If the hugely popular Season 2 (that landed LE in the “Trending” Tab of Steam) was not profitable, then there is 0 way that the current business model is sustainable.
Now, I’m no expert (so actually take whatever I say with a huge grain of salt), but this alludes to future expansions costing money in some shape or form… I fear BattlePasses, Pay2Speedup Grind, etc…
EDIT: Also on a different topic, you guys NEED MORE Microtransactions - I can barely put together something that fits together. Maybe experiment more with different recolors of the same thing. But there needs to be MORE mtx, that you can mix and match together. Some VERY flashy things, some less flashy very subtle things…
What I’m baffled by is the story hasn’t even been completed to my knowledge, and now your asking us to PAY for an expansion. Talk about putting the cart before the horse!! I had high hopes for the game, but when it came to 1.0 with an unfinished story, I pretty much gave up. I Do love the combat and the way it played when I last touched it. But I’m not someone who will just let an unfinished Story slide as it keeps getting pushed back for further multiplayer reasons.
Finish your planned story arc and then I’ll consider paying for more.
As others have said, I appreciate the honesty. Reconciliating the realm of ARPG enthusiasm with the realm of things that come with running a business must not be easy.
That is honestly pretty shocking to me - as a player, I don’t get to see the graphs of spending/income, but the fact that even the wildly popular season 2 launch wasn’t profitable is rather mindblowing. It’s changed my view of the acquisition by Krafton - it doesn’t alleviate the worries that come from it, but I certainly understand it.
As for the probably-paid expansion: on your last post, I had left a comment reacting negatively to the possibility of it being paid. After giving the matter more thought, I realized that I found myself being too harsh and deleted my message - the playtime and fun I’ve had on Last Epoch is already pretty incredible (and unmatched) considering what I spent on the game.
If the Orobyss expansion genuinely adds more content, I would probably be more than happy to spend a little extra on it. I do hope, though, that paid expansions do not become too frequent, or replace free seasonal content.
I also hope that it doesn’t make the cost of entry into the game too steep for new players - I have happily introduced several friends to LE (who are loving it!), but I wouldn’t feel as comfortable recommending it if there were several paid expansions that are “necessary” to get into the game proper (e.g. by adding content that ends up being a key part of a character’s end game).
On a more personal note, I know the community’s response can get a little heated, or even toxic. Please try to keep in mind that, like Mike said on discord, the reason why the community’s response can get heated is that they care about and love the game. Still, I can’t imagine it being easy dealing with this kind of response.
If anyone from the team reads this, and was affected by the community’s response to the possibility of the expansion being paid:
You made, and are still making, an absolutely amazing game. This kind of time is not when this shows in the best light, but in the end, it’s still appreciation for the game. I hope you take care of yourselves, and try not to let yourselves get overwhelmed with negativity. Lots of love <3
Would recommend a compromise - Something to think about - Call it a loyalty program. Expansion/DLC launches existing registered users who own the full game get a heavily discounted price if the expansion is $50 the loyalty program gives it to existing owners of the game at $25. Just an example. Making players pay full AAA price for expansions and or DLC is a real quick way to kill your game.
I know pricing hasn’t been announced but for sake of this argument lets say you release the expansion at $20 loyalty program would let existing owners of the game get it for $10. you still get to collect some “required” revenue from existing players but your not charging them full new player price for the content.
This looks like an honest answer to our questions. A little dissapointed that it wouldnt come to ps5 soon though. I understand the need of funding and profit and probably poe had the roght formula with stash tabs. Really wouldnt want to buy expansions each 3 or so months.
I don’t have an issue with paying for a substantial expansion. Games like D2 already had us do this before. Yes, there are MTX in games now, but this allows for good seasonal content. The campaign should definitely be finished as a base before the expansion’s release though. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the game.
It’s not a problem to pay for the expansion. The quality of the skins isn’t high enough to support the entire company right now. Do your best not to include any kind of gatcha mechanic or pay-to-win, and otherwise, I always enthusiastically support your game. Thanks for the clarification Judd.
I want to support in any way I can. Unfortunately you get a lot of loud entitled whiners from the Grinding Skinnerbox cult that have no understanding how game development works or all the hidden costs involved behind the scenes. Don’t let their childish cries hold you back from putting food on the table of everyone pouring their heart and life into this game… I know you all will find reasonable and pragmatic ways forward. Thanks for all that you do and I’m eager to see what comes next.
I’m here to echo the same sentiments as many others:
Really appreciate the transparency. Of course it’s understandable that you guys are very busy with the acquisition, but please don’t ever abandon the communication.
I’ll happily pay for an expansion. Just please keep putting out the great quality of work that your community has come to expect from you
No qualms here with paying for the expansion.
I’ve always viewed major expansions with live-service games as “sequels” that would otherwise be a “new game” purchase.
Last Epoch is, truly, my favorite ARPG.
Every system, every mechanic, the gameplay, the “chase”, etc. is absolutely perfect.
The gold-standard for others in the genre, in my opinion.
I am super excited for LE’s future and glad I can support you all!
First: They didn’t say we have to pay. It is still undecided.
Second: The exapsion will be several seasons away, by that time it is likely that the 12th act are in the game or maybe the expansion itself will add the last 12th act.
went out of my way to log in on the forums for the first time and thank you for this message, whether this new partnership ends up working or not in the long run remains to be seen, but the transparency and good will shown in this post is tremendously refreshing and appreciated
I love LE, but the MTX game here is just super weak. Please take some cues from PoE on how to do enticing supporter packs and the things you can do with MTX!
I also think the lack of a hideout/housing system hurts. A lot of MTX I’ve bought in PoE was for that explicitly.
Thanks Judd and team. Happy to pay for an expansion. I buy all supporter packs and most skins from the store.
So long as the story is finished before releasing an expansion, I think that is fair.
