First off I would like to see I do get why you are introducing micro-transactions - it's because they work! I bet you have a whole bunch of people buying SoF spins and such and some of them will be the very same people who are in here complaining about them. You probably get a good laugh about that.
But here's something to take to your next board meeting. Every game needs its niche - the reason to play it over other games out there. For a lot of us, especially us newer players, the reason we were attracted to Runescape was precisely *because* you didn't have microtransactions. When I look at a game one of the first questions I ask is how does it make money and if I am not satisfied with the answer I leave the game well alone now matter how good and absorbing it looks. About 15 months ago I made this assessment of Runescape and thought "cool, a game with a flat subscription with no microtransactions" and I played and enjoyed it.
Microtransactions have turned out well for FarmVille, SimCity Online etc. They appeal to a certain demographic and have done very well (financially not game-play wise) out of it. But you can't just transplant that business model into Runescape and expect to start printing money. Runescape appeals to a different kind of player. My friends that play (or have played) Runescape are geeks. None of my 45-year-old computer-illiterate aunts play Runescape and for good reason - it's not their kind of game. They do play Farmville. It's a different game for a different demographic.
In case you're wondering I don't play Runescape any more. I slowly lost interest since SoF started and if you check my logs you will see I have only played about 10 minutes in the last 2 months. My subscription expires soon, at which point it is unlikely I will play for the foreseeable future.
I won't be playing Farmville either, or SimCity online. I will probably end up playing a game with a subscription-based model, like I once thought Runescape was.
08-Aug-2012 17:26:30
