If you were in charge of deciding whether the game had a cash shop or did not have a cash shop what would you choose?

[Southerncarl.2740]

As the title says if Arena put you in charge of deciding whether there was a cash shop in the game or not what would be your decision? If there was a world where they could make enough money from the one time purchase of the game and individual expansions what would you pick?

 

By having a cash shop I mean it stays like it is now.

By not having a cash shop I mean that all the armour, styles, pets etc in the cash shop would drop from content in the game say bosses, completing story quests, zone completion etc.

 

What would be your decision?

 

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Southerncarl.2740

[Bish.8627]

Would there be an alternative money solution for the game if the shop was removed? Because I would pick shop either way so the game stays alive. Nothing wrong with skin buying, though I still take issue with loot box style stuff. I would maybe still go cash shop over subscription too as there are probably many that play the game that can't afford a sub, so unless it was opt in I would stay as things are.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Gem Store, as anything can be obtained with in-game Gold to Gems, and it is all optional.

Otherwise, I shudder to think how the game would be monetized. 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Inculpatus cedo.9234
typo

[Foxy.5319]

I Cash-shop

Edited September 8, 2021 by Foxy.5319

[kharmin.7683]

Keep the cash shop.  No to any subscription models.

[nosleepdemon.1368]

You conveniently forgot the followup question OP, so I'll go ahead and post it here:

 

If you answer "don't keep the cash shop", then how do you think the company should finance game development?

[Southerncarl.2740]

Ok had a feeling people would worry about the sub thing or how the game would make money. Lets say that they could make enough money from the one time purchase of the full game and individual expansions what would you pick? Still keep the cash shop?

[Jin.8501]

I would remove the cash shop or at least remove the boxes and add all items obtainable. No more limited time FOMO sales. 

 

Also optional subscription which could include max slots for bank, resource storage and inventory slots and some gems 

[Imba.9451]

I don't disagree with the existance of a cash shop.

I disagree with selling lootboxes and ingame "time savers".

[Solitude.2097]

Lets cut down unnecessary fat (areas where the majority wont participate) and sell the xpack for 60 euros every 1 year .

Edited September 8, 2021 by Solitude.2097

[Naxos.2503]

Cash shop. 

The way they've handled it so far is very balanced from what I can see. Quite a lot of neat stuff can be accessed in the game and not in the cash shop.

[ChronoPinoyX.7923]

44 minutes ago, Southerncarl.2740 said:

Ok had a feeling people would worry about the sub thing or how the game would make money. Lets say that they could make enough money from the one time purchase of the full game and individual expansions what would you pick? Still keep the cash shop?

Yes, because the extra revenue will literally flow through the company to provide more resources, employees and further content to the game.

[voltaicbore.8012]

I'd keep the cash shop as it is, even if it weren't necessary for moneymaking.

Outside of copper- and silver-fed salvage-o-matics and extra material storage, I've never once felt pressured to actually get anything from the gem store to keep up in terms of gameplay. In terms of cosmetics, very little of what I've seen on the gem store actually results in a desire to purchase, so I don't particularly want to see more of those skins become earnable in-game.

[Danikat.8537]

In this hypothetical fantasy world where the cash shop is totally unnecessary I think it's safe to say most players would prefer not to have it. But Anet already tried that - it's how GW1 started, but they found it was impractical to try to release an expansion every year to keep box sales high enough and started adding in cash shop items as well, then developed GW2 knowing from the start it would have a cash shop.

 

Given the real alternatives that exist, which is basically charging a subscription fee or charging for each release and including all cosmetic items in the price but likely offering fewer in total than we get now I prefer the cash shop.

 

For me this option actually works out cheaper, but most importantly it means it's entirely up to me when I spend money on the game. There's been times over the past 9 years when I couldn't afford to spend any money on games at all and in those times I've really appreciated that GW2 not only let me keep playing but even let me play the new releases for free (something which as far as I know no other MMO does). And when I do have money to spend on virtual cosmetics I can buy them and know they'll be permanently part of my account to use whenever I want to, not something that's restricted and going to be taken away again if I don't keep paying.

 

Periodically I've added up what I've spent on GW2 over a year or so and even in years when that includes buying an expansion the total always works out to less than a subscription fee typically costs, certainly less than my other MMO charges for one which only offers access to DLC and some cosmetic items and QoL features. I realise that may not be the case for everyone, I'm sure some people spent far more than they would on a subscription fee, but since I've been able to play for 9 years without doing that I assume it's their choice and they're spending that money because they want to.

[Gibson.4036]

Keep the cash shop, but make it cosmetic only.

No artificial inconveniences in game to make us shell out for conveniences.

[kharmin.7683]

12 minutes ago, Gibson.4036 said:

Keep the cash shop, but make it cosmetic only.

No artificial inconveniences in game to make us shell out for conveniences.

Curious.  Which items in the cash shop are required to complete content?

[Gibson.4036]

11 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Curious.  Which items in the cash shop are required to complete content?

None. That's why I said convenience. 😏

 

[Mungo Zen.9364]

I don't mind the cash shop in GW2 as I can convert Gold to Gems to purchase Utility items.  If the cash shop didn't exist and Utility items were world drops, I would assume they would be tradable.  Ergo, sold on the TP, for Gold, which is what I am already doing to get items (usually).

I can't really imagine what would be the appropriate drop rate for things like Build Templates or Copper-Fed would be, or how it would shape the economy.  Could you imagine the big fish hoarding Utility items to control more of the economy?

[nosleepdemon.1368]

2 hours ago, Southerncarl.2740 said:

Ok had a feeling people would worry about the sub thing or how the game would make money. Lets say that they could make enough money from the one time purchase of the full game and individual expansions what would you pick? Still keep the cash shop?

 

It's a bit difficult to make even that suggestion, because the price of the expacs would then have to cover the cash not made from cosmetics should the shop be removed. Arena Net had to axe a bunch of employees not too long ago so it's safe to assume that whatever margin of profit they operate on, it's not bags and bags of money. The cash shop has to stay, so that the game can operate without charging a subscription or huge expansion fee.

[Southerncarl.2740]

32 minutes ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Curious.  Which items in the cash shop are required to complete content?

 

He's referring to things like :

 

Having to buy the extra bag slot (Called bag slot expansion on the store)

Having to buy more build templates if you want more than the default two (Called build storage expansion on gem store)

Having to buy extra bank spaces (Called bank tab expansion on the store)

Having to buy extra character slots

Having to buy extra equipment templates (Called equipment template expansion on the store)

Having to pay to change character look (Called total makeover kit/self style hair kit on the store)

Having to pay for more material storage (Called storage expander on the store)

Having to buy for additional crafting disciplines (Called additional crafting license on the store)

Having to pay to access your bank on the go (called Bank access express on the store)

Instant repair cannisters experience boost etc

Having to pay to summon black lion merchant (Merchant Express on the store)

Having to pay for world boss portal device (World boss portal device on the store)

 

None of these things stop you from completing content in the game but what they do is purposefully create systems in the game that WILL inconvenience you so they can SELL you the solution to the problems they have purposefully created. 

 

Essentially it means they make the game worse in these areas so you spend money to make the game better. This is what he means by convenience items.

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Southerncarl.2740

[Gehenna.3625]

Not having the cash shop would mean they would have to create a different business model because they do have to make money.

 

So what would you chose as an alternative business model:

• A required subscription to play this game
• Advertisements of contemporary products/services while you play

 

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Gehenna.3625

[decease.3215]

Am perfectly fine with gem store.. The real rpoblem is this years anniversary sale

[Southerncarl.2740]

33 minutes ago, nosleepdemon.1368 said:

 

It's a bit difficult to make even that suggestion, because the price of the expacs would then have to cover the cash not made from cosmetics should the shop be removed. Arena Net had to axe a bunch of employees not too long ago so it's safe to assume that whatever margin of profit they operate on, it's not bags and bags of money. The cash shop has to stay, so that the game can operate without charging a subscription or huge expansion fee.

 

Just because they cut a bunch of employees doesn't mean they are making low or moderate profits. Take world of warcraft for example they made record profits in 2019 and they cut 8 percent of their staff (800 employers). Let's not just assume that all the profit goes back into the running of the game and new content creation.

https://blizzardwatch.com/2019/02/12/activision-blizzard-record-profits-cutting-8-staff/

Edited September 8, 2021 by Southerncarl.2740

[Sigmoid.7082]

I dunno. Feels like you're trying to hand wave as much as possible to confirm a certain point of view...

[Chichimec.9364]

I like the cash store just the way it is. Lots of shiny cosmetics and quality of life stuff, none of it essential to actually playing the game. So if I see something I want, I buy it, if not, I don't. When I do buy something, the money goes toward helping to keep a game going that I really enjoy. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with a system like that.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Chichimec.9364