Moderators for example. Also they’re guaranteed to have workers related to the servers… obviously so.
How do you think they handle their network code? What to tell the hosting company to do when you have no remote access from any sort of error? Just reboot? No logs no nothing internally to handle exceptions as well as possible? Nobody at watch to ensure the servers aren’t off for 8 hours overnight?
That stuff is expensive.
They got a few workers which use a significant amount of their time and hence loads of money to do those tasks.
They have a chat filter, not moderators. They also have customer support but they aren’t server-related.
And there won’t be many of them.
Not out of a company of 100, presumably including customer support, artists, sound, admin (accountants, HR, CEO, etc dealing with the business side) & people who design & develop the game. Back when they were working on MP (pre-0.9) they got in contractors for the network side of things because they didn’t have anyone with the skills. I would imagine (bearing in mind I’m an accountant) they probably have 1-2 network engineers.
Sure, because a automated system is error-free and there is no way around that.
They got moderators, I guarantee it. It would be idiotic not to. Not even a question.
Monthly cost for each?
Now since they have 100 total… let’s say we remove solely 5.
And let’s say 10% of costs total is server-related.
So 90% of costs is employee related.
So each employee is 0,9% (simplicity, flat hence) of the total costs.
So 5 workers make up 4,5%
Now you got 2 ways to look at it, both not optimal:
Live-service/otherwise split hence is 14,5%/85,5%
Without emplyee count it would be 10%/90%
Or you see it in relation.
With employees the other employees make up 5,9 times the amount of cost.
Without it makes up 9 times the amount of cost.
That’s a huge difference already for a few employees.
And if we take a profit margin for a ‘mediocre profitable product’ into consideration we can also say 20% should be the baseline.
A SP game has that once, up-front cost versus revenue trickling in. People move over to another project, if profitable the provide expansions and DLC of some sorts.
In a live-service game it’s expected to at least last 5 years after release, otherwise it’s already a failure. So you got ongoing costs for the product itself for at least 5 years on top of the SP production aspect.
It’s a problem. Live-service costs. Your reputation is gone if you fail one.
And do you know they cost nearly as much as senior devs? Not quite… but close. Around 70% I would say. At least that’s the case in my country, dunno about the US actually.
I do, my company has at least 1 network engineer & numerous developers (senior & otherwise, both in the US & UK/EU), though I’d have to check their salary costs 'cause I don’t remember them off the top of my head. But I’ll get back to you on that one (if I remember)
You’re calling them moderators, I’m calling them customer support.
