The warning lights are blinking, and that can mean only one thing -- another publisher is saying some very worrying things about how the digital age can help them nickel n' dime consumers. Take-Two is doing the honors, suggesting that its "triple A titles" could go the way of the MMO.
After chatting bollocks about how great downloadable content is at the BMO Capital Market's conference, T2 CEO Strauss Zelnick moved onto what he called the "Holy Grail" -- the MMO model that publishers have pathetically tried to grasp at without realizing that they'll never make as much money off it as Blizzard.
"The holy grail is taking a business, already a very large and successful business that's focused on packaged goods that you sell once and then are occasionally resold by others with new benefit to us, and turning that into a subscription business or a semi subscription business where we have an ongoing relationship with consumers, giving them products that they want," Zelnick explained. "Who's better positioned to do that than the company that has the top franchises?
"It's our view that you won't be able to apply a subscription model to mid-tier titles. The triple A titles that people really want to have that are really must have are in the best position for this business model."
The triple A titles? We heard suggestions of a Bioshock MMO once before, and it seems Zelnick and pals are still hypnotized by the lure of subscription-based gaming. Could we be seeing incremental, sustained payment models for BioShock and Grand Theft Auto in the future? As I say, those warning lights are blinking.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
Likes
PS2, iPod Touch, Silent Hill 2, Metal Gear Solid, Dynasty Warriors 3
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
46 comments | showing # 1 to 46
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
9:07 PM on 11.13.2008
| 
I second what Charles said. It's catering far more to publishers.
Microtransactions, subscription fees, etc. What we used to get for free we not get for a fee.
Fuck the digital age.
I would say Activison took EA's torch and ran light speed with it, Take Two has actually been pretty moderate until now.
If Take-Two carries this out it'll blow up in their greedy faces.
When will these imbeciles understand that we're not a bunch of complete tools, and will not stand for being ripped off?
Who said MMO's never hurt anybody?!
However seeing as this is Jim reporting on a Kotaku article, it's easy to see where confusion would arise...
He's talking about the MMO MODEL, not an actual MMO per se. Either way, making people pay a subscription to play "triple-A" titles is a fantastic way to get fucked in the ass by consumers.
I bought R1 used since I didnt feel the need to buy it new. I enjoyed it alot and decided to buy R2 on release date. If I couldn't get R1 at the price I did I would of never bought R2 since I wouldn't have bothered with R1.
If the monthly fee is less than 10 bucks, sure. It took me less than a month to beat GTAIV, so why not. Beat the game, cancel subscription, save myself 40-50 bucks and the pain of having to trade it in when I'm done with it.
I think the problem with this generation is that people will buy anything.
If they make shovel ware on the Wii/DS people will buy it by the truckload. If they nickle and dime you to death people will buy the characters in a heartbeat (Yoda and Vader come to mind immediately)
What happened to the days of when you had to struggle to get a game to sell? Now adays it seems that companies spend more money on advertisement than they do on making the actual game.
oh yeah, wait, yes i do, it's called PIRACY, and that's what you'll get if you try to rape us for subscription based games and ridiculous DLC... just look to the music industry and to a lesser extent the movies for a hint of what's to come.
Good point. Screwing customers so much that we'll reing company ever made.sort to piracy. I don't even understand how this would work if you don't have an internet connection or a gold subscription. If this ever goes through Take Two it will go down as the stupidest business move a gaming company ever made.
How not to do it: Subscription charges for multiplayer. Learn from Microsoft's GFWL example. Charging for free stuff doesn't go over well.
What if you had to pay a subscription for every game you own? I probably have at least 60+ games, say at $5 a month per game, that's $300 a month.
But if you have to buy the disk and it has a limited time span, then they're obviously just robbing us of our right to own the game, to play it years later. I still sometimes play old carts I have around, but I can't play WoW, because I no longer have a subscription. This is a bad direction for things to travel, if it is as it appears. Especially as we enter recession.
This would never pass in any other medium.
Yeah like a book that after you read it for so long, a man comes and demands some money so you can keep reading. If you can't pay up he tears out the remaining pages and gives you the adress to send a cheque if you want them back. Trains would be a nightmare in rush hour. =P
MMOs have to have a lot of generic crap about them to appeal to the masses, which is not what titles like BioShock do well. Sure it was successful, but FIFA, Madden, CoD... or how about City of Heroes, or EVE successful?
SHENANIGANS! I call shenanigans!
PLUGPLUGPLUGPLUGPLUG