Quote:
Originally Posted by Corsairs
I don't think the intention of this endeavor is to get those of us who run or play in online leagues to pay a monthly fee; rather it's to branch out into an new demographic of customer.
|
The problem with this is that it involves the assumption that online subscription play will attract a new demographic and create increased revenue. Imagine Sports is following the same approach.
But the real reason that Imagine Sports is doing it is because Strat-O-Matic has online play available through the Sporting News website. This allowed a huge increase in marketing and advertising exposure for SOM, and it almost certainly attracted many people who would have otherwise never heard of the game. So it appears as if sports sim developers are all jumping on the bandwagon in the hopes of producing similar results.
However, what is the plan for Diamond Mind and OOTP? How is the implementation of online subscription play going to result in added customers and revenue? If you don't have a channel for marketing the product like the Sporting News website or something similar, then you will not get anywhere. The mere fact that you offer an online subscription-based simulation does not mean you will get new customers or revenue. What is going to make people aware of this service, and what is going to attract them to it?
That is the real issue here, because anything less than a thorough strategy to make this succeed means that there is a huge risk of failure and therefore a risk of wasting resources that could have otherwise been spent on the core product. New product solutions are not always the key to increased revenue. I think you need to make sure that you've truly executed the best marketing strategies and have invested a suitable amount of resources before you conclude that you can no longer grow your customer base with your existing product.