Good for business

[buttercup]

So after I slowed down and decided to stop being a jerk, I realized what this is. It's business.

 

Multiplayer means more people buying it, more people buying it means more income, and plus they're making the base game more expensive because multiplayer. That coupled with the merch they're selling, may mean they're still invested in Don't Starve. Which could, in turn, lead to more singleplayer content/DLC. So all in all it's basically a win for everyone. 

 

Am I way off with this, or.....?

[Monkey_BBZ]

It is true once Together comes out, more people are gonna buy this game for their friends. But a scheme? I don't know, I think it's dedication.

[lardi]

Bonus points if they announce it on steam store, just like when terraria got the 1.7 update.

 

 

Hint: It was at the top 10, more precisely the best seller.

[JohannesMP]

Hmm, admittedly this can be taken either way. Since this is arguably the most requested feature from the community, would you consider this 'listening to your fans' or 'just a good business decision'?

 

I personally think the second option is somewhat cynical. Given how much Klei has listened to community feedback throughout the development of Don't Starve from the very beginning, I'm choosing to believe that they first and foremost want to provide the players with a much-requested feature, one that no-doubt they've been wanting to see in the game themselves. The fact that this will also make them a bajillion dollars is simply a nice benefit.

 

In any case, I've wanted to be able to play co-op since the very beginning, and often discussed with friends. Heck, some of my earliest memories in Don't Starve were actually playing with a friend over Skype simultaneously while we were both discovering the game for the first time. Being able to share that experience in person would just be fantastic.

[debugman18]

Why can't it be both a good business decision and listening to their fans?

 

Like buttercup said, more money in Klei's pocket means more content for the game. I'm all for more content, and I'm also actually excited about multiplayer. I've actually already purchased Don't Stave (and RoG) for my friends, so when multiplayer comes around, we'll all be ready for it.

[Amkar]

I think people really need to consider how the development of this game has gone.

 

They spent a good deal of time in a beta, basing most of their updates on player feedback mixed with their ideas. A lot of developers wouldn't even do that and even then leave it at this point.

They then went on to give 6 months of free content updates.

Not only that, but they gave us a good DLC, also based heavily on player feedback, that is very reasonably priced.

 

Now they want to make a multiplayer mode which many people have asked for for FREE. Many developers would not go this far to listen and please their playerbase.

 

I agree that there is of course an element of business involved, but people seem to be forgetting that they are getting free additional content that will likely get more people to buy, play and support the game, overall extending its life and popularity and therefore the amount of attention Klei gives it. If people end up getting bored of it, they'll pack up and move onto new projects, but while people are still interested in the game, Klei is still going to be developing, which, with the quality of updates we have received, can only be a good thing.

[brummbar7]

Players are customers.  Listening to customers IS good business.  It's simple economics just like any others supply/demand business.  There's nothing wrong with it at all and anyone that says otherwise has never operated a business themselves.  I would have rather had something I'll use, but hopefully the increased customer base will pay dividends down the road in the form of something I'll use.

[Ysulyan]

People who buy the game later would have to pay, just like we did when we bought vanilla Don't Starve and the DLC. I just don't see any unique type of business here, just the regular stuff. We get the Together update for free as a courtesy because we helped the devs develop the game with feedback and support. There ain't no game without players.

[Parrotoss]

I see nothing wrong with this, even if it is true. A larger fanbase means more customers, which means more $, and more $ means a longer DS lifespan.

[Scrimbles]

Well they are making multi-player free to people who own the game.

 

Klei has always been more interested in making a good fleshed out game than making a lot of money off of one, so I think they deserve the extra cash that will come in from the multi-player.

[buttercup]

I see nothing wrong with this, even if it is true. A larger fanbase means more customers, which means more $, and more $ means a longer DS lifespan.

 

Exactly, that's exactly what I was trying to communicate! The fact that they're adding content that appeals to a bigger audience means they want this to keep going somewhere, from what I can tell. I may be pretty meh about multiplayer, but if it keeps the game alive longer I'm all for it.