I agree that this is a much more profitable business model for EA, but not factored in your equation: Simcash can be obtained for free (watching vids, trading, reward of the day etc).
Nonetheless, I really wish it were MUCH cheaper. The game's over 5 years old now, so the devt costs are amortized.
Yet it is such a fun game : )
I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place: I could play SimCity (any flavor) on my laptop, but I have fun playing SCBI on the go with the multiplayer aspect......
To be clear: if EA were 100% honest, it'd offer a way to buy the game flat out., or make it a subscription model but even a subscription model cannot generate the same feeling as getting that great deal with 3 buildings and a few 1000 simoleons for "only" $9.99.
I'd be curious to know how many serious players never put one penny of real cash into it.
@publicOnline2 You have an interesting perspective and well worth an xp...you mentioned free simcash and quite honestly it is one of the more clever aspects of the business model - you invest a little time watching an ad and EA earns revenue from selling that advertising space and you earn a 1 in 3 chance of earning simcash and EA has a 100% chance of selling that ad, a win/win so to speak. Please don’t misunderstand what I’m saying...if the odds of you winning increases (sometimes it shifts) you would lose relative interest over a period of time - but when it’s a game of chance an individual subconsciously can’t wait until the next opportunity to give it a try - absolutely brilliant.
You did not mention the war games (probably by design) which is an absolute revenue generator. As teams and individuals get caught up in that competitive moment when the adrenaline is flowing at a fever pitch and focus is finite, they don’t mind for a second reaching for that credit card...and even after it’s over It’s ok until the bill arrives and they moan never again...and next week it’s the same. Yes this is extreme scenario, but there a lot of folks that get caught up in the moment and many more that actually plan for it (which is great). This format was developed to run for the long haul. EA is currently faced with many challenges as related to this revenue stream but it has been discussed in other threads and I think it would be wise to stay on topic.
EA has a unique opportunity with this game and I for one hope they are successful...that’s what free enterprise is all about. There have been many missteps along the way but if you treat customers with respect (because without them you have nothing), employees as your greatest assets (which they are), face your challenges head on and invest the necessary resources (ie: hackers & cheaters), perform due diligence before introducing updates, simplify aspects of the game to encourage new customers to play (ie: war games) and actually require all levels of management to read the feedback you’ve asked for in this forum you will be fine. That should be the business model going forward.
