needs a bit of saving.

The actress-musician agreed to be featured in Wizard101 as a sort of cross-promotion for her latest album. The story goes that nefarious forces have kidnapped Gomez from our world into the layered realms of Wizard101, and she must be rescued and returned to Earth so that she can finish her epic video. As our world is part of the spiral (Earth is just non-magical, hence why Professor Ambrose is so startled when player characters arrive at Wizard City), this crossover doesn't break the lore of the game. Instead, KingsIsle hopes that the popular star will appeal to its core tween demographic.

Hit the jump for even more juicy tidbits from PAX Prime!

Continue reading PAX 2010: Selena Gomez is Wizard101's new damsel in distress

PAX 2010: Selena Gomez is Wizard101's new damsel in distress originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How much do you care about subscription numbers as a consumer?

Seraphina Brennan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind

We've all heard that infamous World of Warcraft line -- "12 million people can't be wrong." People say it whenever a person doubts that World of Warcraft is the "omgbestestgameevar!11" but how much weight does that line actually hold?

Specifically, what we want to know here at Massively is how much do you pay attention to a game's perceived subscription numbers? Do you avoid games that don't seem to be doing so well? Or are you the type of person who just pulls the game off of the shelf due to content and content alone? Does a game have to have some huge number of subscribers to be successful in your eyes?

You know the drill. Words go in the comment box below. Typing is super effective!

The Daily Grind: How much do you care about subscription numbers as a consumer? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Your thoughts on Jeff Strain's NCsoft departure?

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO Industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

As we've reported on for the past two days, ArenaNet co-founder Jeff Strain has left his position at NCsoft and is moving on to new pastures. While his former co-founding partner, Mike O'Brien, has said pretty affirmatively that his departure won't affect the development of Guild Wars 2, we're still interested in what you think of all of this.

It's certainly a very sudden and unexpected move, especially when you take into account the departure of David Reid as well, even if they both left for unrelated reasons. With Aion coming closer and closer to a launch in the United States, and NCsoft pushing to be #2 in the realm of subscription numbers, the timing for these departures seems to be odd.

But, we're not going to waste this space with our thoughts, we want yours! Drop what you think of all of this into the comment box below, and let your voices ring across the internet!

The Daily Grind: Your thoughts on Jeff Strain's NCsoft departure? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Former Warhammer Online GM gives perspective on game's decline

James Egan — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real-Life, MMO Industry, Warhammer Online

At Massively we must often report on declining subscription numbers and subsequent layoffs in the MMO industry, just as we do when the games we love are healthy and growing. When you look beyond the numbers though, such industry statistics are ultimately about people whose lives have been negatively impacted. They face uncertainty in their career and likely have tough times ahead.

Case in point: We've written about the Mythic Entertainment layoffs from the view of an outside observer of the MMO industry, but of course there's a side to this that only someone who's worked there can really convey. Some have a story they'd like to tell, like Jeremy Monken, former games reviewer for a D.C. newspaper turned Warhammer Online GM at Mythic Entertainment.

Continue reading Former Warhammer Online GM gives perspective on game's decline

Former Warhammer Online GM gives perspective on game's decline originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mythic wages WAR in the East

Brooke Pilley — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, News Items

While NCsoft prepares to invade the West with Aion this September, Mythic has their own preemptive RvR strike planned for the East. Both Mythic and Gigamedia are bringing Warhammer Online to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on June 25th. This means people can now play WAR in North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. That's quite a global presence.

It will be interesting to see what impact this has on WAR's subscriber count in the next quarter. When WAR originally launched in September 2008, they sold over 750,000 copies. That number dropped to 300,000 by December 2008. After a couple big marketing campaigns (recruit a friend and re-enlistment) and a launch in Russia, WAR's numbers held steady at 300,000 in March 2009.

Could this Eastern launch propel them beyond the 300,000 mark again? Based on all the Land of the Dead coverage and impressions we've seen, the new live expansion should have some sort of positive effect on the game as well. I guess we'll have to wait until the next EA earnings call to find out, which should take place in August.

Mythic wages WAR in the East originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer holds its ground with 300k subs

Brooke Pilley — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Warhammer Online, News Items

A minor note in EA's most recent earnings report revealed that as of March 31, 2009, Warhammer Online had over 300,000 subscribers, which is right about where it was at in December 2008. What's that we hear in the distance? I do believe it's the sound of thousands of haters and fanboys doing glorious forum battle.

Three hundred thousand players is actually a pretty good number these days. In fact, CCP was extremely happy to announce hitting the 300k+ mark today, on EVE's 6th birthday. Most MMO analysts would probably say WAR is one of the top 5 subscription MMOs in Europe/North America.

On the other hand, EA and Mythic can't be too happy about the current population situation since Mark Jacobs has made a couple famous remarks about population numbers in the past. The first is that WAR would be successful if it had north of 500k subscribers. The second is that 250k subscribers doesn't look too good to investors when you've made an initial investment of over $50M and have high maintenance costs. You might also want to factor in that Mythic started a recruit-a-friend program, free trial, and launched in Russia all during the period of the quarter being reported on.

With Aion set for release in fall 2009, WAR may soon face some stiff competition on the PvP/RvR front. A lot may be riding on Mythic's new live expansion, The Land of the Dead set for release this summer.

Warhammer holds its ground with 300k subs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 May 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WAR population numbers revealed, but what do they mean?

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Culture, Warhammer Online, Opinion

When Mythic Entertainment released Warhammer Online on September 18, 2008, it quickly became the fastest selling MMORPG ever. A month after release, they announced WAR had registered 750,000 players and people were buzzing that it may actually make a noticeable dent in World of Warcraft's armor. But as the expression goes: good things usually don't last.

Box sales in your first month are one thing, but what matters most for a subscription MMORPG is player retention. Since October 2008, EA and Mythic have remained completely silent about WAR's numbers, something that is never really a good sign. Player and industry speculation was rampant given consistent reports of an in-game exodus of players. The speculation that WAR was losing players was confirmed by a financial report released by EA stating that WAR had just over 300k subscribers as of December 31, 2008. Let a new round of speculation about what these numbers mean begin.

Join us after the cut where we'll discuss the reasons I think WAR lost so many players in such a short period of time. I'll also chat about how I think Mythic can regain those lost subscriptions and perhaps grow even larger!

Continue reading WAR population numbers revealed, but what do they mean?

WAR population numbers revealed, but what do they mean? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guestimating MMO subscriber numbers

Shawn Schuster — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business Models, Economy, MMO Industry, Education

Subscriber numbers can get thrown around all day with little to no meaning. For example, did you know that 87% of all statistics are made up right there on the spot? It's true! In the case of MMO subscription numbers though, they can sometimes become obsessions for critics and fanboys alike. Some publishers release numbers readily, while others keep them under lock and key. So what are we to do since there is no officially-regulated organization to act as a trusted source for our subscription numbers?

In a recent article at T=Machine, Adam Martin takes an in-depth look at the mechanics of subscription numbers and provides us with a detailed rundown of the existing organizations and websites in an attempt to make sense of the numbers. He even explores the avenues of East vs. West and subscription vs. free-to-play in a separate analysis. Check out the complete article for more charts and comparisons than your left brain can handle.

[Via Broken Toys]

Guestimating MMO subscriber numbers originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: The most popular MMO or the underdog?

Samuel Axon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Everyone's always talking about subscription numbers -- including us! We're always speculating about which game is going to end up on top. Well, second to the top, anyway. But what impact does the popularity of a game have on your play experience?

The conventional wisdom is as follows. If you're playing the most popular MMO out there, you're at the forefront of the gaming community's attention. You're seeing first hand every history-making event. You're suffering through every headline-making nerf patch. If you're in a smaller MMO, the community is more tight-knit. You feel like you're living in a small town, where everyone knows your name. Your feedback might even have a chance of impacting the direction the game takes.

But is any of that true? Which would you prefer -- the most popular game out there, or the best-kept-secret, and why?

The Daily Grind: The most popular MMO or the underdog? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMOG charts updated, WoW keeps its huge lead

Mike Schramm — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, News Items

Bruce Sterling Woodcock has updated his MMOGcharts.com website with the latest research into MMO populations, and as you can see above, WoW (the green line shooting towards the sky with no hint of slowing down) is continuing its rule of the roost. In fact, Blizzard's game is in a category all by itself-- no one else even breaks the 3.5 million line. And the outlook isn't good for other MMOs, either-- Lord of the Rings Online is a clear leader in the lower section, but even they aren't showing steady growth-- more like a leveling off already.

In terms of market share, WoW has its victory locked away as well, although the two Lineages and Runescape make nice showings. I am pretty surprised not to see more free-to-play MMOs on any of the lists (although these are subscription numbers so maybe that's why), but the most fascinating thing about these numbers might not be what they look like right now, but what they'll look like in December. Can any of the new MMOs coming out this year take a chunk out of Azeroth?

MMOG charts updated, WoW keeps its huge lead originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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