In Destiny 2, Bungie is now practically giving away the base game through the PS Plus service for free – at least for players on PS4. This is typical for MMORPGs, says our author Schuhmann. Also: What does Bungie have to lose now?
This is what happened: Yesterday, Sony announced that Destiny 2 is among the free PS Plus games in September 2018. Those who maintain a “PS Plus” subscription can download and play Destiny 2 for free forever.
Thus, Destiny 2 finds itself at the same level as a “God of War 3 Remastered,” which was released in 2015, just a year after its market release.
Who else is doing this? For critics, the move smells of desperation. But actually, it’s a typical action that MMORPGs resort to.
Almost every successful buy-to-play MMORPG in recent years has undertaken such or similar actions: they lower the price of the base game and older expansions to 0 or near 0.
- For instance, World of Warcraft made the base game and all expansions up to the latest one free before the “Battle for Azeroth” expansion – players only need a subscription.
- Guild Wars 2 made the base game free just before its first expansion, “Heart of Thorns.”
- In The Elder Scrolls Online, the base game is included for free with the new expansions, so players only need to purchase the expansion.
One of the few successful MMORPGs that does not participate in such moves is Final Fantasy XIV: But those are Japanese and things work differently there.
MMOs need fresh blood
Why do the games do this? For MMOs, it is important to maintain a flow of new players. This is necessary to keep the game world and community alive.
However, it becomes increasingly difficult to attract new players as a game ages. No one so easily starts playing WoW after 14 years. Especially not if they would then have to buy ancient expansions to catch up.
The entry barrier increases for a game the more expansions are released. With a price of 0, this entry barrier also drops to 0. Everyone can check out the game who wants to.
An earlier version of the game serves as a “trial round” to convince players to experience the “full” experience at the latest level.
Destiny 2 for free – Why do they do this?
The timing for Destiny 2 is good: Right now, everything at Bungie and Activision revolves around the big expansion “Forsaken.” It needs to be a success. The sales figures will determine the fate of Destiny and Bungie.
The thought behind the free action is that players will “get hooked” and ultimately buy the expansions for Year 1 and “Forsaken”: ideally, a “Complete Edition” for Destiny 2.
The timing for a free action is ideal, as Bungie will already make significant efforts to promote the “Forsaken” expansion in the coming weeks.
The plan: The PR hype and general buzz in the media will spill over to the free base game. Customers will become curious. It is a significantly better situation than giving away the base game in a “dead period” when nothing is happening with Destiny 2.
Thus, the “free” action is directly tied to Forsaken.
Who is the action aimed at? There are essentially two target groups:
- There are players who have considered buying Destiny 2 but decided against it. They always wanted to play it but were deterred by the negative sentiment.
- And there are players who have never been interested in Destiny 2, and now they want to take a free look.
Destiny 2 is putting a bit of reputation on the line to recruit new Guardians
What can Bungie gain? With this move, they increase the number of potential buyers for Forsaken since more people will have played Destiny 2.
It is unlikely that new players would start directly with Forsaken. Here, Destiny 2 serves as a stepping stone to get customers more easily to the next level.
What can Bungie lose? Actually, not much. Maybe a little pride.
- There could be a feeling of dissatisfaction among players who think, “If I had waited longer to buy, I could have gotten it for free” and reconsider their next purchase decision, maybe with Destiny 3.
- And they could somehow damage the value of the brand – from “AAA” blockbuster for 70€ to a free game on the bargain shelf.
But most players will understand why the game is now free. After this mixed year, Destiny 2 does not have a position of strength and market dominance anyway.
Will the action succeed? It is hard to assess.
The fundamentals are in place: The base game of Destiny 2 works and offers a rounded campaign and story experience. Shortly after launch, our readers rated Mein MMO Destiny 2 with top ratings.
However, crucial will be the general mood around Destiny 2 in the upcoming weeks. Even if players are now trying it out for free, they will wait to see how Forsaken is received before making a purchase decision.
If the mood around Destiny 2 Forsaken is negative in a few weeks, the “free” action could fizzle out.
Next step? Bungie could have gone a step further and made Destiny 2 free for PC and Xbox One as well. That would have been consistent. Perhaps this action will come if it works on PS4.
What’s behind this? Bungie has little to lose at the moment. This action raises the stakes before “Destiny 2 Forsaken.”
- The studio and the franchise are already in an “All In” situation. If Forsaken fails, then the Destiny franchise would likely be finished. It would not recover from that.
- If Destiny Forsaken succeeds, then more people will likely buy it than without this action.
