Pros/cons for NRS fighters becoming "games as a service"

[Shoah Kahn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg3OsSNXYKo

Pros
+ Lower buy-in cost (?) / free (?)
+ Only buy what you want
+ If the games suck and get neglected (like MK1), they will die in utero, instead of hang around like a cancer, slowly killing their associated franchise/s

Cons
- Paying for products one can never own
- Paying for products that are eventually shut down and rendered inoperable -- often sooner than later
- Always online = no offline functionality whatsoever -- problematic for the fighting games genre, which are played offline in both e-sports and casually
- Poor net-code (such as what NRS are infamous for) = a literal, broken product
- Like MMO's, online games almost always get worse in line with patching progress (usually, because they need to water-down the product in order to attact more and more casuals)
- If the game is not a hit from launch, it will be DoA, and anyone who jumped on early, will be left with nothing (see: million anecdotes of players who paid for new MMO's that died a few months later)
- No modding (obviously); but, cheaters will still find ways to exploit a competitive environment

I'm torn... Insofar as how "modern" fighters are (Tekken aside, perhaps), there is very little in them that I myself want to have access to -- a few characters and maybe a skin or two, and that's it. So, a free-to-play model (assuming WB don't expect people to pay $100 for the "service") with reasonably priced (citation needed) characters etc., would be far more tempting than what MK1 has on offer right now.

However, unless the games were free, and the characters reasonably prices (~$10), it would pretty much be the death of whatever franchise adopted this "games as a service" model. For if garbage, seasonal finishers (lit., mini cut-scenes) are $12 a pop in 2023, then WB would expect people to pay $20+ for each character in 2026; which would then negate any sense of it being a better deal than the veritable retail racketeering they offer us now... 😑

[MonkeyBone]

Fighting games as a service is pure cancer. Look what happened to DLCoA, sorry, Dead or Alive. This title is predatory enough with its limitations in kurrency earned, the sheer grind for everything, and the best stuff being locked behind $10 purchases. A service model applied to that would only crank these issues up to 11.
Thankfully WB is circling the drain so any plans they have to further ruin this franchise will most likely not materialise, but even seeing a conversation about this is bad.

[Shoah Kahn]

^ Well, DoA5LR had the option of buying the full game, and only went free-to-play later; DoA6 also remained stand-alone product. So, if WB were to release two SKU's -- full game and free-to-play -- that might be the best compromise.

For example, in MK1, I'd only want Shao and Cage, nothing else -- including the offline modes... Hence, not buying the game, because there isn't enough content there right now (plus, the online issues). So, if there were a version I could get for free and spend $20 on for a couple of characters, WB would have $20 from me, as well as my online activity bolstering their statistics... Kind of a win-win.

Having said that, it all depends on what they'd charge for characters, and what they'd hold back: Would everyone get access to all stages? Would additional finishers (inc. Brutalities, Friendships, Babalities, stage finishers etc.) be charged for? Could the game be played locally in PvP (or co-op, if applicable)? How much of the content would actually be pay-to-access for the free version -- everything other than Karate Fighting man + Training mode? Could players try characters before they buy for, say, 24 hours...?

So, a lot of it is up in the air... almost everything, in fact, besides the explicit intention of WB to turn MK into a "games as a service" I. P. (which it all but is today).

[Where'sMySupersuit!!]

Lucky MK hasn't reached CoD, D4 or OW2 bad. Especially CoD bad since the entire franchise now is extremely compromised due to the abundance of MTX and invasive UX, also just all round poor execution.


If MK was owned by Activision then it would become pure chaos due to so many opportunities to make things paid and even add more just for that reason.

EDIT: DoA 6 is going nuclear when it comes to selling garbage my god, Its insane that they sell a season pass up to $90 and most of the "content" is dumb ass costumes.

[Randerson112]

There is no PROS to any of this AT ALL! Avoid NRS games completely from here on out!

[Randerson112]

Let this be a lesson to WB Games. And to an extent NRS under them.......... No! NO NO NO NO NO! We bought your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ $110 dollar super version of the game. DIE if you must now. Your Invasions single player option is boring and you made it more and more boring. Umm............ Let this version of the game DIE early before anyone commits any more higher dollar amount to your dead game.

[DosBoss]

There are no pro's to be found here.

[nobalkain]

Even your "Pros" are just Cons.

Any Competitive Player is going to want every Character. Even if they dont Play as them, they are going to want to get a idea how they do Play so they can come up with Counters and find Weaknesses. You cant really learn all that by watching a Vid on them, you need to try them yourself.

[imsouporcereal]

Imagine announcing that MK1 will become a "games as a service" product knowing that the game hasn't provided a single functional service yet.

[.]

I'ts 2023 and you still believe in this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥?

[Fed Up]

Angry geeks scream into the void: a thread.

[i ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hate this game]

Originally posted by .:

Angry geeks scream into the void: a thread.

damn u made a whole account just to bootlick and kiss WB's ass thats hilarious actually

[Shoah Kahn]

Originally posted by nobalkain:

Any Competitive Player is going to want every Character. Even if they dont Play as them, they are going to want to get a idea how they do Play so they can come up with Counters and find Weaknesses.

All characters are available in training mode.

[nobalkain]

Originally posted by Shoah Kahn:

Originally posted by nobalkain:

Any Competitive Player is going to want every Character. Even if they dont Play as them, they are going to want to get a idea how they do Play so they can come up with Counters and find Weaknesses.

All characters are available in training mode.

Your assuming they will keep doing that. If they ever go F2P I would not be shocked if they either no longer allow that, CHARGE for Training, or do BOTH. You are not giving Greed enough credit .

[Shoah Kahn]

^ I'm just spit-balling how the game could look. After all, they're going to do, whether we like it or not... So, it's just a matter of perhaps cajoling them in a direction that does not kill the franchise outright.