SOE Sees 400 Percent Increase in DCUO Registered Users After F2P Change

November 4, 2011

DC Universe Online had about 30,000 paid subscribers prior to switching over to a free-to-play model. Apparently that switch has helped the game gain an additional 90,000 registered users. Sony Online Entertainment, which manages the DC Comics-based superhero MMO, said the surge in interest represents a 400 percent increase on previous figures.

The company said - when it announced that DCUO was going free-to-play - that the switch from a subscription-based monthly model to a free-to-play model was not in response to declining registered user numbers. Whatever the reason, the change is showing modest returns.

SOE executive producer Lorin Jameson said that "this is the right business model," in September, adding that the game "ended up costing a lot more" than they thought it would.

DC Universe online was released in January this year, and charged customers around $15 a month to play. It officially went free-to-play November 1. The game is currently available via PlayStation Network and PC.

It will be interesting to see just how much money DCUO makes with this new subscription model. Naturally SOE hopes that players will buy lots of virtual extras in-game.

Source: Develop

Posted in

MMORPG
SOE

Comments

Re: SOE Sees 400 Percent Increase in DCUO Registered Users ...

Submitted by lordlundar on Sat, 11/05/2011 - 11:52.

Registered users, but how many are paying users?

Honestly, I see this upsurge more as "seeing what the game is like and if it warrants the criticism" than actually attracting more players. You have to consider that their f2p model was largely copied off of Paragon Studio's model for City of Heroes, who was developing their hybrid model before DCUO was even released.

Re: SOE Sees 400 Percent Increase in DCUO Registered Users ...

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 15:08.

Should have figured giving how many people I saw playing it. People love free.

Re: SOE Sees 400 Percent Increase in DCUO Registered Users ...

Submitted by MechaTama31 on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 14:24.

30K + 90K is a 300% increase. It's how much the value has increased by compared to the original, not how much it has increased to. If they gained 3K users, that would be a 10% increase, right? Not 110%. Or what if they dropped to only having 3K users? Surely we wouldn't call that a 10% increase... ;)

Re: SOE Sees 400 Percent Increase in DCUO Registered Users ...

Submitted by MechaCrash on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 13:22.

I suspect that most of the people who wind up opening their wallets for DCUO will be on PS3, because the PC version of the game is, by all accounts, ass. And they actually have competition on the PC.

Re: SOE Sees 400 Percent Increase in DCUO Registered Users ...

Submitted by ddrfr33k on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 11:54.

I'm not surprised by this at all. The p2p model is slowly but surely going away.

Treasure bin: Cult Hits, chea pass gaming options, and rants about gaming in general

Shout box

NyuRena: You nailed it James! Yikes..06/18/2013 - 1:56pm

james_fudge: With MS willing to share with the government, an always listening device should give everyone pause.06/18/2013 - 1:37pm

james_fudge: you can't turn off the Microphone on the Kinect and it has to be plugged in. It's not rocket science.06/18/2013 - 1:35pm

E. Zachary Knight: The Humble Bundle Guys just don't like me having money in my pocket do they? https://www.humblebundle.com/06/18/2013 - 1:12pm

E. Zachary Knight: CMiner, I know that my Android camera is off unless I am using an application that turns it on. Same with the microphone.06/18/2013 - 12:38pm

CMiner: Can you turn off the camera on an iPhone? Like, -really- turn it off, not just change a setting that -tells- you the camera is off?06/18/2013 - 12:13pm

james_fudge: when they make it a requirement, yes they are06/18/2013 - 12:10pm

CMiner: I just don't think Microsoft bears any more (or less) responsibility for privacy with its Kinect camera than do the makers of laptops or smartphones with integrated cameras.06/18/2013 - 12:00pm

Imautobot: The ability to operate the console without the camera is key. It's a peripheral, not directly integrated into the console, and yet it behaves as if it is. Thankfully I don't have kids, and won't have an Xbone either.06/18/2013 - 11:49am

CMiner: Oh, I agree that the decision to make the kinect mandatory/always listening is terrible.06/18/2013 - 11:48am

E. Zachary Knight: CMiner, and the easier the provider makes to do such things, the better. The fact that the XBone will not even funtion without it plugged in and turned on in some fashion makes a world of difference from a PC Webcam.06/18/2013 - 11:38am

CMiner: It takes steps on the user's part to ensure 100% privacy (unplugging, uninstalling, putting tape over it, not putting it in the kid's rooms, etc)06/18/2013 - 11:29am

CMiner: My point is that no webcam producing company can guarantee that no one will ever ever ever be able to access video from that webcam without your knowledge and permission06/18/2013 - 11:28am

E. Zachary Knight: Of course at that point, you are still opening up yourself to Windows zero day vulnerabilities and back doors that they are happy to share with the government before Windows users.06/18/2013 - 11:26am

E. Zachary Knight: Cminer, I don't because I wipe the OS and reinstall something more secure, Linux. Even still, just wiping the OS and reinstalling Windows fresh removes all the bloatware PC companies install.06/18/2013 - 11:26am

E. Zachary Knight: I agree that the Kinect requirement of the XBone has my civil liberty senses tingling. Just another nail in the coffin for me.06/18/2013 - 11:25am

E. Zachary Knight: Honestly, I wouldn't put anything with an integrated camera in my kids' rooms. You are just asking for trouble. Of course, I am not a fan of having tvs/videogames/computers in kids rooms in general.06/18/2013 - 11:24am

CMiner: In the case of integrated webcams on laptops, do you have the same concern that people at Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc might be spying on you?06/18/2013 - 11:24am

E. Zachary Knight: I love awesome indie devs. Incredipede is free if you run linux! http://www.incredipede.com/linux.html Thanks @ColinNorthway You're the best.06/18/2013 - 11:23am

Imautobot: More creepy is that the Xbox Camera can see in the dark. Now we're in Buffalo Bill territory.06/18/2013 - 11:21am

All shouts

<< Return To Top

Forgot your password?
Username :
Password :