Lifetime Subscription?

Any game that I see offering a lifetime subscription that is only available if purchased before launch is a game that I will avoid like the plague. It's a sure sign that the publisher doesn't expect to be able to retain regular subscribers. And those are also the only sort of lifetime subs I ever see advertised.

yep. i can vouch for that. bought lifetime subs for STO,CO, and DCUO.
had alot of promise for those games and we all know how they turned out. boring.
coh will always be the best superhero MMO imo.

Lifetime subscriptions were a "new" idea a few years ago when a slew of MMOs were released.

This is partially done to raise needed funds.

Now the trend is offering the player the choice of either a F2P or subscription.

Lifetime subscriptions are a disease I hope never infects Paragon.
Used by desperate companies needing a surge of capital for development.
In the long run though, unless that surge of capital is used to create something so amazing that it pulls in just as many new subs, the IP is left hurting for funds down the road.

No thanks, even though I'd buy it out of loyalty, I'd still prefer them to have the monthly income from all of us combined.

The only lifetime sub that was worth is the Lotro one. And not anymore

From a "player convenience" point of view I wouldn't mind having the option to pay for a Lifetime Subscription to this game. There's something appealing about being able to make a one-time payment and then never having to worry about it again. But from a "profit for the company" point of view I don't mind having to periodically pay for it. I'd rather keep supporting a game I like to play than to see it die due to lack of funds.

I simply compromise and pay for it on an annual basis. That way I save some money and I only have to deal with it once a year.

(Prepaid) Lifetime Subscription is the axe on the neck of any MMO, period.

I don't have a problem buying a lifetime subscription to a game I think I'll like. I don't really even put it into strict economic terms (do I plan to play this game for at least X months?), because sometimes there are benefits besides just playing the game. For CoX, for instance, a lifetime subscription would also mean being able to diligently collect veteran's rewards without having to worry about ongoing payments. (At least prior to Freedom.)

The one thing I won't do is consider a lifetime subscription based on the perks supposedly offered to the lifetime subscriber base, especially if there's a suggestion that there will be more 'exclusive' perks coming down the road. When I read something like that, I know it's marketing-speak, since the economics of lifetime subscriptions absolutely do not support spending valuable developer time on content that you'll never get new money for.

--
Pauper

As others have said.

For users, lifetime subs can be a great thing.
You can basically play all you want. Whenever you want, till the game shuts down.

For the company? They're a pyrrhic bargain.
They can rack up lots of capital quick.
However, they can stymie an avenue for future revenue (ongoing subscription fees).

Also, retroactively offering lifetime subs can (and does) send the wrong message to the community. It's seen as a cash grab and a sign the devs have lost confidence in the game's ability to continue generating stable revenue.

Basically, if something like that happens here, it's probably a sign of the end.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Another bad sign is life players selling their accounts. A new player can buy the lifetime account , the old player gets money back, and the game gets no money from the new player. Just do a google search for WTS (game) lifetime account.
The holiday deal mentioned before is pretty good. Sometimes you can get a good deal with time cards