Smartest Move Valve Can Ever Make

InfinitumInfinitum Anime Encyclopedia Join Date: 2002-08-08 Member: 1111Members, Constellation
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">Read on...</div> (Note, yes this is an extreme hypothetical and ain't never gonna happen)

What is the single smartest marketing move VALVe could ever make?

Pay to Play.

Think about it, they know own the rights to both Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat and Team Fotress Classic. 3 EXTREMELY popular modifications, with a gigantic user base. Now a LOT of people are addicted to these games like crack to a drug addict. So what happens when you start charging for access to their WONID accounts?

Well firstly a crapload of angry customers, but after the initial 10000 letter bombs they'd pay for it. They couldn't live without CS, it's a bloody addiction.


Just a little idea I had....

dum de dum


carry on.
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Comments

  • Relic25Relic25 Pixel Punk Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 39Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Great. Just what I need, someone else to bill me on a monthly basis. Am I the only one who is sick to death of the whole 'subscription' trend? If anything like this did happen, I don't think I'd ever play online again. Single-player Ho!
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  • InfinitumInfinitum Anime Encyclopedia Join Date: 2002-08-08 Member: 1111Members, Constellation
    Yeah, Pay to Play is the most evil invention ever devised by a game company.

    I was SO excited about Planetside, but there is no way I could every justify a monthly subscription to a FPS when the market is literally flooded with them.

    As I said, just a little hypothetical ;o
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  • AllUrHiveRblong2usAllUrHiveRblong2us By Your Powers Combined... Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11244Members
    That's what Sega tried to do with Phantasy Star Online 2, but it didn't work then.
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  • Sephiroth2kSephiroth2k Join Date: 2002-04-21 Member: 481Members, Constellation
    shhhhhh don't give them ideas! p2p is the worst thing in the world and the only thing that if implemented to every game will make me stop playing them forever.
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  • Nemesis_ZeroNemesis_Zero Old European Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 75Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    Keep in mind that, aside from a relatively 'small' core community, all multiplayer FPS create a lot of 'throughput': Players download the mod, try it, play it for a few weeks, find a new one, and won't come back before the next patch. I'd wager that only one out of ten new players really sticks around.

    P2P would nullify this casual game audience, which is why the marketing model is bound to break down. It's something different in RPGs, where long playing is actually rewarded significantly, making it the actual aim of the game, but fast-paced FPS just don't work like that.
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  • MonsieurEvilMonsieurEvil Join Date: 2002-01-22 Member: 4Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Well, STEAM is planned to be a paid service eventually. You pay a fee to 'download on demand' and have your online fun. So you might say this is the way they are going already, but in a different direction than you are describing. More to offer a service and cut out middleman fees (publishers, shelf space, distribution channels, etc. that actually make the game cost you $50 in stead of say $20).

    As for pay-for-play from retail boxed-CD owners though? I highly doubt it. Those types of enterprises typically run their own online gaming services - like everquest, ultima online, or SWG. There would be little justification for the enormous profits to be made off such a system (and they would be enormous - no infrastructure investment and all return), and Valve has not shown a truly money-grubbing attitude in the past 5 years, like an 'EA/DICE', for example... Valve made their $250,000,000 off their own products and that appeared to be 'enough' ^_^ .
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  • Nemesis_ZeroNemesis_Zero Old European Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 75Members, Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    The beauty about STEAM is that you only pay for a product as long as you use it - that's why it fits the FPS demographic, whereas Everquest-like three months P2P contracts wouldn't. I assume STEAM will be to computer games what Video renting is to cinema.
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  • StakhanovStakhanov Join Date: 2003-03-12 Member: 14448Members
    thsss... if I had to pay for HL , I'd just only play Unreal Tournament... which has bunches of mods too
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  • SirusSirus Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    Actually, it would probably be the worst move they could ever make. You will see a dramatic decrease in people who purchase it, as we all know, people <i>HATE</i> commitment. They want to buy the game, and not worry about having to make sure your done and paid for before you get a chance to play online after a hard day at work/school.
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  • CronosCronos Join Date: 2002-10-18 Member: 1542Members
    That would be the dumbest move ever, Half life is a good investment because of free modifications. It is free mods that have kept the community alive, and it is free mods that will keep HL alive well into the next year or two.

    Anyhow, I dont think valve would do such a thing. The fact that DoD, CS, TFC and any other mod that valve technically "Owns" and sells retail and can still be downloaded for free off the net anyway proves that. If Valve wanted to milk their proverbial cow, they would bar free downloads of mods they technically own, which they havent done...
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  • SaltySalty Join Date: 2002-11-05 Member: 6970Members
    Sell free mods to stupid people (ie retail CS, DOD, TFC)
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  • ImmacolataImmacolata Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 2140Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    <!--QuoteBegin--Relic25+Apr 29 2003, 05:30 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Relic25 @ Apr 29 2003, 05:30 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Great. Just what I need, someone else to bill me on a monthly basis. Am I the only one who is sick to death of the whole 'subscription' trend? If anything like this did happen, I don't think I'd ever play online again. Single-player Ho! <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Hear hear relic25. Companies might not realize that subscription models are big deterrents to some of us. It also leads to confusing monthly budgets for the private person.

    In the last 5 years I've changed from subscription based to actual "pay for what you use" in telephony, internet connection, newspapers & magazines. But at the same time Ive enountered far too much "subscription whoring" stuff like: software (I subscribe to ASE, should have bought it right away >.<), fruit (yes, fruit!), my VISA-card, and my cable television company. not as you think, but these really annoying "packages". In order to get digital tv, with a settop box that has all the mojo, I must first subscribe to the "medium" or "large" cable package. Thats 25$ for the big one. Then 10$ to subscribe on the set top box (sigh). THEN between $5-$20 for EACH "aDDITIONAL" package that makes the settop worth subscribing to in the first place.

    This subscription madness must stop. I demand products that I buy once. That why I like my new super telecompany. No subscription! I pay by adding money to my account via the internet. When Ive used my money I must add more or the phone stops working for.
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  • ScytheScythe Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
    Hmm, what about micro-charging?

    Like charging a few cents per hour of gameplay. This would cost the end user next to nothing but would supply a constant, capital-free income for valve.

    I'd be in for that kind of scheme.

    --Scythe--
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  • StakhanovStakhanov Join Date: 2003-03-12 Member: 14448Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--Scythe+Apr 30 2003, 11:18 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Scythe @ Apr 30 2003, 11:18 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Hmm, what about micro-charging?

    Like charging a few cents per hour of gameplay. This would cost the end user next to nothing but would supply a constant, capital-free income for valve.

    I'd be in for that kind of scheme.

    --Scythe-- <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Oh. Are you really <b>that</b> eager to pay ?...

    Fortunate Valve directors don't browse this forum or figured why this would fail...
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  • mRWafflesmRWaffles Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4713Members
    Does anyone else get nervous not having a game cd laying around. I mean really... I have to have a CD... and a box... or something is amiss.
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