Sony defends DC Universe subscription

"Certainly we want people to feel they are getting the value to that subscription," Sony Online Entertainment spokesperson Ryan Peters told Eurogamer.

[NYC_Gamer]

the monthly fee helps with servers/updates

[koehler83]

Don't feel like anyone needs to defend themselves. And don't bother trying to educate the deliberately ignorant.

It's their product. It's their service. They can charge whatever the hell they like in whatever form they choose. It's a free market. End of story.

[I_find_it_funny]

Lmao, people really say this should be free?

[jjohan35]

I don't mind the pay 2 play system. But I do think they should lower the initial price of the game ($60).

[Brewski007]

Im enjoying it and I understand the reasons why I have to pay monthly for it. If the service itself is provided to me in a satisfactory way for the money I pay then I'll continue to pay the fee. Its not just funding a game, its funding a community of gamers and making sure we get the most outta this title that is seeping with untapped potential still.

[garos82]

well said koehler. their product their service. most mmos charge monthly fees.
im not a fan of paying monthly for game services and its my right to avoid it.

[Christopher]

Honestly, in this day and age there should be no need to defend monthly subscription fees or the costs behind F2P models when it comes to MMOs.

[Chris399]

There are many others like it on the market. It's not as if Sony is making some obscene money fleece. Will we get the same coverage for Rifts? Or Knights of the Old Repulic? I wonder.

[Baka-akaB]

yeah it's amazing how around here , it's usually the folks that dont care for their games and often dont even own the console , that feel entitled something .

even "weirder" when the same folks had no opinions about every other mmos released so far , except ff14 and dc , as soon as announced as ps3 exclusive :p .

Of course the same folks could breath again , when it turned out FF14 was a dud , and could focus their energy on complaining about DCU .

Expect the Agency to "blows" too later on and the same debate around fees .

[despair]

Nope you won't because they won't be coming to a console system. Thats the only reason they even make a big deal out of the subscription fee, what about WoW where were the complaints on that or even that it should be lower fees as the game ages, it will be the same for every MMO on a console that is P2P.

[Sarcasm]

Yeah what do people expect, it's an MMO

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

The game is insane fun... definitely worth it.

[PimpHandHappy]

paid MMO's

but
Sony doesn't need 2defend it

[Ares84PS3]

They can defend it all they want. I'm not paying a monthly fee to play a game I already purchased.

[BlackTar187]

when then why are you here? MMO fees are standard nothing surprising here.

To bad though its a great game if its your style but then again if it truly was something you liked im pretty sure u wouldnt complain about the fee.

[Sarcasm]

It's an MMO, and for people who think it's worth it will pay the monthly fee. Just like the millions of other people paying for other MMOs. This is nothing new with exception that it's now available on a console.

[Silly gameAr]

Yeah Sony totally came up with this whole pay to play concept. How dare they do what all MMO's do and think they can get away with it.

[Ares84PS3]

Looks like I was missunderstood. No, I'm not complaining about this particular case. Believe it or not I am aware of the fact that MMO's are mostly pay to play but why should they be? Because of server maintenance?? So how are the servers for other online games that aren't MMO's maintained?

Anyways, what I'm against is the whole concept of pay-to-play. If I'm buying something for almost $70 I want to use it without paying anything more for it. They should at least give people a few months free if they buy this game. So whoever want's to play it after the first 3-4 months could do so but than they can pay for "server maintenance"

I think every pay-to-play game is a rip-off.

There isn't a single game out there that I would pay-to-play. Last time I did that was back in the early 90's in an arcade....than I got a proper console.

[Baka-akaB]

At least you get 30 days . That's how long anyway many keeps a game around till they are done with it and trade away , anyway

[soundslike]

"Because of server maintenance?? So how are the servers for other online games that aren't MMO's maintained? "

1. This game is getting monthly CONTENT patches as well as maintenance of servers, bug fixes, and balance issues.

2. Other multiplayer games don't need to try and fit 1000 players in the same area. It is a WORLD being hosted, not a "map". And not just one server, several of them, some pve some pvp. That's a lot more money and maintenance than some dude renting out a dedicated server to play BF2 on pc

Furthermore, why do you think 360 games get away with not having dedicated servers?

[Dno]

says the guy who prolly has 5 years of xboxlive under his belt

j/k lol

[negroguy]

"who knows, it may even be relevant to the time of year right?" Who could it be?"

Hmm so black history month theyre introducing a new iconic character. Besides Green lantern I cant think of another black villain or hero. Maybe theyre also refering to valentines day.. Love hero or villian? Im intrigued now.

[Baka-akaB]

Static Shock ... Black lighting and his daughter , Steel , the current Firestorm , Mister Miracle III , Mister terrific , Orpheus , Aqualad .

They arent numerous but still there .

[negroguy]

Static shock would be cool. Steel is in there and I didn't even know about mister miracle and mister terrific, ill have to look them up. I just saw young justice last night and Aqualad did look pretty dam awesome.

[despair]

quick google search (list of black superheroes) will give you a wiki page with everyone, N4G won't let me post the link lol. Hope that helps

[Neko_Mega]

Was going to get it, but month payments I can't do right now. In less the make the US PSN the same as UK's, where you can buy your days on the PSN Store.

[AssassinHD]

How is it any different? The subscription fee comes out of your PlayStation wallet either way.

[Neko_Mega]

Because I can use a PSN card, less I check MMO's need a credit card.

[AssassinHD]

The subscription fee comes out of the PlayStation wallet, meaning you can use a PSN card in either case.

[Neko_Mega]

Would have help it someone told me that @_@, all I was told was that I need a credit card to play.

[NateCole]

This is stupid. Its a subscription MMO like any other. Why do people expect it to be free?. It's freaking DC universe for christ sakes. It takes a lot of money for licensing alone.

[Darkfiber]

Because the majority of them are playing on console and console gamers are stupid and fickle with the attention spans of goldfish.

Like I've been saying all along, sure, it has a big number of initial sales, but how many PS3 owners are actually going to play the same game for more than a month or two while having to pay a subscription fee? Very few. This is clear evidence of that.

[Saryk]

I agree with you, but I guess we will see shortly. Hope we are wrong.

[lodossrage]

-Everquest Online Adventures
-Any version of PSO after the original dreamcast version
-Final Fantasy 11

All of which were very successful MMO games for consoles that you had to pay to play. And each of them had the same sort of outcry that DCUO has

So this is "evidence" of pretty much nothing the way i see it

[Baka-akaB]

Yeah funny how people wanna forget every mmos launched on consoles were actual successes

[Darkfiber]

@ lodossrage

This is all I have to say to that comment:

"Like other commercial MMORPGs in the West, in addition to purchasing the game software, EQOA charges a monthly fee. SOE had predicted 100,000 subscribers by March 2003, but they later reported having only 20,000 to 30,000 subscriptions."

How is that "very successful"? You are an idiot and you just proved my point for me. Millions of copies sold will turn into tens of thousands of subscriptions at best. Who is the one ignoring the evidence now?

Not to mention other factors like PS3 owners are a completely different breed than gamers 10 years ago. They pick up every exclusive that comes around. How many people do you think will unsub to DCUO when something like Killzone 2, WITH FREE MULTIPLAYER, comes out? If you like DCUO, that's cool, but just because you like it doesn't mean it's going to last forever. I've liked plenty of MMOs that have died around me to know that this will be no different, particularly because console players are vastly different to PC players, especially in terms of longevity in the player base.

[lodossrage]

I like how you pick and choose your spots there. Why don't you go and do the same for final fantasy 11 and the pay to play PSO versions. And for the record, new games coming out never stopped FF11 and PSO paid versions from thriving. So again, what's your point?

I like how children get all defensive over video games though lol. I hope you don't want to try to tell anyone you're beyond your puberty years :)

[Darkfiber]

@ lodossrage

First of all, what? You are the one defending DCUO? I don't think I was defending anything. Are you implying that you are being a child? That statement makes no sense. And if you didn't want me bringing up numbers for Everquest Online Adventures then maybe you shouldn't have used it as your number one example of a successful console MMO, idiot.

[lodossrage]

First off, it means you being combative and defensive over something as minute as a videogame. I mean seriously, look at yourself. Throwing out personal attacks over the internet over a videogame. Truth be told, last time I seen that kind of behavior was junior high school. You know, the kind of kids that the girls didn't like and stuff like that lol. Forgive me, it's just you reminded me of that kid that sat alone at lunchtime is all

I can care less what "numbers" you bring up. All I said was I like how you neglected the other two.

[Darkfiber]

@ lodossrage

Actually, no, that's not "all you said". You brought up how I neglected the other two, then you went at me with a personal attack (and keep doing it, might I add) about apparently how much of a "child" I am. Are you really that ignorant to your own hypocrisy? Why are you projecting your own self-conscious inadequacies at me? Clearly, somewhere deep down, you still consider yourself a child and feel ashamed of your level of maturity but never want to admit it to yourself, so that insult is your weapon of choice over the intarnetz because it's something you know hurts you, so you assume it hurts others as well. You are so transparent, you're pathetic.

I mean, honestly, "You know, the kind of kids that the girls didn't like and stuff like that lol." I don't think anyone would ever believe an adult wrote that sentence. Perhaps you were that kid and your constant rejection by junior high girls led you to a underdeveloped sexual maturity in your young adulthood, I don't know and I don't care, but it's like the pot calling the kettle black. It doesn't mean anything when the kettle knows the pot is black ;)

[lodossrage]

aww so cute. the preteen dedicated a medium sized rant just for me. I guess I should say sorry to him........nah LOL.

Nothing shows when you hit a child's nerve better than internet rant

[Darkfiber]

You know what? You're right. I'm 7 years old, you win. Don't you have better things to do than argue with a child over the internet?

[lodossrage]

Argue? no son YOU are what I call the entertainment until I have to get ready for work. Which you kind of failed at (among other things)You argued, I laughed :)

Sweet, now you ACT like you don't care with your short response. Too bad we all saw you with your pants down showing that lil E wee wee first. And remember son, no mails please :)

[Emilio_Estevez]

SOE makes a good point here.....Definatley more time for your investment than a movie. Also, the point about DLC was good too. If you know u like something, then why not pay to get a continuos stream of it?

[Kewl_Kat]

Subscription pay model is a great way to ensure a fair playing field. Free-to-play models will always favor those who can pay; you can play for free all you want, but the ones who pay for items will get advantages. So, paying for subs not only help maintain server quality, but will also assure every player that skill > money.

[Raoh]

what kewl said is correct..

i hate standing in a party with a gamer who bought his gear and spells with real life cash only to realize he only looks cool but doesnt know how to play his job class...

items, gear, gold are better earned not bought...

[nefertis]

You got too pay the cost to be the boss, I've try PVP for the first time and it pwns PVE.

[Masterchef2007]

we will just have to wait and see how much content they will release on a monthly bases.

[Saryk]

Cent for cent a MMO is a better investment than any form of entertainment. Which MMO is worth the investment is what people argue about and that really goes to the person’s taste. I think that DCUO is a very good game, something different, but I am on the SOE ALL Access so, it is worth it to me.

[outwar6010]

i would never pay £10 a month for the "right" to play the same game after i payed £40 for the game. Thats just my opinion so there lol in my eyes i just prefer variety and that monthly charge hinders my ability to buy new games

[Raoh]

I love sony, love soe, love mmo's, love dc and marvel comics, love the game, love it all

but the chat system sucks, and while i'm used to paying for mmo's, i have with ffxi, eqoa, WoW, etc..

$14.99 IS just a bit too steep.. $9.99 is a better plan..

and not just because i dont want to spend the money.. but sony has more mmo's coming out.. a lower subscription would entice people to play multiple subscription mmo's.. for many, @ $14.99 its one or the other..

[RonXD]

Yeah i'm still not ever going to pay to play a MMO. I'll stick to the F2P ones where in game cash shops do not ruin the gaming experience.

[Acinoyx]

This is the same argument that comes from both sides. One side will always "see value" in paying the monthly and those that feel they are being ripped off.

I don't buy new games very often, so $15/month sounds like a good deal to me, beats the hell out of $50-60 for new game. Yes, I know you could buy it used for cheaper....