DC Universe Online was supposed to be the MMO that will conquer the niche superhero MMO market. The odds were in its favor. Of the 3 superhero MMO on the market (City of Heroes & Champions Online being the other 2), it was the latest one to come out; it was based on the popular DCU; and it is produced and marketed by Sony Online Entertainment.
The reality was different as gamers abandoned the game after a promising start. Now Sony is going to move DC Online to a freemium model next month in an effort to increase the player base of the game. For those of you who are wondering, a freemium
is an online game which is free 2 play but with restrictions. If you pay for a monthly fee, these restrictions will be lifted.
However I doubt this move is going to help DC Online in a great way. More players may join but unless there are massive improvements, the game will continue to be a disappointment. If Sony wants DC online to be successful, they need to concentrate more on improving gameplay than on changing the payment model.
As someone who has played both City of Heroes & Champions Online, I have to say the biggest problem DC Online has is the lack of variety you have. DC Online only allow you to have 7 power sets which is tiny when you consider that when you created a character in City of Heroes, you have a choice of around 12 power sets to choose from. And that’s just in 1 class! DC Online has 7 power sets for the WHOLE GAME!
That is the problem with the game, not the payment model. I feel a lot of game companies are using the subscription/F2P argument as an excuse for why their games failed. To me the subscription/F2P argument is a non-starter because if it is a good game, players will be more than willing to pay a subscription to play the game. Anyone who believes otherwise can just look at the top MMO in the market right now. Last I check, World of Warcraft is still a subscription MMO.
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