Board Thread:Game Discussion/@comment-33625305-20190806010353/@comment-43421298-20190808080340

Amrosa wrote:

I think what has happened is that the explosion of ESports has made manufacturers aware of the value of that asset in the virtual space and have adjusted their prices for licensing accordingly. I think that they either undervalued it previously, or like was mentioned above, the demand wasn't large to sustain them charging what the licenses were worth as the niche was too small. That has changed rapidly over the past year and they aren't going to charge EA/FM any less because they are a mobile game and not iRacing, Kunos, Polyphony, or the other PC or Console based racing platforms. 1. Regarding cost distribution

Sure, that sounds rational, but it doesn't explain

- the fact that this only applies to 1 car, which is way out of line from the gradual increase in GC cost that we've been seeing over the past 1-2 years;

- the fact that, if "time-traveller" findings are correct, other cars in this update are more or less in line with the previous policy re: GC costs;

- the fact that the relationship between the SE cost and the cost of the car is out of whack (check the LTS upgrade strategy page - I can't see a *single* car that requires updates ABOVE that car's regular price);

- the fact that you can win the car at lower cost by just skipping through most of the event (I can't recall a single SE that did that);

- the fact that the reward for the event is disproportionately low.

All of this points to a massive blunder. Someone made a decision to (roughly) double the prices without changing anything else, not even the skip prices. That's mismanagement, not rational bargaining with rising costs.

2. Regarding licensing fees

RR3 and the sims have divergent business strategies, but they also have divergent player bases and development models. If EA/FM simply accepts the same offer carmakers give to the sims, then they're failing to properly manage their property. If carmakers are really ramping up pressure on gamemakers, then how is that reflected in pricing in the sims? Are they also making these blunders? To my mind, the esports argument only works if we assume EA/FM are simply transferring their cost directly onto the players wholesale, and that, again, is mismanagement. In addition, if carmakers want to make esports a cash cow, immediate price hikes aren't the way, and it doesn't seem reasonable to assume that this is what they are doing.

Whichever way you look at it, this single, isolated event is a blunder, and I'm pretty sure we'll see EA/FM try to make up for that in the near future.