[Jester's Trek] COTW: In case this isn't clear...
COTW: In case this isn't clear...
The two posts about PLEX prices are bringing a really incorrect belief out of the wood-work and I really need to smite it. As one anonymous commenter puts it:
So, what do you think the chances are that it is CCP intentionally pushing things so that it is harder for freeloaders to absorb company resources playing month after month without paying a cent that can go to company payroll and server costs?As another put it:
[High PLEX prices are] temporary and the poors should be able to afford PLEX again in a couple of months. Or they can resub their accounts with RL money. Increased monthly revenue is, in fact, CCP's ultimate goal.
OK. I've said this in comments a few times, but it deserves its own post. Let's start it with the most basic, fundamentally true fact there is:
CCP makes the most money from accounts subscribed with PLEXes.Yes, they do. Every single PLEX ultimately has to be purchased from CCP or from an authorized PLEX reseller. CCP does not create PLEXes out of thin air.(1) They're ultimately purchased by a player with real money. PLEXes cost anywhere from $16 to $20 U.S. depending on how and when you buy them and are good for one month's play. Meanwhile, an account subscribed with a credit card costs between $11 and $14 per month U.S. If money were the main concern and CCP had their first choice, every single EVE player would pay for EVE with PLEXes. It's just that simple.
High PLEX prices are therefore just as bad for CCP as they are for players.
Yes, they are. If someone stops paying for an account with PLEXes and subscribes that account with a credit card instead, CCP loses money. If someone stops paying for an account with PLEXes because they're too expensive and lets that account lapse, CCP loses even more money. High PLEX prices help CCP in only two ways:
- the fight against RMT, but that's quite temporary. RMT sites will nearly always be able to beat CCP's dollars-per-ISK ratio; and,
- when in-game PLEX prices are high, CCP can run specials on RL PLEX prices, hoping people will buy them, flood the market with them, and push the prices down again.(2) But that is also temporary.
Low PLEX prices encourage players toward the most profitable-for-CCP method of paying for EVE there is. High PLEX prices encourage players away from that method. Players that pay for the game with PLEXes aren't free-loaders. Quite the opposite! PLEXes are the most expensive way to pay for EVE Online, and CCP makes the most money from people that play this way.
Everyone clear?
(1) With very few exceptions, for things like prizes and the like.
(2) And expect to see this happen very soon.
Source: COTW: In case this isn't clear...