You still don’t get it, do you?
Everyone here wishes CCP to strive financially, as it would strive the success of EVE directly. CCP becoming a subsdiary isn’t the issue. It’s who CCP is coming subsdiary of.
This was no small deal, 425 millions is a lot of money, serious money. Which brings us to the actual problem that decides the ultimate fate of EVE. With the current subscription numbers and factoring in how much a certain margin of players spend on PLEXes directly, EVE’s best year financially is regarded 2016. With some 86 million USD.
So hypotethically lets assume every year after that has brought in $86mUSD, that would still be at least 5 years, 7 in a bad case, that PA would break even counting from the date of acquisition. And unless you didn’t notice, EVE is already 15 years old to begin with. This means that the people who do bring in money to CCP directly, are the utmost hardcore fans who’ll take a copy of the game files to the grave with them, some marginal amount late joiners who might be intrigued to finally see what’s the fuzz this game is about, and returning players subscribing on and off maybe snorting some PLEX to blow on quick ISK for funzies.
And alts, of course lets not forget alts. Yet alts don’t actually increase the player count, they only inflate the number of active virtual players on at any given moment. So PA has 5 years to break even, that’s a long time when you need to turn in profits. That’s plenty of time for a game to die a death. A vast majority of games survive this timespan only throught community efforts. That means mods, community provided servers and updates. And you can be damn sure there is no non-professional gaming community out there ready, willing or capable to tackle on with upkeep of a game of the scope of EVE Online.
And then on the other end of the line you got Pearl Abyss. A house that’s reputation and track record is not thanks to a successfull MMO, but the infamy and notoriety of being propably the most anti-consumer out there. A house that thinks no other market outside South Korea has any worth or meaning for the game, who don’t listen to the userbase at all.
Not a single ■■■■■■■ bit, mark my words.
Everything in their one and only product, and its mobile version, from inventory space and carry capacity to loot pickups, market functions and item enhancements, and everything in bethween, is designed to squeeze your salary off of your wallet. Absolutely everything in Black Desert Online is monetized in one way or another. Even rerolls and transportation equipement. Especially the transportation equipment.
They even managed to monetize mob drops. The better knowledge you have from a mob, the better chance for better drops. And you can increase the chance of getting better knowledge by spending money.
And the costumes. Holy ■■■■ the ■■■■■■■ costumes. While the “standard” sets are bad in their own, just flat out endurance boosts, like a ship skin that gives you 20% more overheat, the biggest contender in the category of “LETS PLAY BULLSHITTING” are 2 PVP costumes. They both hide your name tags! Do you know what that means? It’s the equivalent of having your name removed from Local. Granted not that big of a deal for wholers. You can only counter it by having a very specific consumable with you, or if the suit user gets really, really close.
Oh and lets not forget the Value Pack either. Value Pack is essentially the subscription of BDO. If you don’t have a sub in BDO, every goddamn thing you wanna and try to sell on the market, will automatically lose 30% of its income value.
But now we have to factor in just how the ■■■■ is Pearl Abyss going to break even and turn in profits after such a hefty pricetag. It’s a pretty wording on the paper how oh CCP is remaining independent, oh how it’s all so impressive but who the ■■■■ are we kidding.
PA is going hammer in so much of the same ■■■■ that plagues BDO you’ll be shitting cumstains for years to come, provided it will ever stop. EVE is going have it’s ship cargos nuked, EVE is going to have industry and manufacturing RNGd. EVE is going to get fittings enhancable directly, and if you want your edge, it’s PLS GIB $200. EVE is about to get its first real money cloak that hides you from local for ONLY $31.99!.
I doubt it will be Month 1, 2 or even 3 changes. But it will become aggressive and quick. Gotta get dem dollarydoos back asap.
Do you see where this is going, no? So no, the problem absolutely is not CCP getting subsdiarized. The problem is not EVE Online getting a hopefully a new lifeline. The problem is Pearl Abyss!
And for the record, yes I am mad. I am absolutely livid just for the thought of EVE suffering a death like this.