@cannonfodder_iv I am not so sure that CG are correct that the current model is the one which provides them with the best financial return: plenty of companies drive good games into the dirt by making mistakes about pay to play and plenty of corporations make the mistake of favouring immediately increased returns over a more secure and longer term return.
However, the real point is that CG could still have a very profitable game (even if not quite as lucrative as the current one) and also have a better and more accessible game for all if a different financial model were used. Whales and their spending is not necessary for Ftp games, it is just one method of making money from them. If players made choices not to spend at Whale levels then our collective purchasing power could move a great game like this towards a better financial model and one which might provide a better gaming experience.
To put this in context I will not get Malak this time and I never imagined that I would. My game plan is based on getting DR and Malak next time round. Having returned to the game I have spent the last year and a half catching up with legendary toons and I am getting there. I have no personal stake in this. I do, however, think the decision to bring the Malak event in suddenly, at such short notice and without any chance to prepare is a slap in the face to many players who have worked hard and invested a lot in the game and seems to me to be based on a desire to extract as much money from the upper spending end of the player base as possible. That feels very pay to win and I would much prefer game whose results were based on skill and understanding of the mechanics instead.
