Posted by Trentonjoe on 8/12/2016 9:59:00 PM (view original):
"You do understand that with a new game, the result of new users sticking is going to be exactly the same? The new game is not going to make any material number of new users stick around more than current HD. New users don't stick, because it's not their thing. "

I don't think that is true Ponch. You can change the game so that it retains new users at a higher rate.

I agree TJ, but I don't think our issue has ever been player retention as much as it has been advertising. The more people brought to the game, the more likely more people stick around. In current HD, if I bring in 10 people, and 2 stick around, it looks like we have crap user retention, but if they increase marketing like they claim they will for HD 3.0 and we bring in 100 people and 20 stick, it looks like something was accomplished. That's purely a result of increased marketing. Now if HD 3.0 comes out and you bring in 10 people and 6 stick around, then I guess everyone who is disappointed is wrong.

I've said it repeatedly, but the cost of a new user is far greater than maintaining existing customers. Without the existing customers, there is no game to tweak to begin with. What they have accomplished here is alienate a large portion of the existing user base in hopes that they can replace them. How many successful companies can pull that off? Literally, the only time that works is if your existing user base is old and dying off without replacement, or you didn't have a good base to begin with.

The game needed tweaks, but instead of working with the existing user base and maybe even making compromise in areas believed to be needs, the user base was mostly ignored and the game revamped to something most did not want.