Dear CCP: Can we talk about SKIN prices?

Communications Center General Discussion
1

On the note of micro-transactions, I want to know when these became macro-transactions and why. Let’s look at some of the SKIN prices in game and compare to other games that have had great success with micro-transactions for aesthetic items.

I want to point out that this is also probably hurting the game - because I’ve not purchased ANY skins, and I’m not sure I ever will. If the prices were reasonable I absolutely would. In fact I’d buy lots because I really like the option in other games - however, I won’t in EVE because this is absurd.

Example: Nidhoggur Headhunter SKIN - 695 PLEX

What? Really? 695 PLEX? Let’s say you’re buying this rather than using in-game currency: that means you need at least the 1100 PLEX package (since it’s not only overpriced but also “hot dog bunned” - so that a single PLEX package won’t suffice, but two is too much), which is $39.99 USD. Now, you’ll have some PLEX left over - but not enough for a subscription, so you’ll end up either selling it or buying more cosmetic ■■■■ that’s not what you wanted.

Now for non-Americans, it gets worse. As a Canadian, for me that’s $52 before tax & costs for currency conversion. As an Australian, that’s $56.

Alright, let’s compare to Elite Dangerous - a game for which I’ve bought tons of cosmetic DLC items, (despite that I rarely play it at all).

The Anaconda is a ship that’s arguably the most comparable to the nidhoggur in terms of price and size.

Skin six packs (not single skins, six packs of skins) are £1.80. That’s $2.34 USD. They also don’t scale with size: a single skin type is the same cost whether you buy it for a tiny frigate or an enormous Anaconda. What’s the deal, are you charging for more virtual paint?

Ok so say I want to get the whole headhunter set because it looks dope…how much is that…oh, it’s 13,180 PLEX. That’s uhhh…$656 for me before taxes or conversion fees.

In a world where cosmetic DLCs cost me $52 for a single SKIN, I buy them absolutely never. Not even for $30, or $25. When they’re reasonably priced I buy them often, I pick and choose the ones I want, and I can have a large collection of them without feeling ripped off.

Maybe this game wouldn’t be sloping so hard if you stopped acting like EA.

4 Likes
2

Skins are not intended to be bought by everyone. They are there to extract cash from the small percentage of players who will overspend. I think there’s a South Park episode that made fun of this exploitative business model.

4 Likes
3

Skins have been micro transactions since the beginning of skins. And if you need to ask why, then you are probably too dumb to understand the answer.

Mr Epeen :sunglasses:

2 Likes
4

Why is that? Are skins only for new age hipster kids whom are taught that only currency is the most important thing in the universe?

3 Likes
5

Skins have been micro transactions since the beginning of skins. And if you need to ask why, then you are probably too dumb to understand the answer.

Mr Epeen :sunglasses:

Are you too dumb to realize I said macro transactions? Maybe use your noggin before you come out swinging.

1 Like
6

Okay, okay. I cleaned my glasses.

My bad.

Mr Epeen :sunglasses:

3 Likes
7

lol all good

8

The most common game business models, in order of worst to best (for the end user):

  • User will pay for; Game, Subscription, Expansions and plenty of micro-transaction content. I can mention World of Warcraft as one game in this category.
  • User will pay for; Game, Subscription and plenty of micro-transaction content.
  • User will pay for; Game and Expansions. This is most often only Single Player games.
  • User will pay for; Subscription and plenty of micro-transaction content. EVE is in this category.
  • User will only pay for plenty of micro-transaction content, this is most often used in F2P MMO(RPG)s. Also sort of known as P2W (Pay 2 Win).

by Expansions I mean of course Expansions but also “DLC”.

I don’t see the issue with the way SKINs are priced, there are other games that have skins that are way more expensive, just take CS:GO for example, that game has skins that are worth hundreds of (US) dollars.

2 Likes
9

From somebody who owns some pretty rare and expensive ones…
They are just optical shananigans. Nothing more, nothing less. Buy them or don´t.
Also you can buy some in the market ingame. Some are cheap, some not so much.

10

image

2 Likes
11

There is no best micro-transactions model… the best model is no MTX at all… Anything different is corporate ■■■■■■■■ :slight_smile:

1 Like
12

CCP offers a full cosmetics product range, from stupid expensive, down to free stuff you can get running Event sites. Something for everyone, so they forgive themselves on the fact some are set up to be “supplementary company income” if some players have gotta have them.

Its an artifact of the digital economy: it costs next to nothing to stock an item that sells 1 unit per month, so we have to suffer scrolling past 695 plex items. Real items like highly detailed ship models tie up a room needed to store them, and employee expenses for handling and shipping. Thus, due to the low volume sold, CCP got out of the physical ship models business.

The OP is not alone in his feeling that CCP might do better with lower prices generally, on CSM 8 and ever since, Ripard Teg advocated the supermarket model of low prices bringing greater profits - due to higher volumes sold.

13

That is true. Skins are only intended to be bought by stupid whales as long as they are priced like this as ridiculous macro-transactions.

Of course you don’t see the issue. CCP combined the best model with the worst model and thus double grabs money from its users. Take of your blindfold. Furthermore, your example with CS:GO is wrong. CS:GO doesn’t have a subscription to earn money from its players, they only have the macro-transactions (and maybe one-time purchase of the game). EVE has a monthly subscription and macro-transactions. If you don’t see something wrong with this, you are the perfect fit for ISD for this CCP.

1 Like
14

If you don’t see something wrong with this, you are the perfect fit for ISD for this CCP.

Very much this. And the wrong ISD for the community.

15

I find the finer granularity of P2W games is only an illusion and doesn’t actually pay off. All game makers need to make money to survive. They all have to come out with some amount per player to make their cut. The granularity provided by a purely micro-transaction oriented payment system cannot change this, but it obviously can distort it for the customers.

Then the payment system itself will consume some money. A flat subscription for everything is easier to manage than hundreds of item prices, which require some staff to manage it. This extra management will have to be paid by the customers, too. Someone at CCP will then manage all the item prices in the Nexus store and we have to pay the person’s salary in the end.

16

1 Like
17

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.