The B2P is not "innovative" idea or such. It's Funcom admitting they have failed in making a game that would be worth a sub model. They've admitted that  GW2 crushed them also. Straight from the official forums

"Originally Posted by Nusquam

Let me tell you why.

200,000 sales was not enough to support a team the size we had at launch, and cuts were made. Good people had to go.

And so we held on, hoping that people would notice that we were delivering monthly updates. Hoping that Guild Wars 2 was mostly hype. We believed in The Secret World as a subscription and we hoped that players would keep coming.

Still, any fool can draw a line on a graph and see where things were going. And so the business guys made a call. They gave us a timeframe.

There were meetings about this decision. Discussions. A lot of opinions. Don't blame the business guys, they allowed us a lot of freedom. Different arguments were made, models suggested and scenarios projected.

We tried to build a new model that will work for everyone. It has to be attractive to new players, to bring them in. It has to reward old players, to keep them happy. I believe that growth = sales, not squeezing our current customers for everything that they are worth.

I am not a money maker. I'm not doing this job because of my detailed knowledge of economics or my savvy investment skills. My job is communicating outwards and inwards - I set the direction for the game based on the conversations that I have with the community and the developers.

Perceived value for GM players has gone down, I am not blind to it.

But there is this: I don't want to say goodbye to any more of the good developers that I work with. I'm tired of it. I have been through it four times now.

The business guys win because I couldn't make it work as a subscription game. That's why. That's about as brutally honest as it gets at 1am.

"

It's obvious TSW should never , ever been a sub game.

Wow, you created an account just to post this.

You lack the courage of your convictions, sir.

Anyway, seems kind of interesting that a game based around smoke and mirrors conspiracies is so straight forward about what they're doing. I think they'll be much better off now and in the future. Hopefully these changes will allow the game to thrive.

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Originally posted by Ortwig
Whatever.  Thread close please?

Hurts to see the dev admit defeat ? Rather not have it out there ?

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Do you want a hug?

If anything, this change proves that Funcom is willing to adapt to new trends in the industry. Nothing wrong with admitting that the sub only model was not optimal for the game.

I really applaud Funcom for this move that will allow a lot of people to play this great game for only a few bucks and then decide if they want to spend some money on it.

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by Ortwig
Whatever.  Thread close please?

Hurts to see the dev admit defeat ? Rather not have it out there ?

Because it serves no purpose whatsoever.

Originally posted by spitfire1064

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Do you want a hug?

The TSW fanboys do .

No need for a hug here , enjoying seeing Funcom reap the results of releasing imcomplete buggy game again.

Their own forums are a blast now , with those who've bought the grandmaster ,their most dedicated and loyal customers , are in an uproar.

Quite enjoyable.

Originally posted by Dreskest

If anything, this change proves that Funcom is willing to adapt to new trends in the industry. Nothing wrong with admitting that the sub only model was not optimal for the game.

 

I really applaud Funcom for this move that will allow a lot of people to play this great game for only a few bucks and then decide if they want to spend some money on it.

Also proves they couldn't sell enough of the game. Wasn't good enough.

I don't see how this Dev's post can be seen as anything but the opinion of a man who loves his game and wants the best for the community. I have always had that feeling about the team behind TSW, even when I left it. The new model is bringing me back and some of my friends in for the first time. I really hope it works out, it was a great game, I just couldn't justify paying a sub for it.

As a side note - I think this is proof that MMORPGs need systems in them which keep people logging in. Despite how much people whine about this grind or that grind, those sorts of games maintain a largish community for a longer time, and if you get addicted to those grinds enough, you will keep paying to do them. Look at WoW.

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Haters gonna hate

Originally posted by Dreskest

If anything, this change proves that Funcom is willing to adapt to new trends in the industry. Nothing wrong with admitting that the sub only model was not optimal for the game.

 

I really applaud Funcom for this move that will allow a lot of people to play this great game for only a few bucks and then decide if they want to spend some money on it.

Well, that's actually valid -- they've been pretty darn adaptable given the challenges any MMO must face.  Actually most subscribers are happy with the change and happy more people will be playing.  For those who need to feel some sort of weird vindication, whatever.  Sure some people are a bit surprised, but I'm seeing  people pretty enthusiastic overall.  Lifetime folks just need a bit of time to understand they're actually in a better spot.

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Do you want a hug?

The TSW fanboys do .

No need for a hug here , enjoying seeing Funcom reap the results of releasing imcomplete buggy game again.

Their own forums are a blast now , with those who've bought the grandmaster ,their most dedicated and loyal customers , are in an uproar.

Quite enjoyable.

I think you need more fiber in your diet or something, cause the amount of rage your showing can not possibly be from a video game.

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Do you want a hug?

The TSW fanboys do .

No need for a hug here , enjoying seeing Funcom reap the results of releasing imcomplete buggy game again.

Their own forums are a blast now , with those who've bought the grandmaster ,their most dedicated and loyal customers , are in an uproar.

Quite enjoyable.

Lol you are such a bitter gamer aren't you ?

I got lifetime membership in TSW and I think the change is quite positive for the game. I am also getting more benefits now than before the move to B2P so nothing to complain about. I checked  the forums and it's only a few bitter people like yourself who are complaining about the new direction.

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064

Originally posted by mmo72

Originally posted by spitfire1064
You sound happy.

The more terrible , unfinished , buggy mmo's that crash and burn the better.

One day hoping mmorpg companies will learn from mistakes such as TSW and SWTOR.

Hoping these two in particular continue to burn into a horrible end for the companies.

Maybe then better games will be published.

I also enjoyed seeing the past months the clueless who tried to imply TSW was selling well , despite all financials pointing to the opposite.

Wondering where those folks are now as I'd like to see them spin this.

Do you want a hug?

The TSW fanboys do .

No need for a hug here , enjoying seeing Funcom reap the results of releasing imcomplete buggy game again.

Their own forums are a blast now , with those who've bought the grandmaster ,their most dedicated and loyal customers , are in an uproar.

Quite enjoyable.

TSW actually tried to step outside of the box.  the main-stream didn't bite and you are enjoying it?  fuck you.  you are the reason we have the same themepark games coming out one after another.  i hope you enjoy the stagnation in the genre as much as you seem to.  get bent.