Age of Conan / 415.000 customers per 14. August 2008

[IKShadow]

http://images.mmorpg.com/images/gamelogos/191_8.gif
Funcom released quarterly financial report (http://www.funcom.com/funcom/frontend/files/CONTENT/Funcom_Q208_presentation.pdf). It states:
Launch status
• The largest MMO launch since WOW
• One of the largest PC launches in this decade
• Accumulated sell-in of over 1.2 million copies
• On top of sales charts in all major markets for several weeks/months.
• Over 800.000 copies sold through to customers.
• 415.000 customers per August 14

Player profile
• US and Europe similarly represented
• Male / Average age 29 years
• Higher than average education and income
• Play less hours than anticipated (Older players, vacation, aspects of game?)

Product focus since launch
• Improvements in Customer Service
• Additions of new content
• Ongoing Upgrades
• New content and enhancements
• Technical improvements
• Addressing player issues and bugs

Short term focus
• PVP
• New content (Ymirs Pass, House of Crom, Thunder river etc)
• New armor and items, raid gear
• Group and guild game play additions Etc
• Continued focus on fixing issues and bugs
• Balancing and class enhancements

Longer term focus
• PVP enhancements
• Expand high-end content
• Focus on items and importance of items
• DX10
• Performance improvements


To be hones 415.000 if far from good number because that means they lost around 60% of subscriber base.
The fact is AoC have some annoying bugs but the major problem is lack of meaningful end game and that should be their priority 1 together with some critical bugs.

[Aqe]

It is successful numbers cash wise but as you say, only holding on to 50% of the players just after a few months isn't promising.

[IKShadow]

It is successful numbers cash wise but as you say, only holding on to 50% of the players just after a few months isn't promising.


Its not and imo it will go down for additional 50% in 2 months.
Well all MMO's loose a lot of subscribers after a 1st month as the fact is that not everyone will like the game mechanics regardless what game it is. The problem is they are not gaining lot of new ones and thats mainly because its lacking end game content.

If at January 2009 they can manage to have around 300K-500K will be great ( before i bet they will drop bellow 200K )

Personally I would like to see that AoC becomes niche game as Eve Online is ( and Anarchy Online was ) because then the politics about the features and game mechanics would be different if it in streamline there is high risk things will be just dumb down so they can satisfie "wow" players ( its not meant as bad remark, just the fact )

Player profile 29 years with higher then average education and income is nice ( better then 12 to 16 years old / high school dropouts / 30 and living in parents basement )

[Aqe]

I definitively think they made/make a profit from the game, thats what i meant by successful. If AoC aim wasn't to become a niche game then they should reaim as their future is there. Its to far from mainstream to get majority of players, but maybe to close to mainstream for the niche players.

[IKShadow]

I definitively think they made/make a profit from the game, thats what i meant by successful. If AoC aim wasn't to become a niche game then they should reaim as their future is there. Its to far from mainstream to get majority of players, but maybe to close to mainstream for the niche players.


No one aims to be niche game everyone just wanna have another WoW success and if they say otherwise they lie :)

[Proximo]

No one aims to be niche game everyone just wanna have another WoW success and if they say otherwise they lie :)


Or are incredibly studpid! :P

[Preacher]

Waaaagh!


You know what i mean.