new business model equality

new business model equality

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Arcadio.6875

Arcadio.6875

The money you hand over to them gets you something in return. You pay for the game so you can play it. You pay for gem store stuff for whatever item you specifically bought. Anet is not a charity that you are helping out. They earn the money they get by providing a service.

Lord Arcadio
League Of Ascending Immortals [OATH]

new business model equality

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: draxynnic.3719

draxynnic.3719

Like an extra character slot (800 gems) and an exclusive outfit (which would otherwise be worth 700 gems)? Maybe it’s not what you would have chosen to get, but that’s 1500 gems worth of free gemstore stuff for the vets.

As other people have said, it’s the market. Games devalue as they age, until they reach the point where they’re often effectively being given away for free by being bundled with something else. The free option that’s just been announced is so hobbled that it’s effectively a demo, and for someone to get the full game now requires paying full price for HoT. We got to play it for three years beforehand, while it was still all fresh and new rather than becoming steadily outdated graphics-wise (not something I particularly care about, but some people do), and if we took the opportunity we got to experience things that players joining now will never get to experience (even if and when stuff from LS1 gets reintroduced, it will probably be quite different to how it was at the time – look at the butchery that was done to the Molten Alliance and Aetherblade dungeons to make them into fractals, for instance). I think that’s a fair trade for paying a little more, and over the life of the game people who come in now (and buy HoT so they’re not stuck with the hobbled free account) will have only paid $60/account less than you have when GW2 starts going the way of GW1.

To those who think Scarlet hate means she’s succeeded as a villain:
People don’t hate Scarlet like Game of Thrones fans hate Joffrey.
They hate her the way Star Wars fans hate Jar Jar Binks.

(edited by draxynnic.3719)

new business model equality

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: OtakuModeEngage.8679

OtakuModeEngage.8679

That’s the thing though … no long standing customers have been ignored … Anet continues to service those people.

How? new customers get this price break, what do we get? an outfit certainly isn’t worth the $100s of dollars ill be spending on each expansion throughout the years.

new business model equality

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Obtena.7952

Obtena.7952

That’s the thing though … no long standing customers have been ignored … Anet continues to service those people.

How? new customers get this price break, what do we get?

New customers getting a price break does NOT mean long standing old customers are ignored. What do you get? That’s a pretty obtuse question. You got access to the game since the time you bought it.

Listen, you’re argument is pretty ridiculous. If you’re intention is to draw some attention to the fact that you think your entitled to some reimbursement because vanilla GW2 is F2P, you’re just clueless.

new business model equality

in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns

Posted by: Gaile Gray

Gaile Gray

ArenaNet Communications Manager

I do not understand these threads. “My family and I have played thousands of hours, but we feel ‘cheated’ because the person who is joining now plays the core game for free or pays just the one fee for Heart of Thorns.”

Let’s consider another type of purchase, that of DVDs. FotR was $30 when it came out on DVD. You now can get all three chapters of LotR for less than $20. But the person who buys now lost years of viewing pleasure because he didn’t own the video at release. LotR is shown for free on television, but that doesn’t negate the value of purchasing the DVDs, for those of us who chose to make those purchases. Imagine showing up at a DVD retailer and saying, “This movie is now free. I want money off another title.”

The hours in Guild Wars 2 that your family has enjoyed—very likely the thousands of accumulated hours—are not without value. They are not, to us, without cost. The 40 major updates we have made to the game that you have been enjoying for three years each add significant value to your purchases: Wintersday festivals that a new player will never be able to attend, major in-game events they’ll never see, drops that were only available to you, as a veteran player, during a limited period.

The position in the first post has been put forth by different people and successfully dispelled time and time again. OP — Please know that we greatly appreciate your support. I encourage you to make whatever purchase decision is best for you and your family. But please never forget that all you have gotten for each of your purchases does have value, in the overall view of things.

Gaile Gray
Communications Manager
Guild & Fansite Relations; In-Game Events
ArenaNet

(edited by Gaile Gray.6029)