I'm going to have to disagree with most of you. I don't think that the low numbers are due to the fact that is a subscription based game (with the exception of euro players because I don't know much about the rates). I think there are a few reasons that the game isn't doing as great as it should.
1. EA. They decided to get EA to help publish the game. This hurt in two ways. The first is that many people hate EA with a passion and will avoid games that have their logo figuring that EA ruined it. The second is the publisher is normally the one in charge of marketing. The problem is the game just didn't do much advertising, EA dropped the ball.
Of the dozen or so people I used to play games with, the last time I asked only 3 had heard of the game (because I kept telling them about it). One wouldn't play because he's poor and can't afford to buy new games anymore. The second is going to buy it but he is working 72 hour work weeks atm so he waiting til it slows down. The third keeps laughing at me saying "Wow it really is a secret, noone besides you knows anything about it".
Don't get me wrong, the Secret War thing they did on facebook was a great and novel way to advertise, but they stopped it several weeks before the game came out. They should have kept it going until launch and built on it to get momentum for the game. And that was pretty much all the advertising I've seen besides some interviews here and there with the devs.
2. The beta weekends made it look like there was a lot less content than there actually was. In order to test the content more thoroughly they were withholding quests in the starting area and releasing more each weekend, but really didn't mention it to the weekend players. So people playing the beta weekends to see if the game was worth buying were probably put off.
3. Miscellaneous: It is a niche game that depends on people thinking. Many people hate to think. Ragnor making many claims about what will be done for release or shortly after; other companies do this often and without putting in the effort so many people are jaded. Also do to the moving combat it is extremely had to multibox (I used to be able to play a full group in WoW), so there is little or no reason to have more than one account.
The Secret World's Financial Woe
TSW Performs Below Expectations In Funcom Investor Report
Though players have lost themselves in The Secret World, apparently Funcom expected much more.
In a recent investor report, Funcom acknowledged the drop in share price that coincided with the launch of TSW, but attributed the depreciation to an unlikely source:
"Following the launch of The Secret World on the 3rd of July 2012, Funcom's share price has decreased significantly. The company attributes this mostly to the aggregate review score, the "Metascore", for the game at MetaCritic (www.metacritic.com) together with other public sources for tracking the performance of games.
While there are very positive reviews, there are as well mixed or average reviews from various press outlets, giving an aggregated score for The Secret World of 72 out of 100, which is to be considered low, and not in line with the positive feedback received during the beta phases from both press and players."
To acknowledge that the game hasn't been universally received with glowing praise is one thing. To blame a Metascore as a direct cause of a pronounced stock price fall is entirely another.
The report goes on to reveal that there were two models for expected performance predicted for TSW and it has been unable to garner enough sales to meet either prediction.
It seems that retention is the current silver-lining for Funcom, with assertions that current players are satisfied with the game and that "First indication of churn is more positive than for Age of Conan, and the in-game store is performing as expected."
How glowing this praise can be considered - particularly considering the notoriously poor launch of Age of Conan - is highly debatable, but Funcom looks to better loyalty from subscribers, digital sales - including through Steam - as a path to solid revenue.
What the report reveals is just how difficult it is to successfully launch an MMO in the current climate, particularly one with a subscription model.
Based on your experience of the game, just what does the future hold for TSW?
Let us know in the comments below.
Scott "Jarimor" Hawkes, Editor In Chief
Tags: News, TheSecretWorld