Quote: This game is so shit compared to what the "mainstream" mmo player is going to expect that the only thing AV can hope for is box sales because the subscriptions just wont happen..
The largest majority of gaming share for any mmo is the box copy sale. This has been proven time and time again, and everyone in the gaming industry knows it.
Guild Wars sold 1 million box copies with a complete digital distribution system setup.
WoW has sold 5+ million box copies with a complete free trial\digital distribution setup. World of Warcraft still continues to be a top seller for retailers shelves. Even though you can get the game for free via download.
Any game on steam has sold more of its box copy counterpart. Steam has been one of the biggest successes for digital distribution and they still can't beat the box.
Shadowbane sold most of its copies via box as well. Retail space is the biggest investment and pay off any gaming company has. That's why Walmart, Best Buy, Target, etc always have the biggest scouts at E3. E3 is not selling the consumer new products for the year, or building hype. There primary goal is to get limited shelf space in these giant stores. How do you think they stayed alive so long while being complete "dead". Shadowbane made Ubisoft a profit. So much so that they could afford to run the game for free until they needed the server space for more profitable shit.
Most people who purchase games in retailers base it off the box art and the marketing of the game on the cover. The game has very little to do with it. It has yet to see its maximum player base or subscribers yet. So its dieing while gaining subscribers, if you want to argue semantics like idiots do.
