Payment model: Monthly recurring payments

[linibot]

I appreciate that while I may not personally like the new subscription model, it is what you have chosen. I also understand that no matter how much I do lament the fact that I can't "own" the game anymore, or even permanently own the expansions we already had a chance to buy with the old model, games with online functionality have recurring costs and you have to make a living.

I do however wish you would consider implementing alternative payment models. I know that the current prices may not seem exorbitant to some people, but for others (adult with a job here, just probably from the "wrong" country), this is a significant amount of money out of the monthly budget. Not being able to ease ourselves into that cost expansion by expansion is a real loss.

Monthly recurring payments would make sense for a subscription based game. Even if they added up to a significantly higher total yearly cost (in order to cover for your extra operational expenses), they are simply easier to deal with for people living paycheck to paycheck than a lump sum of money in advance. The option to cancel when things get extra tough would also make the risk of purchase feel easier to handle. And as a bonus, such a model may get new players through the door easier.

Alternatively, have you maybe considered just lowballing the subscription to just one new expansion? It wouldn't be ideal, but at least it would be something that allows entry to people on lower budgets. I may be reaching at straws here, but I think you can see my frustration and my desire to find a way to keep enjoying the game.

I'm liking the new browser client so far, despite some of the missing features, and I look forward to any improvements you make down the line. I only wish there was a way for us to finally have some new cards to play with - which won't be possible with the current model.

[Cave-O-Sapien]

Monthly recurring payments would make sense for a subscription based game. Even if they added up to a significantly higher total yearly cost (in order to cover for your extra operational expenses), they are simply easier to deal with for people living paycheck to paycheck than a lump sum of money in advance. The option to cancel when things get extra tough would also make the risk of purchase feel easier to handle. And as a bonus, such a model may get new players through the door easier.

You can currently pay on a monthly basis. The pricing model is quite flexible, actually.

http://forum.shuffleit.nl/index.php?topic=708.0

[linibot]

I'm aware of that. (Even though that was completely unintuitive when I first saw it last month, and it isn't doing Shuffle iT any favours in terms of getting new buyers in). But this is still not how basic psychology works. I will not get my credit card out every month to manually renew a subscription fee. Especially not when I'm already annoyed at the fact that I really just want to pay for ONE new expansion, because that's all we will plausibly have time to learn/play/enjoy within that one month timeframe - and mind you, we play multiple times a week, a few hours at a time.

I don't know how best to explain this but: the current model as it stands doesn't "feel right" unless you buy a yearly subscription - and that's a big lump sum of money.

Please keep in mind that while I may not have all the answers, this is a suggestion made by someone who genuinely wants this company to stay afloat so we can keep playing the game. I am merely suggesting that reviewing the current pricing model might be a good idea. Then again I assume that will happen naturally once the dust settles and Shuffe iT starts getting some actual numbers on how well the current model is selling. I was just hoping to get you guys thinking.

[Jacob Marley]

Have you considered the Silver subscription?  It gives you half the expansions and costs about 2/3 of the gold, so you will not have so much thrown at you at once.

Also, the rationale for the paying a year upfront is that for each charge there is a processing fee (don't remember how much) and paying monthly significantly ups the cost.