1600 Gems for a Jade Bot Skin

[Labjax.2465]

2 hours ago, crosknight.3041 said:

the big issue i have with monitization is that "it supports the devs" is probably one of the biggest lies in the gaming industry at the moment. we all know the devs will be lucky to get any of the scraps left by the suits/execs/shareholders. if it didn't we wouldn't have so many reports of publishers cutting hundreds of jobs every year while simultaneously having record profits (looking at you activision). maybe if anets publishers were like nintendo where the execs actually are willing to take paycuts to prevent mass layoffs i wouldn't be so grump'd about the pricing of the jadebot, but nintendo is the exception to the rule.
 

The prices of monetization also goes up to try to push that unsustainable infinite growth shenanigans as well for the shareholders. and as the recession hits harder people are going to cutback on needless spending harder. putting out a digital product that is worth nothing in reality for 4 times a reasonable price is gonna make people shut their wallets harder.

So true, such a great point to keep it in perspective. Game developers in fact tend to get paid less when compared to similar work in other industries and some get burned out to an extreme degree by crunch practices, and/or are actively abused by their employers. And even when the environment itself isn't that bad in terms of treatment of employees, managers often don't know what they're doing or what they want.

It's one of those things where "passion" is greatly taken advantage of. If you want to "support the devs" with money, go find somebody on patreon trying to develop a game over time on their own, or a very small team. Then you can at least be relatively confident it's going to the actual developer.

[Fozzie.5370]

On 7/19/2022 at 5:19 PM, Lottie.5370 said:

Holy kitten. I almost did not believe this one when someone mentioned it in the guild discord.

 

This price is just excessive and outrageous, especially considering just how little we see the jade bot - it's not like there is a toggle to show it all the time. Despite all of this - I probably would have bought it if it was 400-800 gems (I honestly thought it would have been in-line with mail carriers).

 

Curious what others' thoughts on this are?

@Lottie.5370 Totally agree, its just not even in the same line as mounts given how much we use them and how visible they are all the time, and to be given the same price point is just plain greed from Anet.

Also, I personally think the price-point of 400-800 gems is far more appropriate and reasonable. 

Sad thing, I remember reading somewhere about "MMO's Micro Transaction models (i.e. no sub) target the top 3% of richest players, whom will purchase everything from Cash Shop regardless of price.  I wanted to think Anet was different, targeting the other 97% of player-base that finds things more affordable, but obviously I was wrong.

Only thing I can HEAVILY recommend, is DO NOT purchase the Bot Skin, no matter how much you are tempted to buy it: It's absolutely over-priced  Once Anet monitor data that sales are poor of any given item, they tend to drop the price-point (in theory lol)  The more players that stump up the 1600 Gems for it, the longer Anet will keep it at that price to maximise $$$.  IF Anet do drop it, I'm betting they'll only drop it to 1200 Gems, in-line with Mount Skin Select Licence, milk players at the 1200 Gem point, before making any further drops.  BUT as OP rightly suggests the Jade Bot is just not visible enough to make it viable or worth either 1600, 1200 Gems.

TLDR: No matter how much you are tempted: DO NOT buy the Jade Bot Skin. Hold out as long as you can, otherwise the 1600 price-point will remain. Boycotting is the only way. 

Edited July 21, 2022 by Greg.7086

[Healix.5819]

For 1600 I'd expect it to regenerate batteries, give the jade protocols and have an extra chip slot.

[AlenaVolkova.8179]

I'll pay for it if it's a flying chubby charr cub instead.

[The Greyhawk.9107]

This is just wrong, Anet, and you know it.

[Ultramex.1506]

the price is atrocious but i'm curios

In the future when Jade cat become more visable (that what people want), everyone gonna run around with flying chonky cat

What are those that hate cutsy stuffs gonna do 🤣?

[ShroomOneUp.6913]

8 hours ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

I don't need google to tell me that P2W doesn't apply to cosmetics.  Thanks, though.

then you are just a blinded as ashen
you both need to look at this:

this is 6 years old and you should notice alot of things even "not predatory gems tore" is doing very easily

[AliamRationem.5172]

7 minutes ago, ShroomOneUp.6913 said:

then you are just a blinded as ashen
you both need to look at this:

this is 6 years old and you should notice alot of things even "not predatory gems tore" is doing very easily

"Predatory" is not the same as pay-to-win.

 

[ShroomOneUp.6913]

4 minutes ago, AliamRationem.5172 said:

"Predatory" is not the same as pay-to-win.

 

responded in less time then the videos is long. yeah no reason to argue with you anymore

[disco.9302]

On 7/19/2022 at 5:19 PM, Lottie.5370 said:

Holy kitten. I almost did not believe this one when someone mentioned it in the guild discord.

 

This price is just excessive and outrageous, especially considering just how little we see the jade bot - it's not like there is a toggle to show it all the time. Despite all of this - I probably would have bought it if it was 400-800 gems (I honestly thought it would have been in-line with mail carriers).

 

Curious what others' thoughts on this are?

Don't like the price? don't buy the item. (I don't disagree that the price seems high but I also have 0 interest in the skin)

CS team seem to be testing the water to see how many schmucks they can milk before having to place a "-30%" sticker on the item for the remainder of its existence.

 

[Mungrul.9358]

Another thing to consider when buying gems, and this is a nasty little trick that's enabled by currency abstraction:

You can only buy gems in increments of 800 (£8.50). This means that for anything that costs an amount of gems that isn't a multiple of 800, you have to purchase a further 800 gems.

It's not the case with this particular example, but say something costs 1200 gems in the store.

If you're buying gems with cash, you have to buy 1600 (for £17), as you can't buy 1200 exactly, only 800 or 1600.

And of course, a lot of players are going to think "Oh, it only cost me 1200 gems, not the full 1600, so it only cost me £12.75!"

No!

You still had to pay ANet £17 in order to buy enough gems! And ANet still have your money, because they don't give change.

 

I'm not immune to this myself, and have spent thousands in the gem store. I don't feel quite so bad about it now that I have more disposable income, but I am fully aware that ANet have taken advantage of psychological tricks to erode my sense of value and exploit the results.

 

It's evil behaviour.

Just because some people out there might have poor impulse control, it doesn't mean you should exploit them.

And if you're one of those people who blames the victim, shame on you.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Mungrul.9358
Make it make sense!

[Cait Sith.4650]

For 1600 gems it should have always been a jade bot/mail carrier/mini combo, and only if jade bots were dyeable.

If you want a gold mine ANet, create skins for minions, pets and mechs.
Just don't go full immersion breaking with those, and turn Tyria into pure visual terror. Or at least add an option to always show the default skins for anyone who wants.

[Loboling.5293]

45 minutes ago, Cait Sith.4650 said:

For 1600 gems it should have always been a jade bot/mail carrier/mini combo, and only if jade bots were dyeable.

If you want a gold mine ANet, create skins for minions, pets and mechs.
Just don't go full immersion breaking with those, and turn Tyria into pure visual terror. Or at least add an option to always show the default skins for anyone who wants.

I want to customize my mesmer clones too. =D

[kharmin.7683]

33 minutes ago, Loboling.5293 said:

I want to customize my mesmer clones too. =D

Wouldn't that break the very definition of a clone?

[Loboling.5293]

3 hours ago, kharmin.7683 said:

Wouldn't that break the very definition of a clone?

You haven't seen multiplicity? Eventually, it's natural for my clones to... begin to... deviate... from my usual self. I'd like an army of explosives rats. 

[Farohna.6247]

23 hours ago, Ashen.2907 said:

Sorry to  say folks that I wasn't able to stand by my suggestion. I got home from work last night and one of the first things my wife mentioned was how adorable this thing is....so my household bought one. You folks stay strong though!

Thanks this made me laugh!  

[Ashgar.3024]

On one hand, yeah its completely ridiculous for something we interact with and see so little.

 

On the other hand, nobody has to buy it.  Joys of the free market. If it underperforms sales-wise they will readjust the prices for the next ones.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Ashgar.3024

[Labjax.2465]

14 minutes ago, Ashgar.3024 said:

On one hand, yeah its completely ridiculous for something we interact and see so little.

 

On the other hand, nobody has to buy it.  Joys of the free market. If it underperforms sales-wise they will readjust the prices for the next ones.

I for one don't think it's joyful that you have to depend on the failures of marketing teams whose one job is to manipulate people successfully and who are backed by decades of research to make their work more effective, just so that the price of one item can go down a little.

One group is splintered, unorganized, and socialized to see their actions as individual and isolated, which means even when outraged enough to do spontaneous action, it's hard to get consistent demands to come out of it, and said group has little time to think about any of this outside of their day to day work. The other is organized and their day to day work specifically is to manipulate the other group into spending money on a product, even if they have to go into debt. I think we can tell how much meaning the word "free" has here (somewhere between zip, zilch, and nada).

Edited July 21, 2022 by Labjax.2465

[kharmin.7683]

30 minutes ago, Loboling.5293 said:

You haven't seen multiplicity? Eventually, it's natural for my clones to... begin to... deviate... from my usual self. I'd like an army of explosives rats. 

Yeah, I have. Keaton doesn't get enough credit for that flick.  🙂

[Minjin.8259]

On 7/20/2022 at 12:41 PM, Ashen.2907 said:

Selling at a lower price might be more profitable, or it might not. The only people with sufficient data to make an educated guess is ANet. I am 100% positive that they want to make as much profit as possible, so the question is why do some people think that ANet is purposefully subverting their need for profit?

Honestly I think it is overpriced for what it is, and cannot disagree with others saying that it is priced too high for them, but much of the response has been arguments about this being deceptive or predatory, and how ANet is already making money off of the expansion...so I put some spitballed numbers out there to show that expansions arent as profitable as some people seem to think. And, the reality of the matter is, the price would likely be lower if the ability to convert gold to gems didnt exist.

So, yeah I think that the price is high too...and some people are actually arguing against them selling things

I fully expect them to sell things.  Of course they should, they are a business.  While this certainly won't tell you how much people would have bought, I can give you my personal example only.  If it was 400 gems I would have bought one for all of my accounts because I think it's cute, and I think it would have been reasonable at 400.  So I have 4 accounts, so they would have gotten their 1600 gems, and the cat is already drawn and animated so the work load isn't any more if I buy 1 or if I buy 4 for them.  If it had been 800 gems I would have grumbled a bit over the price but bought it for my main account, they still would have made some money.  At 1600 gems in this current economy with inflation and all, I cannot justify 1600 gems for ONE item for one account that I barely see.  I know to a degree spending 1600 on 4 as opposed to 1 might not make sense because I am still spending the same amount.  But the perception of getting more for the money is important.  So that is one example of how they would have made more.  At this price, they made nothing from me.  Personally I think they should have put it in the boxes.  They definitely would have made more through key sales.

[Lorienys.5407]

I also expected it to be max. 800 gems lol. I see the thing less than I do my fishing rod, even within Cantha maps, so unless they're in the near future gonna be giving us the option to fly around your jade bot anywhere on any map (like you get to in the jade bot heart and a few EoD story instances?) and in general use it for more fun stuff where you actually see it, I don't see a reason for jade bot skins at all in the first place. I'll take skiff skins and mount skins over that any day, even if the usual $20 price tag is still pushing it

 

[Sobx.1758]

5 hours ago, Labjax.2465 said:

The other is organized and their day to day work specifically is to manipulate the other group into spending money on a product, even if they have to go into debt. I think we can tell how much meaning the word "free" has here (somewhere between zip, zilch, and nada).

Imagine blaming someone because you're buying bunch of pixels for the price you clearly deem as way too high. Not buying something you think is not worth its price is rather easy.

[Dante.1508]

I wouldn't have bought it at 1gem but 1600 is pretty funny.. I would pay 1600gems on new ranger pet skins pack or necro minion skins pack.. even a new less ugly mechanist bot..

[Maria Murtor.7253]

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition nr. 239: "Never be afraid to mislabel a product."

[Kneitor.9367]

On 7/19/2022 at 6:19 PM, Lottie.5370 said:

Holy kitten. I almost did not believe this one when someone mentioned it in the guild discord.

 

This price is just excessive and outrageous, especially considering just how little we see the jade bot - it's not like there is a toggle to show it all the time. Despite all of this - I probably would have bought it if it was 400-800 gems (I honestly thought it would have been in-line with mail carriers).

 

Curious what others' thoughts on this are?

1600 is kinda obscene, 150 would have been much more appropriate, like for a hat skin, or pair of glasses.