What is the maximum amount that you are able or willing to pay, monthly, for a single MMORPG?

For the purpose of this survey, imagine that this MMORPG is one that you definitely want to play.

I have not included "Free" because it relies on a different form of revenue (premium services, etc.)

If the game is everything I've ever wanted, I'd probably pay 100 dolalrs + a month to play it.

But considering it's not going to be, it needs to stay close to the competition out there. It would probably be hard to justify anything over 20 dollars / month right now.

For me 15 $ is enought, no mmorpg should cost more. I know the developers need to make money, but earning money is hard too in the customers side.

I would pay $50 or even more if I had too. I do have a station pass right now but I would prefer to pay less.

Once Guildwars 2 comes out I might give up paying fees for good :)

15€ are enough, dont make the companys greedy

My vote was $10.00.

I'd pay a maximum of $ 15,-. I've got more hobbies then only 1 role playing game, so I'll have to divide my budget. I do understand that companies have costs to cover, but I'd hope it's possible to cover all the costs if sutomers pay $15,-.

My answer to this poll will vary over time as US dollar  exchange rate can go up or down.

Previously, I would have said $15 but the recent drop in local currency here has doubled the cost for me.

 After $15, you have to show me something really unique and worth taking a penny more.

Since the survey is for one game and not access to a collection of them ( Station Pass).

 What would be worth more than $15 per month?

     - Access to personalized or user generated content

     - incorporating new game modes - example: lets say from lvl 1-50 you play the typical mortal avatar, but after a grueling epic journey you 'transcend" into a warlord mode which offers something like BattleForge where you can try RTS in combination with a card deity PvP system like Legends of Norrath as well. 

If you don't like those styles you can continue as before and focus on expansions, raiding other realms generated by players and strive to be a demigod ( a mortal who can affect deities).

For something like Yosemite's Middle-earth Online, Glitchless' Dawn, or Climax's Warhammer Online, I would have easily paid $60+, but none of that happened. I also would have paid about $60 monthly for EVE if it had launched with everything it has now and Ambulation, but that certainly didn't happen, either. Same for the design Vanguard had in the early beta just before SOE stepped in. Same for a Shadowbane sequel if it was done with similar art direction but modern graphics. Le sigh.

Needless to say, I voted $30.

I would pay $100 a month easy if the game was worth it and cheaters/ebayers/botters were not in the game at all.

I find it funny that people have issues paying $15 for a game, 15 a month is so cheap it's not even funny compared to what people spend on a daily basis. You go out to a bar for one night and you threw down $15, you go see a 2 hour movie which can be good or bad and you throw down at least $10 for the ticket and god knows about the concessions.

Anyway, take out cheaters and what not and i'll pay $100 for it. I feel that botters/cheaters/ebayers ruin the games and the sense of accomplishment completely ruining my fun.

I would play $20-30 for Mortal Online if it ends up being as good as it sounds.

I think there is only two ways that these marketing departments look at it;

How much do we need to make in order to clear costs?

or

How much do you think we can get for it?

The former I agree with, and the latter is reinforcing that the standard is 14.99$. Pricing, and I am talking about all throughout the history of the world and all economics, is set by the first people to sell. Game cartridges have been 50$ since thier inception (and only changed recently, and for games staffed by the hundreds), and everyone follows for many reasons. One, they don't want to risk charging more and then being refered to as a product not worth the extra money (thus the creation of the collectors edition scam, which I still fall for). Two, they don't want to charge less and seem like an inferior product from first contact... and lets face it, we are all guilty of buying the expensive stuff because we assume/percieve it to be better.

I wish the world ran on the idea that something should be sold for what it is worth, but consumer mentality isn't that bright. To most people, two games that can be dead-similar clones with equal costs in creating could charge differently, and I will go ahead and assume the more expensive one will do better - and over time it will become the superior one through funding. Sometimes a slight margin is comfortable enough to pander as a key reason to play it over others, I think FFXI did well at 12.99 w/ 1.00 per char added, but that's definitely not the reason it did well. I think in the end, any range between 1-20 dollars is a comfortable enough range for anyone to pay, since the time invested adds up far better than anything else you could be spending money on... but people are slowly getting conscious of spending (maybe recession, i dunno), and that is affecting the market of MMOs that charge the standard 14.99$. Only one can reign supreme, and I think cheaper ones may escape under that radar somehow and end up having no comparable product - and if it did, the price shift is on it's side. Something costing more is literally going to have to blow minds, and have longevity to blow minds years down the line.

Honestly if it is a game that holds all the aspects I want it to have then I do not think that $30 a month would not be too much. That is however IF it has every thing that I want it to have. I know that I have high expectations and desires for the games that I play, but if a game can give me every thing that I want then I think it would be acceptable.

Even with the high prices you guys are claiming to be willing to pay it would not be enough because most of the player community would not pay that much.   The kind of money that it takes to support and build on an MMO takes great numbers of subscriptions not a few at a higher price.  That being said the best way to keep an MMO going is to think of the fun factor with regard to the masses, rather than the exclusive types.

Originally posted by Grisaline

I'd pay a maximum of $ 15,-. I've got more hobbies then only 1 role playing game, so I'll have to divide my budget. I do understand that companies have costs to cover, but I'd hope it's possible to cover all the costs if sutomers pay $15,-.

This is very close to how I feel.  I do other things, and $15 is just about right to allow me to pay for other hobbies, and other games.  I am very rarely satisfied with one.  I love my xbox too.

I voted 20 dollars, but then again I'd only pay money if I had any and if you put a good agme in front of me, good luck getting any of those any time soon.

Originally posted by Loke666

Once Guildwars 2 comes out I might give up paying fees for good :)

This.

I voted U$5, that convert to almost R$10 with ICC taxes and all the trouble for a very crappy quality product, while Anet  end´s up for lot less, less worries with CC and a better product.

I chose 10$ even though I have payed for station pass and in general for a commercial game like wow 15$ a month.Free to play games's I have tried even though some are high quality and have good game play, I loath hitting the free wall on content and having to pay money anyways just to access the content. so a monthly fee is a perfect model for me and it assures me i get access to all the content.

This whole monthly fee question is a failure rooted in the past.  The future is in packaging and charging for access options.  Let's ask a similar question, what would you pay for a car?

Even within a single make and model there can be considerable variation in price.  IMO there is a need to start thinking that way in sub fees.  I'm sure this sounds very similar to freemium models, it isn't.  Instead it's about designing around certain upsell options.  For example, the Guild Master package: This package allows a user to organize and run a guild (membership is open to everyone).  The package comes in membership tiers with equivilent Vent/TS hosting, externally accessable in-game messege board functions, plus other configurable guild tools (like DKP).

That example is unbearably generic, but I think it shows the potential of the idea (while also distancing itself from freemium models).  A game with territory control/city building might charge a fee for that privilage.  In a "player controlled economy" there might be a shop fee.  Those that don't pay won't be entirely locked out of that play,  but their involvement would be limited to secondary roles.  That is for city building they wouldn't be able to place buildings, but they could take part in the construction phase.  In the market example, they would lack the ability to consign through (or place) NPC vendors and might face higher list fees on auctions.

$15 is plenty enough when developers could make a profit charging even 1 dollar a month.

I think 7-8 euro is more than enough for them.Anything more and they milk the crack out of it.

Originally posted by jusomdude

$15 is plenty enough when developers could make a profit charging even 1 dollar a month.

not even close even with 1 mil subs, 1 mil a month is hardly enough to pay an entire staff, continue servers and develop new content

I voted $30