The Chronicles of Spellborn

Originally posted by Dameonk

I'm not involved in marketing and I have never released a product to the public for purchase so I would really like an answer to this question from someone more knowledgeable than me. 

Why couldn't they self publish?

I would think that self publishing a direct download/purchase model partnered with someone like Direct2Drive and NO IP blocking would have been a better way to go.  Are having boxes in game stores really important enough to agree to IP blocking?

I guess the developers are hoping to replace all of their long-time followers who will not be playing the game now with people who just randomly buy games because the box looks pretty.  That doesn't make much sense to me.

Someone earlier said that no one wishes the game to fail.  I do.  I hope it fails hard.  That is the only way another developer won't make the same stupid mistake.  If they do OK then another game coming out soon might go "Well Spellborn still did OK even with IP blocking, I guess we can do the same thing."

I do not want that.   I have 23 friends who are in different countries throughout Europe and US who were all looking forward to this game.  Since we can't play together we all agreed that none of us will play. 

Setting up an online shop isn't even the problem.

You are forgetting the most important part of all: The Game Servers

You need a Data Center location, buy all the hardware (wich is crazy expensive), set it all up yourself and have professional staff to maintain it 24/7.

Then you have to set up your own Customer Support and Game Support and hire staff for it and train them.

Also, you would like to have your game marketed. Setting up a Mutli-langual Marketing Department with people in various countries to get the product marketed in all the countries.

Cheers

Originally posted by Guillermo197

Setting up an online shop isn't even the problem.

You are forgetting the most important part of all: The Game Servers

You need a Data Center location, buy all the hardware (wich is crazy expensive), set it all up yourself and have professional staff to maintain it 24/7.

Then you have to set up your own Customer Support and Game Support and hire staff for it and train them.

Also, you would like to have your game marketed. Setting up a Mutli-langual Marketing Department with people in various countries to get the product marketed in all the countries.

Cheers

You can rent servers and they are not that expensive anyways.

There are many companies that rent out customer service also, no problem. And you can just have the custom service in UK for us too and relay the calls, it isn't that expensive. Or force the poor customers to do their business by mail, many companies do that.

Bingo with the marketing. It is far easier to market a game with a publisher than by yourself. In Europe they are basicly marketting it with the band "Within temptation" and some webb adds but that ain't enough for the US market, I don't think americans know who WT are anyways.

Here is the Within temptation Video with Spellborn if you havn't seen it: www.youtube.com/watch

I would like to start posting the probable demise of games even before the though of !

Woodchuck online : empire of wood  <---  This game will never make it cause of the open pvp world!!!!

Originally posted by Guillermo197

Originally posted by Dameonk

I'm not involved in marketing and I have never released a product to the public for purchase so I would really like an answer to this question from someone more knowledgeable than me. 

Why couldn't they self publish?

I would think that self publishing a direct download/purchase model partnered with someone like Direct2Drive and NO IP blocking would have been a better way to go.  Are having boxes in game stores really important enough to agree to IP blocking?

I guess the developers are hoping to replace all of their long-time followers who will not be playing the game now with people who just randomly buy games because the box looks pretty.  That doesn't make much sense to me.

Someone earlier said that no one wishes the game to fail.  I do.  I hope it fails hard.  That is the only way another developer won't make the same stupid mistake.  If they do OK then another game coming out soon might go "Well Spellborn still did OK even with IP blocking, I guess we can do the same thing."

I do not want that.   I have 23 friends who are in different countries throughout Europe and US who were all looking forward to this game.  Since we can't play together we all agreed that none of us will play. 

 

Setting up an online shop isn't even the problem.

You are forgetting the most important part of all: The Game Servers

You need a Data Center location, buy all the hardware (wich is crazy expensive), set it all up yourself and have professional staff to maintain it 24/7.

Then you have to set up your own Customer Support and Game Support and hire staff for it and train them.

Also, you would like to have your game marketed. Setting up a Mutli-langual Marketing Department with people in various countries to get the product marketed in all the countries.

Cheers

1.  Rent them.
 

2.  You don't need to pay the staff their entire salary up front.  There would be some money required for training and prelaunch, then post-launch the monthly fees would pay for their wages.  This point is a non-factor.

3.  Marketing?  Haven't seen squat for marketing for this game outside of a couple spots on mmorpg.com, tbh.  If they have a "marketing" department, they need to be fired, since they're not doing anything more than the devs could cover on their lunch breaks.  Big budget games get marketing, this gets a couple banner ads and some interviews.

It was not only a poor choice to agree to the IP blocks, as it's going to severely impact their playerbase, they're actively supporting it by taking down the current forums and replacing them with IP blocked forums, so it can't all be brushed off onto the publishers...if it is the publishers, which I originally thought, but after the ipblock forums, I'm not so sure.  I'm not buying the game until such time as the ipblocks are removed, and I sincerely hope that others speak up similarly with their wallets.  If they take too long, I'll just skip it for the next big thing, whatever that might be, as I don't care to start a pvp game when the majority of the population has a significant level advantage.

Yay new unique concept is wished down the drain! I love all of you guys! Let's just keep playing WoW and never touch a new MMO ever, even if it has a new, unique working concept!

It will be and should be as good as dead, adapting is for pussies!

I see your concern and yes I would be pissed if the US would be cut up into three or four states, I would still have to play it and try to advertise it if it's as fun as people say. I am hoping in the future they do something about the issue. I am dying for something new and refreshing at this point.

pronounced.

Originally posted by Honkie

 

3.  Marketing?  Haven't seen squat for marketing for this game outside of a couple spots on mmorpg.com, tbh.  If they have a "marketing" department, they need to be fired, since they're not doing anything more than the devs could cover on their lunch breaks.  Big budget games get marketing, this gets a couple banner ads and some interviews.

They spent alot in marketing. Didn't you see all the promotion they were doing for the band Within Temptation? Of course, the band was supposed to be promoting them. Funnily enough, now more people know about the band than have ever even heard the game mentioned in passing.

I am a Canadian working and living in France. My French is do able but not good enough to interact with people on comfortable levels. And now i am forced to play on FRENCH only servers? great. Why would anyone even bother with this game? really?

Originally posted by Zorvan
 

They spent alot in marketing. Didn't you see all the promotion they were doing for the band Within Temptation? Of course, the band was supposed to be promoting them. Funnily enough, now more people know about the band than have ever even heard the game mentioned in passing.

I saw a link to the band, I think it was on their site.  That was all I saw for marketing on that.  Perhaps they aimed more at the euro market with their "marketing"?  Idk, all I saw were a few tidbits here, and...I think I signed up for the original closed beta based on a beta seeking site back in early 06, though that wasn't really game advertising.