CM4Sci Posted August 27, 2015 It's a LEGO MMO, they always end up doing this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starrocks923 Posted August 27, 2015 It seems the game is not getting the reception expected: The game has pdractically always been in financial disarray. It's bad enough when the LEGO Message Boards are filled with topics by kids who know about the falling numbers. I have some good friends who work on the game that I've come to know through the game(Not in real life, but online), and I'd hate to see them lose their jobs. I spent $70 buying a Year subscription, then upgrading to Unlimited before the price was cut in half. I care about this game a lot more than I probably should... It's a LEGO MMO, they always end up doing this. The sad thing is that this game has figured out the ideal revenue system. But they probably found it too late. Will this game last longer than a year from now? I don't know. Legends of Chima Online lasted longer than LU to last just as long as the 2012 Russian promo video showed the Legends of Chima theme running. The game accomplished its purpose and swiftly died out after that. And with the release of Series 14 Minifigures with codes and the second LEGO Minifigures Online seasonal event, the "Monster Trials", I'd argue this game has more staying power than what might be inferred from Funcom's quarterly reports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Cobra Posted August 27, 2015 The game has already been launched as free-to-play last year and many of the potential customers may already have played the game. Really? If anyone wants to know my opinion (a three-parter long and boring story), go here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flipz Posted August 27, 2015 The best way to keep an MMO going, IMO, is to not insult your player base by trying to rob them blind with blatantly exploitative microtransactions. I'm not against microtransactions, I'm really not. But make the prices reasonable, and make earning the currency in-game difficult but not tooth-pulling-without-novocaine painful. Now, I did stop playing long, long ago, so perhaps things were adjusted--but it still wouldn't get the sour taste of the old prices out of my mouth, constantly reminding me of how little the company thought of me. Oh, and also make the game fun to play, even when you've already collected everything. I remember just running around, using abilities and emotes and chatting with people in LU. It was fun. There wasn't nearly that level of replayability in LMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starrocks923 Posted August 27, 2015 The best way to keep an MMO going, IMO, is to not insult your player base by trying to rob them blind with blatantly exploitative microtransactions. I'm not against microtransactions, I'm really not. But make the prices reasonable, and make earning the currency in-game difficult but not tooth-pulling-without-novocaine painful. Now, I did stop playing long, long ago, so perhaps things were adjusted--but it still wouldn't get the sour taste of the old prices out of my mouth, constantly reminding me of how little the company thought of me. Oh, and also make the game fun to play, even when you've already collected everything. I remember just running around, using abilities and emotes and chatting with people in LU. It was fun. There wasn't nearly that level of replayability in LMO. The micro-transactions are completely gone. Once you buy the game, you can unlock anything currently in-game except Aztec Warrior, Fairy, DJ, Viking Woman and Holiday Elf, which will be added back into the game soon. Even the Minifigures exclusive to codes aren't exclusive anymore, and their parts can be found in-game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted August 28, 2015 Will this game last longer than a year from now? Given that Funcom report, I'd say no. Series 15 is confirmed to be included next January, so it will be around for the next 4 months Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flipz Posted August 28, 2015 The micro-transactions are completely gone. Once you buy the game, you can unlock anything currently in-game except Aztec Warrior, Fairy, DJ, Viking Woman and Holiday Elf, which will be added back into the game soon. Even the Minifigures exclusive to codes aren't exclusive anymore, and their parts can be found in-game. The problem is, that foul taste is still in the mouths of many, many people who would have otherwise played the game, and that dampens our enthusiasm for it. Now, if LMO had started off as buy-to-play with no continuous subscriptions or anything, I would have been much more likely to forgive it some of its flaws and just enjoy it for what it is. I probably would have played LMO on a semi-casual basis, like I did LU, and probably would have bought all of the Minifigures series along the way because of it. (Side note: IMO that's the most valuable thing TLG can do with a game: create a digital product that can directly push physical sales through in-game rewards for doing so.) However, because Funcom showed their more predatory side right away, it colored my impressions and thus resulted in me buying neither LMO nor the more recent Minifigures waves. TL;DR, Funcom actually has it right when they speculate that the previous FtP release is a big reason behind the game's current financial failure, they just don't seem to understand what about the FtP release drove customers away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starrocks923 Posted August 28, 2015 Given that Funcom report, I'd say no. Series 15 is confirmed to be included next January, so it will be around for the next 4 months Well, this game has lasted so far, and that surprised me. So I wouldn't be too surprised if it survives the winter. The problem is, that foul taste is still in the mouths of many, many people who would have otherwise played the game, and that dampens our enthusiasm for it. Now, if LMO had started off as buy-to-play with no continuous subscriptions or anything, I would have been much more likely to forgive it some of its flaws and just enjoy it for what it is. I probably would have played LMO on a semi-casual basis, like I did LU, and probably would have bought all of the Minifigures series along the way because of it. (Side note: IMO that's the most valuable thing TLG can do with a game: create a digital product that can directly push physical sales through in-game rewards for doing so.) However, because Funcom showed their more predatory side right away, it colored my impressions and thus resulted in me buying neither LMO nor the more recent Minifigures waves. TL;DR, Funcom actually has it right when they speculate that the previous FtP release is a big reason behind the game's current financial failure, they just don't seem to understand what about the FtP release drove customers away. That's indeed true. I can't condone their business tactics with the game. But I have a lot of friends in the game who would be massively disappointed if the game shut down, and having been through LEGO Universe and seen many of my friends lose Legends of Chima Online, I don't want the game to fall any time soon... There is one problem I have with Funcom right now, and it's their secrecy over new content. They keep the fanbase in the dark about upcoming content until it's really, really close, leading to many rumors about how the game has nothing planned until it closes, a la Legends of Chima Online. The truth is, they do have new content planned, starting at the beginning of September. I tried to create a topic on the LEGO Message Boards about the "Monster Trials", and mentioned the loot system, one of the levels, where it is and how to play it. A Funcom employee requested LEGO take down the topic because the information was "secret", even though I was directly quoting a friend who posted it on another website. I completely respect their wish to not want info leaked and had no problem with the topic being removed, but positive word-of-mouth is something that Funcom really needs. Why would they go to so much trouble to eliminate help? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Cobra Posted September 2, 2015 I just received this e-mail: A random Series 14 Minifigure has been added to your LEGO Minifigures Online account at no additional cost! Tiger Woman, Skeleton Guy, Monster Rocker, Zombie Pirate -- there are sixteen new Minifigures in Series 14, each with their own awesome abilities! Please note LEGO Minifigures Online switched from free-to-play to buy-to-play on June 29th 2015, and now requires a one-time purchase to access the game and all content. If you purchased the game after this change, you can log into the game today to discover what MONSTER you have received. Don't own LEGO Minifigures Online? You can now purchase the game a 50% discount for only $14.99, if you act before September 8th 2015. Your free MONSTER Minifigure will be waiting for you when you log in. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted September 3, 2015 You can now purchase the game a 50% discount for only $14.99 Wow The ship is sinking. At this point, I doubt this game will survive 2015. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted November 24, 2015 Well..... we all saw this coming: LEGO Minifigures Online continued to underperform and failed to meet overall revenue expectations. Investment levels have been reduced to the minimum necessary to meet pre-established commitments http://cdn.funcom.com/investor/2015/Funcom_3Q15_Report.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CM4Sci Posted November 24, 2015 LEGO just needs to stop making MMORPGs, they never do well. I hope they don't do a Nexo Knights one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PenPlays Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) LEGO just needs to stop making MMORPGs, they never do well. I hope they don't do a Nexo Knights one. To be honest, that's exactly what they need to do. The reason why none of their MMO's have ever succeeded, is because they NEVER advertise them on their central advertising fronts. They also never produce sets for their MMO's or make them a part of a theme that is more for collecting's sake, than gaming's sake (Lego Universe and Minifigs Online respectively). By not only having a massive line of sets, a TV show, a gimmick that features a "gotta-catch-em'-all" mentality, and (what is stated as) a massive mobile presence makes Nexo Knights the perfect choice for creating an MMO after, especially if each physical Nexo-Power uploaded to the Merlok 2.0 App unlocked exclusive Nexo Powers in game. This would also allow for more world building (similar to Chima Online, although hopefully at a faster pace), as well as the chance for fans to fully immerse themselves in the idea of becoming a Nexo Knight themselves. To sum it all up. If Lego actually applied themselves for once in this market (marketing/cost effective/cohesive theme) Lego could make themselves a strong presence in the MMO department. Edited November 24, 2015 by Penkid11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Savage Oppress Posted November 24, 2015 To be honest, that's exactly what they need to do. The reason why none of their MMO's have ever succeeded, is because they NEVER advertise them on their central advertising fronts. They also never produce sets for their MMO's or make them a part of a theme that is more for collecting's sake, than gaming's sake (Lego Universe and Minifigs Online respectively). By not only having a massive line of sets, a TV show, a gimmick that features a "gotta-catch-em'-all" mentality, and (what is stated as) a massive mobile presence makes Nexo Knights the perfect choice for creating an MMO after, especially if each physical Nexo-Power uploaded to the Merlok 2.0 App unlocked exclusive Nexo Powers in game. This would also allow for more world building (similar to Chima Online, although hopefully at a faster pace), as well as the chance for fans to fully immerse themselves in the idea of becoming a Nexo Knight themselves. To sum it all up. If Lego actually applied themselves for once in this market (marketing/cost effective/cohesive theme) Lego could make themselves a strong presence in the MMO department. It would make more sense to have Nexo Knights part of the minifigure lineup for Lego Dimensions, they will jut lose more money if they make Nexo Knights a MMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ordinareo Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) I knew the moment the game went P2P that it would not survive for long. Edited November 24, 2015 by Ordinareo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PenPlays Posted November 24, 2015 (edited) It would make more sense to have Nexo Knights part of the minifigure lineup for Lego Dimensions, they will jut lose more money if they make Nexo Knights a MMO. I was under the impression that Nexo Knights was a given for Dimension, but we won't know until next year. They will most definitely lose money on another MMO if they treat the game like they did their previous ones. If they actually invested in the game to its fullest, then something might work out. Edited November 24, 2015 by Penkid11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CM4Sci Posted May 15, 2016 Shutting down October 2016? https://mmos.com/news/funcoms-annual-report-reveals-new-the-secret-world-spin-off-lego-minifigures-online-may-shut-down-in-october Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ordinareo Posted May 15, 2016 Shutting down October 2016? https://mmos.com/new...down-in-october Their fault for making it P2P when they were getting enough money from people paying for membership. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted May 16, 2016 I wonder if the regular CMF's will be back to $3 after this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CM4Sci Posted May 16, 2016 Is that why the price went up ??! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert8 Posted May 16, 2016 Well, when the MMO appeared, the price mysteriously went from $3 to $4 If they cost as much as the licensed series but they don't have to pay the license fee, where does that extra money go? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Cobra Posted May 16, 2016 That's an interesting question... I don't remember when did the Europan price switch from 2 to 2.50 Euros (series 6?), and then from 2.50 to 3 Euros... I'm a bit sorry the game is shutting down, yet I'm one of the many who left when it eacme P2P. P.S. : Here's another thing what ahppened, but I don't know when: Lego Minifigures Onlines has disappeared from Steam. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBrickPal Posted May 16, 2016 Welp, good luck LEGO Worlds! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gamejutzu Posted May 19, 2016 (edited) Eh, I normally don't like games where you just click to move around and have no real control over things you do, and stuff like that. So I wouldn't really play a game like this... If only LEGO could gather themselves up and make an LU sequel or remake, that would be awesome. They could even make a console version with updates to it. _ Also, does anyone actually play the LU emulator? I want to try it out, but I don't think that many people really use it. Is this true? And if no one's there, can you still play it normally? Edited May 19, 2016 by gamejutzu Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starrocks923 Posted May 25, 2016 Their fault for making it P2P when they were getting enough money from people paying for membership. Was that their fault? I don't have the numbers off the top of my head, but I do recall sales going up right after the game transitioned into B2P. I also found myself rather disgusted that certain LEGO fan sites reported the news with headlines such as "LEGO Minifigures Online is Going Offline". I get what they mean and I know LMO doesn't have much life left in it, but the exact date for the game's closing hasn't been announced. I don't know, it ticked me off a little; I made too many young friends in LMO who would read that and cry, but such is life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
