Good afternoon, I've been doing my "geek" thing and checking out info about other MMORRPGs (because WoW has taken over for me). I just wanted to see how they stack up. Here's something that I think can easily be considered one of the dumbest things I've ever heard regarding MMOs:
"I don't think there are four million people in the world who really want to play online games every month," said Michael Pachter, a research analyst for Wedbush Morgan, a securities firm. "World of Warcraft is such an exception. I frankly think it's the buzz factor, and eventually it will come back to the mean, maybe a million subscribers."
"It may continue to grow in China," Mr. Pachter added, "but not in Europe or the U.S. We don't need the imaginary outlet to feel a sense of accomplishment here. It just doesn't work in the U.S. It just doesn't make any sense." (from the New York Times)
First of all, this guy has forgotten that this shit is still spreading like a virus. First one of the people you know gets it, and tells you how awesome it is. Then someone like me buys it, and tells everyone they know about how much fun it is, and pretty soon, you've sold 4 million copies. Nevermind the actual fanbase Blizzard has (as Blizzcon can attest to), there is another tier of players who are still getting into it because their friends are into it. That's part of what is so cool about the game. When I went to the store to buy WoW, the clerk told me its the only game he's seen where people just keep showing up, and even though its not the highest selling title week-to-week, it sell consistently without any stop.
Now, sure, at some point even I'll probably stop playing WoW. But if Blizzard plays their cards right (and they pretty much always do) I won't stop playing for a good number of years. And I'll ahve had such a good experience playing this MMO (my first MMO, if you care) that i'll pick up some other MMO (hopefully WoW 2).
So there you go. Prachter, this shit is just getting bigger.
"I don't think there are four million people in the world who really want to play online games every month," said Michael Pachter, a research analyst for Wedbush Morgan, a securities firm. "World of Warcraft is such an exception. I frankly think it's the buzz factor, and eventually it will come back to the mean, maybe a million subscribers."
"It may continue to grow in China," Mr. Pachter added, "but not in Europe or the U.S. We don't need the imaginary outlet to feel a sense of accomplishment here. It just doesn't work in the U.S. It just doesn't make any sense." (from the New York Times)
First of all, this guy has forgotten that this shit is still spreading like a virus. First one of the people you know gets it, and tells you how awesome it is. Then someone like me buys it, and tells everyone they know about how much fun it is, and pretty soon, you've sold 4 million copies. Nevermind the actual fanbase Blizzard has (as Blizzcon can attest to), there is another tier of players who are still getting into it because their friends are into it. That's part of what is so cool about the game. When I went to the store to buy WoW, the clerk told me its the only game he's seen where people just keep showing up, and even though its not the highest selling title week-to-week, it sell consistently without any stop.
Now, sure, at some point even I'll probably stop playing WoW. But if Blizzard plays their cards right (and they pretty much always do) I won't stop playing for a good number of years. And I'll ahve had such a good experience playing this MMO (my first MMO, if you care) that i'll pick up some other MMO (hopefully WoW 2).
So there you go. Prachter, this shit is just getting bigger.