Please lower in app purchase prices?

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Hey CG,

I want to give you money.... really, I do. I like the game, but the per character cost to advance is prohibitive, thus I stay mostly FTP. I do buy something every so often, just to encourage game development and to support you, but I know, whole heartedly, if you reduced some of the purchase prices, like gear bundles, I would be much more inclined to buy more of them.

I’m sure you have done the calculus, but would you rather have 5000 people buy a $99 in app purchase, or 30,000 buy a $30? Easy to see, the later makes much more money..... Walmart, Amazon, etc, are among the biggest companies in the world, because they understand that customers happily spend money when the items they offer are affordable.

Again, I want to give you more money, but your current prices stop me because the end game is too expensive for even 1 squad.... currently, there is a bundle for 2 gear and 500 crystals.... I want it so bad. I would give you $5 without blinking. I might do this 5 times a month. I would even consider it at $8 or $9, but right now you want $20, and I can’t accept that, not even once as it only benefits 1 character and insignificantly overall... I know many of your supporters feel the same....

Lower prices = more transactions = happier customers = greater customer investment.... which creates more lock in, to keep the game going. That’s good for all of us who love this game, you too!

Thanks CG, I hope you are listening, and I am grateful you made SWGOH! :)

Replies

  • Nihion
    3340 posts Member
    Devoted whales + very expensive micro transactions = A true artisanal bread maker.
  • Nihion wrote: »
    Devoted whales + very expensive micro transactions = A true artisanal bread maker.

    True, but detrimental for the sustainability of the game. When people start to feel feel hopelessly behind, as many do, they leave the game. When enough of the user base leaves, the whales have no one left to set themselves apart from. You can’t be epic everyone is epic.... at that point, the game dies.... I want this game to live on a long time.
  • Nihion
    3340 posts Member
    joelgs23 wrote: »
    Nihion wrote: »
    Devoted whales + very expensive micro transactions = A true artisanal bread maker.

    True, but detrimental for the sustainability of the game. When people start to feel feel hopelessly behind, as many do, they leave the game. When enough of the user base leaves, the whales have no one left to set themselves apart from. You can’t be epic everyone is epic.... at that point, the game dies.... I want this game to live on a long time.

    Well it seems to have been working for them for a long time. There are dolphins too, but they like to prioritize whales.
  • It has worked, but as Ahnold, Warrior and MobileGamer, along with every other SWGOH tracker has observed, active users and revenue for the game continue to decline. What used to work might not work much longer, and a new strategy could be good.
  • I’d love to see prices drop, obviously. This game costs way more than I am comfortable spending on a mobile game, and I’d probably spend more (and more often) if they were reduced.

    Saying that:
    CG and EA have all of the data and metrics around in game spending, along with the budget to hire marketing analysts to determine what pricing scheme will maximize their revenue.
    And this is it.
    Even though I’d love to see a change, I won’t be expecting one as long as the data tells them otherwise.

    All of our theories are worthless in the face of real data. Your 5,000 vs. 30,000 equation makes perfect sense, but it’s also meaningless as it is 100% made up to support your argument.
  • ya
    kello_511 wrote: »
    . Your 5,000 vs. 30,000 equation makes perfect sense, but it’s also meaningless as it is 100% made up to support your argument.

    Ya, it’s made up, but it was just for illustration. Beside data for maximum profit though, they have to consider the ramifications of dividing and frustrating the user base with obvious whales, dolphins, FTP, etc. segmenting the customers base and causing so many of us to feel ignored or even insulted by their pricing schemes, can only serve to eventually harm to company and this game.
  • Monel
    2776 posts Member
    joelgs23 wrote: »
    ya
    kello_511 wrote: »
    . Your 5,000 vs. 30,000 equation makes perfect sense, but it’s also meaningless as it is 100% made up to support your argument.

    Ya, it’s made up, but it was just for illustration. Beside data for maximum profit though, they have to consider the ramifications of dividing and frustrating the user base with obvious whales, dolphins, FTP, etc. segmenting the customers base and causing so many of us to feel ignored or even insulted by their pricing schemes, can only serve to eventually harm to company and this game.

    While I agree I might spend more if they lowered prices there is no reason to believe the number or ratio you claim. I do believe that most businesses know how to make as much money as possible. EA very much appears to be one of these companies. Toy R Us is not. That being said I am sure EA has evaluated how much people are willing to spend so they can make as much as possible.

    Also, whales are inclined to spend less if they are buying the same stuff as you because it becomes less exclusive to them. Take Coach for example, once considered a "premier" brand it began to create hand bags of lower quality for a lower price and people that were willing to pay more stopped buying them. Why? Because it became pedestrian. Rich people dont shop at the same places as regular people. They pay to be elite, not regular. Argue with self entitlement stuff and what not but it doesnt make it less true.
  • JDIII wrote: »
    [...] A single piece of gear shouldn’t cost no $20 (or higher) The average person don’t even make than in an hour of work. Someone at Walmart (example) has to work 3-4 hours just to buy a single piece!
    I feel you, I also don't want to pay that for a piece of gear. But I'm totally fine with that.

    There are people that make a lot more an hour (some even get all their money for free). They don't grind, they pay to be ahead.

    Like Monel said: if it's expensive enough, the whales aren't buying. Why would you spend, if it's not giving you an edge?

    If they drop the price there may even be much less spending (after a small rise): the dolphins and whales will stop (because no egde), but also TPFKA-FTP might not spend so much or more will quite because it might feel like a P2P game instead of the now FTP/P2W.
    With a small player-base spending will definitely be less spending (because there is nobody left 'to buy an edge over').
    That’s probably why there’s always so much hate on the game forums
    This I never understand: you can play a very nice game, totally for free you only have to allow others that pay for your game to have a small edge.

  • Boros
    507 posts Member
    I mean not gonna lie, prices are insane, I only spent money on Crystal's for refreshes or gears, in warthunder which is just as grindy as swgoh, I spent 50$ and I get a top tier plane or tank, wouldnt mind giving swgoh 100$ per character to unlock but asking for 300 to 500$ to unlock them and then asking for 100$ for gear 12 items. Meh hard pass
  • joelgs23 wrote: »
    ya
    kello_511 wrote: »
    . Your 5,000 vs. 30,000 equation makes perfect sense, but it’s also meaningless as it is 100% made up to support your argument.

    Ya, it’s made up, but it was just for illustration. Beside data for maximum profit though, they have to consider the ramifications of dividing and frustrating the user base with obvious whales, dolphins, FTP, etc. segmenting the customers base and causing so many of us to feel ignored or even insulted by their pricing schemes, can only serve to eventually harm to company and this game.

    Again, that frustration and segmenting is taken into account and it is in fact part of the monetization strategy.
    The fact is: they came here to make money, not friends. And as long as their strategies are working, there is no point in expecting them to change.
    Once you accept that, you’ll be better off.
  • Fans: hey Dallas Cowboys, please lower your ticket prices so regular fans can buy tickets and enjoy the game from the stadium.

    Cowboys: all the tickets are sold out for the next 10 years and the seats in the stadium are always full. So... no.

    Fans: well that sucks.

    Cowboys: not for us.
  • Boros
    507 posts Member
    AnnerDoon wrote: »
    Fans: hey Dallas Cowboys, please lower your ticket prices so regular fans can buy tickets and enjoy the game from the stadium.

    Cowboys: all the tickets are sold out for the next 10 years and the seats in the stadium are always full. So... no.

    Fans: well that sucks.

    Cowboys: not for us.

    Who even buys tickets to go watch cowboys?

    Fans: EA your starwars battlefront 2 sucks wont buy, and will cancel my preorder.

    EA: 1 month after launch, battlefront 2 is on sale for only 5$, with tons of free DLC.

    Fans: EA your Star Wars The old republic game sucks we wont subscribe anymore.

    EA: swtor is now free to play 1 year into its life.

    Fans: EA, dead space and battlefield hardline sucks we wont give u money.

    EA: Shuts down visceral games.

    Fans: EA you are losing star wars licence in 4 years.

    EA: cuts the development for all star wars games.
  • It’s entirely possible that CG’s business plan is to bleed the whales dry and then let the game fail. I’d like to start spending too at lower prices, but everything I’ve seen over the last 3 years is that prices are only going up.
  • It’s entirely possible that CG’s business plan is to bleed the whales dry and then let the game fail. I’d like to start spending too at lower prices, but everything I’ve seen over the last 3 years is that prices are only going up.

    To be fair..that's generally the model for most mobile games. Run them until they no longer make a profit, drop it, repeat. The only thing that's stopped this for already happening here is the Star Wars brand itself. But even that won't placate players forever.

    It's the primary reason I'm F2P. I have no control over the game. It may disappear in 6 months for all I know.
    This you have to understand. There's only one way to hurt a man who's lost everything. Give him back something broken..” -Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever
  • Kyno
    32087 posts Moderator
    JDIII wrote: »
    Btw 99% of games don’t eye gouge with their prices and they do great. You pay your little $60 and then another $20-$30 if you want the season pass, and it’s done. The top games ever made fit in this category too

    What other games have made this much profit over the same time period? Or even a longer period of time?
  • It’s entirely possible that CG’s business plan is to bleed the whales dry and then let the game fail. I’d like to start spending too at lower prices, but everything I’ve seen over the last 3 years is that prices are only going up.

    To be fair..that's generally the model for most mobile games. Run them until they no longer make a profit, drop it, repeat. The only thing that's stopped this for already happening here is the Star Wars brand itself. But even that won't placate players forever.

    It's the primary reason I'm F2P. I have no control over the game. It may disappear in 6 months for all I know.

    Understanding the model doesn’t make me happy with it :smile:

    Your reason for being f2p is the same that I moved to that.
  • JDIII wrote: »
    @AnnerDoon Can’t use Cowboys as an example, because football game do have affordable prices that people can afford. Now they might be sitting in the bleachers or nose bleeds, and have to sneak their own food in, but they still get to go.

    I'm not really sure what you mean by affordable. I just looked for tickets to home games for my local football team. The cheapest game is $125 per ticket. I wouldn't call that affordable (and that's before factoring in other costs like parking). Seems like a reasonable comparison to me. To use your own words:

    "Someone at Walmart (example) has to work [8-12] hours just to buy a single [ticket]!"
  • Kyno
    32087 posts Moderator
    We dont have all the data, we dont know how many players are doing anything, - leaving, paying, stopping paying or any other actions that "will affect the game".

    They do have that data, they also have several payed people who have degrees in this exact field that seem to disagree with the examples of how to make more money listed here.

    As for any examples or "proof" of decline, whose to say this isnt expected and still falling within the acceptable margins of what was predicted. No game goes on forever, no game makes the same amount of money throughout its lifetime month to month, or year to year.
  • JDIII wrote: »
    @jhbuchholz and what will $125 do for you in this game, absolutely nothing.You can’t get 1 new character for that, or can’t even fully gear 1 up with that. So yes, compared to this game, football games are affordable. I heard rumors that players were in the 6 digit numbers spent on this game

    This makes no sense. How can you objectively compare the value of the two? What metrics besides cost are you using? Would a $50 toothbrush be a better value too? For $50 I get a whole toothbrush or I get a G12 piece. So yes, the toothbrush is a better value. Makes no sense to me.

    Also, people spend 6 digit numbers on football, and other sports, tickets every season. What's your point on this?

    I still believe a $125 sports ticket is not "affordable".
  • Iy4oy4s
    2923 posts Member
    joelgs23 wrote: »
    It has worked, but as Ahnold, Warrior and MobileGamer, along with every other SWGOH tracker has observed, active users and revenue for the game continue to decline. What used to work might not work much longer, and a new strategy could be good.

    This is 100% spot on. I couldn’t agree with this more! Hopefully, Mark will bring balance to the force.
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