Tree of Savior Forum

Game Pre-Release/Business Model Suggestion

Suggestions
#1

Hello, I’m here today to share information and suggest ToS Team a pre-release/business model suggestion. Let’s take the very successful game called “ARK: Survival Evolved” as an example. The game was pre-released in steam as an “Early Access” a few months ago, this helped the game to built up a fan base, increase it’s popularity, allowed players to test the game and give good feedback on the go for the developers (Feedback they use to fix/balance/improve the game on a daily basis), it allowed the developers to start [making/generating] [income/money] prior to the release and the users are happily playing the game even tho all their stuff will get deleted once the game officially gets released. The community is growing fast, they are on the top twitch games most of the time, and I personally vouch this strategy of early release.

===Pro’s:
-Real time feedback.
-Generates Income, Pre-release.
-Soothes Players/Fans Anxiety.
-Helps Increase the Fan Base/User Base/Community in general.
-It’s free publicity and increase popularity pre- Official Release.
-It helps developers on the short/medium/long run, to release a well balanced, free of bugs/exploits game.
-Besides, since it is intended to be a F2P Game, it will BOOM into a super popular MMORPG right off the start.

===Cons:
-It will attract lots of casual cry-baby players (Not much difference in the ratios we have seen in the forums so far, just a bigger sample).

-It will require a way to balance the migration of income/resources spent by the users from Pre-release to the Final Release (Nothing out of the world, if you specify beforehand that everything will get wiped, I’m sure people will understand and spend again once the game finally gets released).

-Might put on some pressure by the user communities on your publishers on other countries to get the same model or rush the release date.

I understand this might not be the best for your publishers who already got a contract and stated release dates… It might affect their business image a little, but in general, I think it is the best course of action for the benefit of ToS and IMCGames in the short/medium/long term.

If you let the hype die and take too long for it’s release on the western/global market… It will happen the same thing that will happen to Blade and Soul once it gets released in the western. It will be a fail project.

#2

I get where your coming from and i imagine their open beta will be similar to early access.

In your example you talked about there was a wipe. But if they did that without a wipe i could be bad as player from regions with servers may come to play and then not want to leave after release of there own version. (just a potential issue if they decide to go the no wipe route which some pre releases do)

Also some times denying your fan base creates more hype. As long as they keep a watchful eye that they don’t make us wait to long for new information or another beta etc

#3

Unlike Ark: Survival Evolved, IMC has money to spend, and is releasing the game under a couple publishers in various regions.

They are in no need of early access money, and are doing just fine with development. In fact they’re taking their time to perfect things.

They are getting real time feedback as well through a private 24/7 test server that has content updated every single day, they even take suggestions in that server for items/etc.

I believe ToS has decent publicity, and will inevitably gain more once it launches via Steam anyway.

2 Likes
#4

That used to work on a small scale, but now this market has a lot of competition and games never stop to get released on a daily/monthly basis. The wipe is a must in order to prevent the stated issues with other countries/regions. Besides, IP blocking the regions who already got the publishers announced/guaranteed will diminish such a risk of players from other regions to drop by and stay in the international. This will allow a non-wipe method. There are multiple ways to deal with this small insignificant problems. Don’t detract the important points of this suggestion.

#5

Well, that helps in a way, but getting real time feedback from a bigger sample is better than a smaller one if you know how to filter the information of course.

#6

The sample size is quite large currently on the test server (it was around 90k registrations before, most of which got into the private test server).

Not to mention each publisher will test the game for IMC, which is an even larger pool, and they can test different things with each publisher.

#7

Also on a related note to sample size they stated all regions will be the same. So we have to count everyone from all the betas as the sample size.

#8

Ark started from scratch with little $. Choosing Steam Early Access was one of the best thing to do for the studio to build fast its new game & community.

ToS is a bit different, because (like it or not) it has the Ragnarok Online fanbase community behind it (the legitimate successor :stuck_out_tongue:). Plus IMC has money (a lot more) like FatePGN said.

Different studios, different countries, different ways of thinking too…

1 Like
#9

You guys got good points, specially @FatePGN, but there are more pro’s of the model suggested that you are not considerating. You can’t deny the success of the model if you actually know how it works.

#10

I don’t deny the success, and it really works for games that start with low funds, and actually develop the game and listen to the community.

But IMC isn’t an indie developer, they’re in no need of early access cash. In fact, if they did do early access, it’d look like a cash grab, since they have lots of money, lot’s of people to test the game, and licensed publishers.

#11

You call it cash grab, but money is money. Business are business. I don’t think they are doing this as a charity project, besides I didn’t suggest this just because of the money tho. It is just a successful model for IMCGAMES to considerate. IMCGAMES.

#12

This is true, but early access is meant for funding games that require it, and IMC does not require it, which is why it’d be a blatant cash grab.

It’s most definitely a successful model, just not one that’s needed for a developer that has already developed other successful games, and has licensed publishers, etc.

1 Like
#13

There are too many early access and crowd funded horror stories. Don’t even mention this exploiting kind of business model.

Get the game done, make it bug free (or as close it can get) and don’t use a pay-to-win business model. Then we might have something to work with.

Otherwise, everyone will do the same thing again. Go back to World of Warcraft.

#14

Just for curiosity: did a MMORPG in early access already exist?

#15

Well, it might not be needed… But that doesn’t mean they can’t use it just because they don’t need money. The model is not just about the money, I already stated some of the pro’s it envelopes. Just because you don’t need to use a tool to have an easier time, it does not mean you won’t use it to have an easier time.

#16

Well, I’ve never played such a horrible MMORPG as WoW. Exclude me from everyone.

#17

I hate world of warcraft to but what does this have to do with anything both of your concerns you listed are not even related to WoW.

#18

But it’s more than just a tool they can use. A good, experienced, and successful developer, suddenly doing early access for their game, does not look good. I’d be doubtful if suddenly a successful season developer that has lots of money, and has plans already in motion, and has publishers, suddenly wants my money for early access too now.

And the pro’s listed are things that IMC already has just by being a successful developer, and having money/licensed publishers, and servers to test things with.

#19

@TankezonE
No one asked what you hate or think is horrible. Your statement only proves my point. Let the big guys do the thinking.

World of Warcraft is the most successful MMORPG ever made. You’d be a fool not to follow in a similar path.

#20

ToS and WoWs only similarities are that they are mmos they don’t equate. Also WoWs model was to make a good game then make it worse every expansion / patch i would prefer if ToS did not adopt that model.

1 Like