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What will happen when gamers unite against a game developer?



There are thousands of mobile games available for Android and iOS devices via Google Play and iTunes. Many are free-to-play and some are free-to-play with in app items that can enhance your game play. It could be buying diamonds or coins for Disney Emoji Blitz, Chips for WSOP, Coins and Token for Uno, Weapons, mercenaries, new building unlocks for Final Fantasy XV: A new Empire, Skins and weapons for Fortnite, etc…

Prior to discussing what happened to a game developer when gamers united, we must first understand how the game developers make money. After all, game developers make money when their players purchase in-app items. Some rely heavily on gamers to buy packs while some relay partially on gamers while being subsidized by in game advertising from other companies / games.

Let’s look at Disney Emoji Blitz for example. Every four hours, you can go to the Prize Wheel for a free SPIN to get needed coins, diamonds, extra life, boost, etc…. However, some players may see “Free Spin” logo underneath the Prize Wheel. If you click on it and watch 20 to 30 sec advertising, you are then allow to spin again for coins, diamonds, extra life, boosts, etc…

It is not true for many apps like Game of War (GOW for short), Mobile Strike (MS For short), World War Rising (WWR for short), or Final Fantasy XV, A New Empire (FFXVANE for short). They are all developed by a company called MZ (Formerly known as Machine Zone). These games are consider freemium mobile massive multiplayer online games.

What is freemium? Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium", is a pricing strategy by which a product or service is provided free of charge, but money (premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (offline) goods. 

As the definition states, the game is free to play; however, in order for the game developer to make money, they must sell additional features, services, or virtual goods to make money. In the case of FFXVANE, MZ released new features such as

- New Weapon – Destiny’s Edge
- Realm Boss – Evil Moogle
- New Astral – Ifrit
- New Helmet – Destiny’s Crown
- New Realm Bosses – 4 Realm Bosses first time, then one was replaced (Midgar for Reapertail)
- New Elemental Gems
- New Destiny’s Gear Packs
- New Merc – Shadowstalkers
- New Gem – To hide the gears that are equipped
- New Elixir – Ultralixir
- New Troop Capacity Boost (up to 60m troop capacity with one pack)
- Hero Leveling Dungeon
- New Monsters to kill (Bulette)
- New Hero - Iris
- New Monster levels - goes up to 6*s now

All of these releases are within two weeks time frame. Each new release could range from $ 500 to $ 5,000 in real money to the max.

Imagine if you are the player that spent $ 5,000 to max the certain stats and the next release counter your $ 5,000 with a simple $ 100? How would you feel? That is the case that is happening in the Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire.

Let’s take a pause on the subject and look at historical data.

GOW went through similar issues as what FFXVANE is going through. MZ released similar new features in the GOW, and many players were upset by it, and started a petition to boycott the “new features”. The boycott / strike / revolt started on Sept 22, 2015 and led by a massive “Whale”, StayAlive77, with a list of demands. On Sept 23rd, 2015, MZ Responded and the negotiation began. And on Sept 26th, 2015, the boycott / strike / revolt ended. (More information here: https://www.reddit.com/r/GameOfWar/comments/3m4ems/everything_you_need_to_know_about_the_mz_boycott/)

During the Boycott / Strike / Revolt, MZ Dropped from #1 grossing game to around #35 grossing game (just my recollection, I can not find the actual screen shots of the drop). Bear in mind that the boycott / strike / revolt only lasted 4 days. Imagine if it lasted longer, how much would they have dropped?

Now, back to the story. FFXVANE players from around the world are following suit of the GOW players due to MZ’s frequent releases. The boycott / strike / revolted started around Feb 3rd, 2019 and it is still going strong. Many players vowed to not participate in events that makes money for MZ and stopped buying in-app items. On Feb 3, 2019, FFXVANE was #5 grossing games and today, Feb 9th, 2019, it is down to #37.

What does this mean? In every freemium mmo games, there are always a group of influential gamers (whales) who the game developers must please. Developers and whales are the Ying and Yang of the gaming community. Developers want to make more money by releasing new features and items, while whales would like to spend less and enjoy the game a little longer with what they already spent until they find something else. If developers keep releasing, whales will unite and boycott / strike / revolt to make sure that the developers hear their voices.

In the case of GOW and FFXVANE, with each and every boycott / strike / revolt, the game developer (MZ) is loosing money as days go by yet their purpose of releasing new features is to make money. Game developers must think like a player (in the case of MZ, they do not have any employees playing the game nor solicit input from actual players, but listen only to their pocket), and must always remind themselves that players run the online gaming community, not the game developer. If the game is devaluating items at an astonishing rates, players will boycott / strike / revolt or move onto another game.

What shall game developers do to avoid players uniting against them? Very simple: Listen to your players! Game Developers must embed employees as players or players as advisers to see / feel the temperature of the game and its progress. Are we releasing new features too much at a fast rate? Are we not releasing new features enough? What do players think of the game? etc… or take the wrath of the players where it hurts you: your pocket / Profit and Earning statements.

 Read about the FFXVANE Boycott / Strike / revolt here: https://straightshooterbruce.blogspot.com/2019/02/mz-vs-players-ffxvane-boycott-strike.html 

 On Wikepedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XV:_A_New_Empire

Following information is gathered from www.sensortower.com (As of Feb 10th, 2019)











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