Idris Helion
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
68
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Posted - 2012.09.11 20:37:00 -
[1] - Quote
I guess the cheapskates are going to have to pay their subs with real money.
I don't buy PLEX myself anymore because subbing is actually a cheaper option. And I don't need to sell PLEX for ISK since I make enough money from my in-game profession to keep me going. If enough other players feel the way I do, then it may simply be that the supply of PLEX is drying up while the demand is staying relatively high. Which leads to price spikes.
The whole idea behind PLEX was always that more well-heeled players would buy PLEX to sell on the market for ISK, and in a roundabout way subsidize poorer players who had lots of time but no money. (As the poorer players would grind for ISK to buy the PLEX.) But this was always dependent on a close tie between the cost of a PLEX and the cost of a monthly sub.
One PLEX is now $20 US, while a monthly sub is $15 US. A PLEX costs 25% more for exactly the same service -- one month of gametime. So it's not surprising that US players at least aren't buying PLEX.
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Idris Helion
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
70
|
Posted - 2012.09.12 15:52:00 -
[2] - Quote
Unused PLEX sitting in piles in player hangars hurts CCP's bottom line because it complicates their accounting in real life. They know how many unredeemed PLEX are in the game, but not when they are actually going to be used for game-time (which is the whole point of PLEX, don't forget). The idea behind PLEX was that it provided a sanctioned way to do RM trading -- richer players would buy PLEX with cash, convert the PLEX to ISK, and spend, spend, spend. Poorer players could grind ISK and buy PLEX, then redeem the PLEX for game-time. It worked pretty well for awhile, but the system seems to be breaking down.
The cost of a PLEX is now higher than a monthly sub (by about 25%). Even poorer players have to look at the mechanics involved for grinding ISK for PLEX vs just paying for a sub -- 520M ISK may not be much money to the monocled elite, but it's hours and hours of dreadful grinding for many players. Speculators may be to blame for some of the recent spiking, but I think some of it is also simply due to a shrinking supply of PLEX on the market. Only CCP knows for sure since they can tell how much unredeemed PLEX is still in the game.
A possible solution would be to put an expiration date on the use of a PLEX. Three months, six months, a year, something like that: if you don't use it, it expires and is worth nothing. That would prevent speculators from hoarding PLEX for long periods of time, and would allow CCP some finer-grained control over the situation without intervening in the market. |