How does the company Sustain itself

[Operation_Viktor]

Boyz, look, we all love this game, we love the company and we love the hard working employees at 1C studios,

 

But look, I'm looking at these player numbers and I'm just curious, but how in the world does the company stay afloat. I've done the math and even with generous numbers, no way this game sells enough copies and DLC's to sustain itself.

 

So help me out here, I'm just curious. How do they do it?

[AndyJWest]

What player numbers are you looking at? The majority of purchasers don't play online.

[216th_Jordan]

Player numbers are soaring compared to before. Checked 2 days ago and there were 450 players in servers.

 

Although I get where this is coming from, compared to AAA titles it is still a very niche game, thats why prices are high.

Edited September 29, 2020 by 216th_Jordan

[Elem]

Currently 222677 forum members, and I would imagine many more players who don't use the forum. You can only do all you can to support them by buying all they produce whether you use it or not. It's up to Jason to run the business efficiently and I doubt he will discuss this on the forum. 

[Fritz_X]

I honestly feel like those numbers are none of our business.

 

What counts for us customers is the mere fact that the team is able to run their business to keep supplying us with fresh content. To assist them, there are only three things us players can do:

 

Support them by buying new products, support them by buying new products and support them by buying more new products.*

 

* In all seriousness: If there are modules or collector vehicles that you really don't like, just don't purchase them. But keep in mind that each and every purchase finances new content as well as the improvement of the already existing.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Fritz_X

[messsucher]

A good question.

1 minute ago, Fritz_X said:

I honestly feel like those numbers are none of our business.

 

What counts for us customers is the mere fact that the team is able to run their business to keep supplying us with fresh content. To assist them, there are only three things us players can do:

 

Support them by buying new products, support them by buying new products and support them by buying more new products.*

 

* In all seriousness: If there are modules or collector vehicles that you really don't like, just don't purchase them. But don't forget that each and every purchase finances new content as well as the improvement of the already existing.

 

There is much more. Promote the game by making videos. Arrange online events. Make squadrons and join in squadrons. Stop being an asshole in forums.

[Tipsi]

This is clearly a troll

[jollyjack]

58 minutes ago, Elem said:

Currently 222677 forum members, and I would imagine many more players who don't use the forum. You can only do all you can to support them by buying all they produce whether you use it or not. It's up to Jason to run the business efficiently and I doubt he will discuss this on the forum. 

 

And with such an amount it's amazing that Il2 is considered too small to be in the NVDIA Geoforce Exprerience games preset profile list!

[BlitzPig_EL]

It's a small number compared to a AAA title from one of the big publishers, who have sales in the millions of copies.

[jollyjack]

I wonder what gamers like most then; of all the games i tried like tombraider, or TSW World (recently) i never experienced one like IL2. And i never liked shooters really.

[Feathered_IV]

3 hours ago, Jamisco said:

How does the company Sustain itself?

 

I prefer to ask: how can they grow?

 

[jollyjack]

Maybe start selling a Special version for the Simple Minded as introduction version at quite a low price. Made for without or a simple cheap joystick only.

When i had IL2 1946 20 years ago i bought a logitech after starting with the mouse only

 

Including some practice stuff, 2 planes and a nice map. A foolproof auto-correcting switchable auto pilot, just like when taking your first driving lessons. 

For TC starting is also quite complicated how to control the darn things. But i am partly there LoL.

 

For Il2 maybe even getting into playing a Quick mission is probably too much for absolute beginners.

Just had a chat with a recent FS2020 buyer, now getting a better PC. Generally it seems IL2 is quite complicated for starters.

[40plus]

There is the fact that MP is a tiny tiny proportion of the player base. 

[messsucher]

26 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

Maybe start selling a Special version for the Simple Minded as introduction version at quite a low price. Made for without or a simple cheap joystick only.

When i had IL2 1946 20 years ago i bought a logitech after starting with the mouse only

 

Including some practice stuff, 2 planes and a nice map. A foolproof auto-correcting switchable auto pilot, just like when taking your first driving lessons. 

For TC starting is also quite complicated how to control the darn things. But i am partly there LoL.

 

For Il2 maybe even getting into playing a Quick mission is probably too much for absolute beginners.

Just had a chat with a recent FS2020 buyer, now getting a better PC. Generally it seems IL2 is quite complicated for starters.

 

That is not a bad idea really. Something like that is needed, a very scripted tutorial mission.

 

The mission should be a JABO mission. You start from an airfield, ready to take off. Then you fly to to bomb something. After bombing you get to "ambush" one flying duck. Finally you fly home and land on the airfield. It follows the classic "beginning-middle-end" format, and show you different aspects in combat flight sims.

 

The missions would have to be very scripted, meaning that the player would control the plane only small amounts of time, the rest would be shown as awesome cinematic fly past views while giving additional information. The game would clearly tell what button to push to get revs to the engine, and when to pull nose up, what to push to drop bombs, and how to retract landing gear etc.

 

Only time when the player would control the plane would be during take off, bomb drop, air kill, and landing. Those would be "reset" points, to which the player could go anytime back, since he would mess a lot and would need a quick "restart". After say 5 restarts the comp would ask does the player want to skip to the next phase, and if want, then show cinematic where the phase is done. Successfully completing a phase would start cinematic leading to next phase.

 

The player would also get free control of the plane after air kill phase, the comp would ask at times if the player want to move ahead with the tutorial or player could himself chose to go ahead when got enough of free flight.

 

Edit: It should be a free "demo" of the game.

Edited September 29, 2020 by messsucher

[DD_Arthur]

3 hours ago, jollyjack said:

And with such an amount it's amazing that Il2 is considered too small to be in the NVDIA Geoforce Exprerience games preset profile list!

 

?  There already is an Nvidia profile selectable for this game and guess what!?

23 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

 Made for without or a simple cheap joystick only.

 

There already is an option for mouse control too.

4 hours ago, Jamisco said:

But look, I'm looking at these player numbers and I'm just curious, but how in the world does the company stay afloat. I've done the math and even with generous numbers, no way this game sells enough copies and DLC's to sustain itself.

 

Not sure where you get your numbers but did you know there is life outside of Steam?

[Jason_Williams]

Sorry you are wrong in your assumption. This thread adds nothing to the community other than arguments. Sorry, but closed.

 

Jason