Star Trek Online Struggles with only 100k Subscribers!

[Zach]

When Star Trek Online was launched back on February 2nd, Cryptic Studios touted that they had over 1 million pre-orders and subscribers across their Cryptic Network.

It has now been revealed by Jack Emmert in an interview with "The Big Freaking Podcast" that Star Trek Online now has just a hair over 100,000 subscribers, a drop of almost 90% compared to the launch day numbers.

It is no secret that Star Trek Online has not lived up to the expectations of many players - in fact, even I am not playing the game very much (I haven't logged on for over a month at this stage) - however, when you consider that Age of Conan or Warhammer Online have 300,000+ subscribers, Star Trek Online really is struggling!

That hasn't been stopping Cryptic from moving ahead at full steam with new content all over the place, so hopefully, in six months time, the game will be a very different beast compared to what it is now and maybe, just maybe, it will start creeping up in those subscriber ratings again.

Listen to the interview at http://thebigfreaks.com/?p=263

[gaius]

So you made up another attention grabbing headline? Well, good for you.

If you would like to be a bit more serious in the future, consider this:
STO has a much smaller scale than other MMOs at the moment. However you have to to pay the same monthly fee for STO as you would have for most MMOs. The reason for the small scale of STO is that Cryptic doesn't invest as many resources in STO as other developers do.
What does that mean in the end? Well, you have a success, if you earn more than you have to spend. So my guess would be, that STO is actually a success. 100k subscribers are enough to keep STO running.
On the other hand I'm really curious how and if EA will ever get the 2M subscribers they need for The Old Republic.

[Falin]

Not suprising, as I've been predicting this for over a year now with reguards to STO. it failed to grab the essence of Star Trek and went for the generic MMO with a Star trek skin and they failed o listen to the many many many people in closed beta telling them thier template would not grab Trekkies for the long haul.

I really hate to say I was right, I really wanted to be wrong on this, but tiume has shown what i was saying was going to happen has happened. Ah well, now maybe we'll get a real ST MMO from someone in 5-10 years time. really sucks they took the SWG approach and screwed the pooch on this.

[Kinjiru]

I haven't listened to the podcast, but is that 100k number including lifetime subs? Or is it just the month - month subs that they're talking about?

Regardless, I think that a lot of folks will come back when Cryptic adds a bit more of the "missing" content (I started playing more immediately after they added the cluster exploration missions for Klinks); like functional bridge stations (the ability to conn the ship from the bridge - just switch to 3rd person view for combat), more interior spaces (that actually mean something and have some reason to go there - would go a long way toward getting rid of that "I'm-driving-a-matchbox-car-ship feeling), RvR neutral zone PvP, science and diplomacy... in short, all of the things that we thought we'd get when we heard that a Star Trek MMO was in the works. :)

[honeymane]

@100k users, they're getting 1.5 million a month. If the game is continually supported, they'll attract more users over tie.

[Zach]

Personally speaking, I don't intend to play Star Trek Online for at least 3 more months.   They are adding in alot of features now that, in my opinion, should have been there from the start.

We were always going to get a compromised game based on the deadline CBS handed Cryptic, and I am happy they are moving so fast to put in new content, however they have alienated alot of potential players, and in the long term, that can be damaging.

Out of the 1.5 million dollars (probably more like a million) they are earning in subscriptions per month, how much of that is going to pay the 50+ employees working on STO, how much in server maintenance, bandwidth, etc etc......How much did they invest in developing Star Trek Online over the 2 year period.......If they are in the green right now, its probably not by much.

[chThren]

I have to admit I've been rather dissapointed with the game.  I got to Rear Admiral WAY too quickly and lost interest in my chThren character, a character I had waited to play for a LONG time.  Finding RP is almost impossible.  I haven't logged in for almost a month and haven't really felt like I was missing anything.

To me the game just feels so empty.  There doesn't seem to be a goal worth reaching for.  The "Episodes" are fun for a while but then become repetitive and there doesn't seem to be a larger arc following through with anything.

I regret my decision to purchase a lifetime membership, but it's done and I can't change that.  I just hope that in time this game improves and isn't another Conan.

[Hamilton]

3D MMO's rarely get second chances or become highly successful after a sharp decline (the after launch spike effect).  100,000 is great for a niche marketed title, but not for a mass marketed title with a huge following.

As Zach stated with expenses, I would add in first there are taxes and service fees (credit card servicing).  That is quite the killer. 


Seems though that companies are focusing on the sales of the client rather than of keeping subscribers around.  Though interesting that WAR has now made the client for free.

[dctalk365]

I reached RA5 rather quickly compared to reaching the end level in other games. The biggest issue with STO is that it's only been in development for 2 years! Most MMOs are in development for 4-6 years.

Originally it was supposed to be a 50 level game, but they scaled that back for an early launch, and those 5 extra levels will get added later this year.

I didn't like the set up of sector space, it's a pain to navigate, and the over instancing is a draw back, imo.

While leveling, there was not enough missions to level, where I was forced to do repeative missions or PvP to level. Once I reached RA, there was not enough end game content to do, at the time only PvP, until The Infected was added, and now The Cure. Outside of doing those two missions and PvP there is nothing else to do.

Now, I have canceled my subscription, but what was the final nail in the coffin for that was with this last update where they added more things to the C-Store than they did to the game itself. When I am already paying a subscription, I should not also have to pay for extras, even if they are novelty items like bridges. I should also not have to pay for retraining my captain. (Yes, I know that you get one with each rank up, and I have heard you can use credits from in game, though I can not confirm that last part)The point is, don't have a subscription and then throw in extras to try and get more money from people.

[syberghost]

They've been saying "well over", and that's the evidence you use to say "just a hair over"?

mkay...