Warhammer ends quarter with 300,000 paying subscibers

[Chockonuts]

LOD gave them a minor boost on new forum accounts, a few hours of the 1st of July still to go and they have already had 2820 new accounts created in the last 4 weeks.

2, 820 accounts in about a month's time? That doesn't sound good at all.


Does that even fill a third of a server? Isn't the average server capable of around 10k players or so?

[Lantyssa]

Unless creating a game account also creates a new forum account, we don't know total new players.  It also tells us nothing about the rates of retention, resubscription, or cancellations.

What it does give us is a comparison to past rates of new forum registrations.  As long as player behavior remains somewhat consistant (which it will short of a promotion which encourages people to sub in greater than normal numbers), it gives us a rough idea of the rate of new subs compared to previous periods.

[fuser]

What it does give us is a comparison to past rates of new forum registrations.  As long as player behavior remains somewhat consistant (which it will short of a promotion which encourages people to sub in greater than normal numbers), it gives us a rough idea of the rate of new subs compared to previous periods.

I wonder if they show the last login date and last post date, then you could mine some real numbers.

[Kageru]

I almost feel for the Warhammer developers. The game is still bleeding population, the gameplay is highly dependant on having an active and balanced population, there are multiple systemic issues and the player morale seems to be really low. They've got to be very close to losing critical mass and I would love to be at the staff meeting after Aion launches.

Even if they make all the right moves from here on the game just simply may not be recoverable due to the negative feedback system of low populations, no new population to keep the earlier tiers alive and no progression in the end game to keep the veterans happy. Admitting that though would be a major loss of face and leave the studio really vulnerable itself.

[Pagz]

I would love to be at the staff meeting after Aion launches.

If only there was a way!

Although I agree, even if they bring out something that fixes everything everyone had an issue with with gameplay so polished that it made your eyes bleed liquid pleasure, a lot of people wouldn't come back simply because what they brought out initially wasn't up to scratch and because they ignored a lot of beta testers feedback of issues that are still in the game.

As a lot of people were, I'm sad to see it like this, and like a dying pet I think it has to go.

[Falwell]

Our guys have returned to WAR recently, and I gotta say we're having a helluvah lot of fun. The almost singular reason being server choice. Iron Rock is hopping damn near 24 / 7.

I work really out of control hours because my work involves overseas markets. I'm, for all practical purposes, a night shifter. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when two of my guildies and I found double warband + size RVR going on at 2:00 in the afternoon on a Monday. In Tier 3 none the less. The balance so far is just about right as well. Sometimes we eat the Destro zerg, sometimes we roll our own zerg. I've been in all kinds of scenes on this server so far. From multiple keep rapes in under an hour to 3 hour long keep defenses.

Scenarios are very often insta queue. In anywhere near primetime hours, the longest we've probably waited is 5 - 10 minutes. That happening only when extremely heavy RVR is going on in our tier. Extremely heavy being 3+ warbands per side doing keep knocks / zone locks.

We're playing WAR as a simple PvP getaway. In that regard, it's good stuff. Quick, easily accessable PvP with long term goals for those who want to pursue them.

[Chockonuts]

I almost feel for the Warhammer developers. The game is still bleeding population, the gameplay is highly dependant on having an active and balanced population, there are multiple systemic issues and the player morale seems to be really low. They've got to be very close to losing critical mass and I would love to be at the staff meeting after Aion launches.

Even if they make all the right moves from here on the game just simply may not be recoverable due to the negative feedback system of low populations, no new population to keep the earlier tiers alive and no progression in the end game to keep the veterans happy. Admitting that though would be a major loss of face and leave the studio really vulnerable itself.

They won't be in pain much longer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/bioware-mythic-will-help-star-wars-mmo


"BioWare has told Eurogamer that Mythic Entertainment will "without a doubt" help out on Star Wars: The Old Republic, as there are "absolutely opportunities to share and learn" within the newly formed RPG/MMO group.


As for BioWare helping Warhammer Online, however, co-founder Greg Zeschuk is not so sure."

[Soln]

the Creative Director still has a budget for travel and self promotion: http://www.develop-conference.com/developconference09/biog_detail.shtml?id=2812

[Nevermore]

"BioWare has told Eurogamer that Mythic Entertainment will "without a doubt" help out on Star Wars: The Old Republic, as there are "absolutely opportunities to share and learn" within the newly formed RPG/MMO group.

Chances Old Republic will suck just went up by a couple dozen orders of magnitude.

[01101010]

"BioWare has told Eurogamer that Mythic Entertainment will "without a doubt" help out on Star Wars: The Old Republic, as there are "absolutely opportunities to share and learn" within the newly formed RPG/MMO group.

Chances Old Republic will suck just went up by a couple dozen orders of magnitude.

OR.... they mean share and learn what-the-fuck NOT to do.

[rk47]

Sigh. Bioware learning from Mythic how to make games? Fuck, force gripping to faction guards = valid RVR tactic?

[Goreschach]

Look on the bright side, it's not exactly like getting knocked into lava will break canon. 

[Rasix]

"BioWare has told Eurogamer that Mythic Entertainment will "without a doubt" help out on Star Wars: The Old Republic, as there are "absolutely opportunities to share and learn" within the newly formed RPG/MMO group.

Chances Old Republic will suck just went up by a couple dozen orders of magnitude.

OR.... they mean share and learn what-the-fuck NOT to do.

When has Mythic ever learned what-the-fuck NOT to do?  They may have a hard time communicating that.   We just have to hope the SWTOR team has better than average critical reading skills.

Paul: If there's one think gamers love, it's MORE BARS.  MORE BARS TO TRACK HOW AWESOME YOU ARE! WAAAAAAAAAAAARRGGG.
SWTOR team:  *audible groan*  I thought we told him the meeting was at 2.  Who told him?

[Lakov_Sanite]

Look on the bright side, it's not exactly like getting knocked into lava will break canon. 

Ok, that one got me.

[Tannhauser]

It is STILL shocking to me that a AAA title like WAR has crashed and burned so thoroughly.

[Nebu]

It is STILL shocking to me that a AAA title like WAR has crashed and burned so thoroughly.

How do you feel about Vanguard and Tabula Rasa? 

[01101010]

So wait, does this joint effort mean the Paul is going to be tied to SWTOR in any way shape or form? 

[Sir T]

It is STILL shocking to me that a AAA title like WAR has crashed and burned so thoroughly.

How do you feel about Vanguard and Tabula Rasa? 

The only comparison between WAR and TR is that they both have/had a problem with the endgame. There was little reason to stick around with TR after 3 months or so, but those 3 months were fun as heck. In WAR the first tier is fun and a bit of the second tier but then it really hits a wall. In TR the devs really listened and improved the game massively. Not here, they seem to have made it worse.

[Nebu]

The thing that WAR and TR had in common were their development budgets.  Isn't that what makes a title AAA?

[Sir T]

The thing that WAR and TR had in common were their development budgets.  Isn't that what makes a title AAA?

Good Point.

[ghost]

but those 3 months were fun as heck.

Really? 

[Azazel]

the Creative Director still has a budget for travel and self promotion: http://www.develop-conference.com/developconference09/biog_detail.shtml?id=2812

The best part of that little nutshell bio is that he references Bioware-Mythic, claims to be "mates with Jeff Kaplan (Blizzard, WoW)" and has no mention whatsoever of Warhammer/WAR.

 

[Redgiant]

Look on the bright side, it's not exactly like getting knocked into lava will break canon. 

If thery have a Tor Mustafar scenario, my advice is stay out.

[Arthur_Parker]

I can't link a source for this for obvious reasons, but I believe it to be accurate.

GOA had an internal meeting in Dublin recently, over 50% of jobs are to go (that's well over 100 staff), subscription numbers for WAR in the US are currently standing at just under 15k, Europe has a touch over 80k.  No figures for Russia or Taiwan were mentioned.

[Soln]

Seriously?  That seems really low for the US.

[squirrel]

I can't link a source for this for obvious reasons, but I believe it to be accurate.

GOA had an internal meeting in Dublin recently, over 50% of jobs are to go (that's well over 100 staff), subscription numbers for WAR in the US are currently standing at just under 15k, Europe has a touch over 80k.  No figures for Russia or Taiwan were mentioned.

Holy shit. That seems incredibly low. Not that I know anyone still playing but if that's even close to the number the game's in way worse trouble than I'd thought.

[Soln]

Sure it's not 150k for US? 

[Arthur_Parker]

Yeah, just under 15k, if there's massive job cuts coming at GOA I'd expect to see the sub info elsewhere soon.

[Draegan]

 

[waffel]

This. I hate Mythic as much as the next I-quit-the-game-and-raged-on-my-cds guy but 15k is almost unbelievably low.

[Modern Angel]

That can't possibly be right

[Ingmar]

That realllllllly seems like it must involve a dropped 0.

[Nebu]

That can't possibly be right

I think it's possible.  Most of the massive guilds now have populations in the double digits (as in like 20 or so).  The game has been bleeding people like crazy. 

[Modern Angel]

Anarchy Online has 20k. It has more than AO.

[Arthur_Parker]

Job losses are expected to hit in September, so I guess it might be a while before anyone confirms it, current subscription info was direct from a senior vice president of GOA.  If I'm wrong, I'm wrong *doesn't think he's wrong*. 

I've been on holiday and Ireland's not that big a place.  I guess it's possible GOA has the US sub info wrong but it's so low you would expect them to say "what" rather than concentrate on how well Europe is doing, (compared to the US that is).