20 replies to this topic

[Appogee]

Monthly patches. 3-monthly roadmap. "There will be no Faction Play Phase 4". Bryan Eckman MIA. Paul Innoue MIA. Russ Bullock barely even tweeting for a month...

Hypothesis 1: PGI are secretly working on Something Else™.

Just as they did with Transverse, they wouldn't tell us in advance if they were. They saw how angry we were, and how some disgruntled MWO Founders actively worked to sink that project.

So, what could Something Else™ be...?

Transverse didn't fly. The market for Trophy Bass Fishing XVIIIV doesn't sound like it'd be a much of a money-spinner. No, PGI's main asset, beyond MWO, is its Mechwarrior licence all the way through to 2020.

But they've already made Mechwarrior Online ... well, as much as they're going to. Hare Brained Schemes are already building the turn-based version of Mechwarrior, cross-licencing PGI Mech art and models.

So, what else could PGI do with that expensive MechWarrior licence?

Hypothesis 2: PGI are secretly making a new, standalone PVE version of Mechwarrior... "MechWarrior Offline", if you will. Instead of just bundling PVE into Mechwarrior Online free-of-charge for us ignorant, ungrateful and uncooperative current customers, they're going to give the PVE version a fresh start under a new brand, by badging it as a new title. (Of course they'll use most of the same game engine and assets they've already developed for Mechwarrior Online.)

(Alt Hypothesis 2: PGI are porting MWO to Xbone.)

What do you think...?

And before anyone says it, yes, sharing bold predictions such as the above requires intuition, balls, a thick skin and a tinfoil hat . But I thought you might be interested to consider these possibilities.

Edited by Appogee, 08 June 2016 - 12:48 PM.

[FrontGuard]

yeah... or some major addition the the current game... like Solaris maybe?

[HATER 1]

FrontGuard, on 08 June 2016 - 12:45 PM, said:

yeah... or some major addition the the current game... like Solaris maybe?

Yea effin right.... Because they are known for overwhelmingly popular surprises.

Edited by HATER 1, 08 June 2016 - 12:50 PM.

[RedDragon]

The best thing they can do is milk this cow and be gone. I don't doubt that there are some people who would throw money at them if they made another MW game, but they have driven so many players away that I don't think a new game would be profitable. With MWo they can sit it out and milk the last whales dry without too much effort. I don't expect them to take a risk with another project right now.

[Appogee]

FrontGuard, on 08 June 2016 - 12:45 PM, said:

yeah... or some major addition the the current game... like Solaris maybe?

PGI has to be looking at the declining Steam playercount (the trend line says "no Steam players by Christmas"*), and realising that they can't make a living off of MWO through to 2020 on the player population that will be left*.

So bundling new features into MWO may not seem like the winning idea it was a year ago.




* Yes I know that not everyone uses Steam, and that the population line will never truly reach zero. But the steady decline in Steam usage says PGI has a looming problem with maintaining the playerbase.

RedDragon, on 08 June 2016 - 12:52 PM, said:

I don't expect them to take a risk with another project right now.

If they did launch a completely new project, I think they'd do it under another brand and shell company.

Transverse proved - as incidentally I predicted it would - that PGI's brand is toxic with their target market.

Much easier for them to create a new company, as they have done many times in the past, to bury the ghost of prior failure.

Edited by Appogee, 08 June 2016 - 12:56 PM.

[Ryoken]

I have been a long time loyal supporter, but if PGI really creates a stand alone PVE Mechwarrior I can not use all my MWO Mechs in that I have purchased so far to support the company - while instead making me pay again for a game where I can not even play coop PvE with my friends... man I would be really really mad at them!

So I hope they create PvE content for MWO so that we can have PvE battles (Armored Warfare Style), or that we can purchase Coop/Solo campaigns for MC (maybe first chapter for free).

[Novakaine]

Aerotech or maybe Tanks.

Edited by Novakaine, 08 June 2016 - 01:02 PM.

[RedDragon]

Appogee, on 08 June 2016 - 12:55 PM, said:

PGI has to be looking at the declining Steam playercount (the trend line says "no Steam players by Christmas"*), and realising that they can't make a living off of MWO through to 2020 on the player population that will be left*.

So bundling new features into MWO may not seem like the winning idea it was a year ago.




* Yes I know that not everyone uses Steam, and that the population line will never truly reach zero. But the steady decline in Steam usage says PGI has a looming problem with maintaining the playerbase.


If they did launch a completely new project, I think they'd do it under another brand and shell company.

Transverse proved - as incidentally I predicted it would - that PGI's brand is toxic with their target market.

Much easier for them to create a new company, as they have done many times in the past, to bury the ghost of prior failure.

Yes, I'd also think they milk MWO and then begin another project under a new name, as they have done before.

[FrontGuard]

You know this game MWO is really not much more than a Mod of Crysis 3.
With that said, we expect to much from PGI.

Perhaps they are shrinking to a skeleton crew and we have seen the last changes to the game other than new Mechs.

[DarthHias]

I repeat what I said elsewhere. The declining number of steam players means, from all the guys who tried the game via Steam launch, some loose interest. Some will stay, and if it´s 1k it´s ok.

[Davers]

I have to ask, since I've been seeing Solaris mentioned a lot more than usual...

What exactly will Solaris add that is fundamentally different/better than what we have now? Especially keeping in mind that matches under 12v12 (or 24 players) isn't economically feasible, hence the MC cost for custom matches.

[Lazor Sharp]

Appogee, on 08 June 2016 - 12:41 PM, said:

No, PGI's main asset, beyond MWO, is its Mechwarrior licence all the way through to 2020.

But they've already made Mechwarrior Online ... well, as much as they're going to. Hare Brained Schemes are already building the turn-based version of Mechwarrior, cross-licencing PGI Mech art and models.

So, what else could PGI do with that expensive MechWarrior licence?

Hypothesis 2: PGI are secretly making a new, standalone PVE version of Mechwarrior... "MechWarrior Offline", if you will. Instead of just bundling PVE into Mechwarrior Online free-of-charge for us ignorant, ungrateful and uncooperative current customers, they're going to give the PVE version a fresh start under a new brand, by badging it as a new title. (Of course they'll use most of the same game engine and assets they've already developed for Mechwarrior Online.)

I agree the expensive MechWarrior licence is their best Asset, as you say, they have already leveraged it with the Hare Brained Schemes cross-licencing the PGI Mech art and models. I wander what they got in return besides $$$$ for that...? If they made some kind of deal with HBS to use some of their Assets like Voice actors, etc, etc, etc, than possibly a PvE SP tie in to MWO through the current UI would be great...

If Stand alone means a completely different game that i cant use my current MWO assets in, and have to buy new mechs and equipment for, i will be a very, very unhappy camper..... and in my mind that would be the most stupid and ignorant thing they could do any way.......

As I have written in several threads, they would have a completely new revenue stream, if they sold SP/CooP campaign,/missions as pay to play early, and free to play after a few mo. like the model they have now with mechs......

Edited by Lazor Sharp, 08 June 2016 - 01:23 PM.

[Thorqemada]

Oh, i found it a bad idea to increase the Mechcount to 12vs12 from 8vs8 anyway - higher numbers do not equal higher quality per se.

And Server Load should work that way that 2x matches of 12vs12 equal 3x matches of 8vs8 which btw would lower search times as more matches are up to start as there are less variables per match.

PGI mishandles Premium Time anyway - but by now its hard to change course bcs Players have adopted to the way it is and change would probably upset quite an amount of People.

PGI in the end made MWO a Niche-Nichegame...and when you become depenadant on the last remaining Niche-Nicheplayers change is pretty much impossible to execute bcs its much harder to win People back than to drive them away....

There are still a few chances though.

[cazidin]

Am I the only one who'd be slightly amused if their PVE standalone game was literally titled "MechWarrior:Offline"?

[Felicitatem Parco]

I have said it before. It would be stupid to let me simply import my full Mech hangar into a single campaign when I start it.

You know how campaigns start you out small, and you grow from there. Yeah, I do not see us booting the first level of the PVE campaign for the first time and *poof* 200 Mechs in your hangar to choose from.

That would be poor design. All sense of progression would be gone. Now, if you could do that AFTER beating the campaign, then perhaps the idea will have merit.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 08 June 2016 - 02:34 PM.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

I'm putting my bet on an Aerotech game as PGI could totally tap into the disappointed market star citizen is creating.

cazidin, on 08 June 2016 - 02:18 PM, said:

Am I the only one who'd be slightly amused if their PVE standalone game was literally titled "MechWarrior:Offline"?

Honestly I'd buy it just because of the name.

Edited by Narcissistic Martyr, 08 June 2016 - 02:37 PM.

[Malleus011]

As much as I'd like to see MWO: Aerotech or MWOMMORPG, I doubt we'll ever see either, or anything else Battletech from PGI.

I seriously doubt they're working on more major features for MWO. "No Phase 4" ... if they aren't going to finish CW, what else could they do?

Same for PVE. Sure, it'd be nice, but I doubt it.

I think they're just taking time off for the summer, or swamped by whatever they call the tournament thingie.

[SkyHammyr]

Hypothesis 3: The Rescale has gone terribly wrong and they're focusing all of their efforts to make it work..
that and the damned tournament.

Edited by SkyHammyr, 08 June 2016 - 02:59 PM.

[DAYLEET]

OP, it's no secret they are planing PVE. The team of Transverse was supposed to be working on other stuff for a time(someone find the quote) but what happened to them since then; no one knows. It's also no secret that they are about to announce something big, as stated in the last TH, though they will be damned if they tell us anything in the mean time.

cazidin, on 08 June 2016 - 02:18 PM, said:

Am I the only one who'd be slightly amused if their PVE standalone game was literally titled "MechWarrior:Offline"?

I can guarantee you that when PVE hit MWO, you will not be able to play it offline.

[Moldur]

The big secret is more mech packs.