Did OOO market test the price of Shadow Keys before the launch? It really seems like they did not do anything to poll/survey what the community would be willing to pay for Elite content. I appreciate that the let players test the content, it just seems like they seriously failed to collect data before the release. I also get that they are collecting info on player habits right now, but that is not going to bring back the End-game players that are dumping their gear and walking away from the game right now.
Silver keys and accessories were another animal altogether and should not have been used to judge player reaction to Shadow keys. First accessories are purily consmetic, they don't have any effect on game-play at all. Second, while it was a gamble as to what accessory would be in the lockbox, we could pretty well be sure that 750ce would equal one accessory. The price for Shadow keys could be astronimical if you are not lucky. One in ten is the best I have seen anybody do. Which would be $20 for a single run. This is more then I usually spend on purchasing a game. There have been plenty accounts of $45-100 dollars being thrown at lockboxes with no Shadow keys found.
I'm really concerned this release is going to see a quick shot of cash for OOO, followed by a rage quitting crash in cash CE sales from the rage quiting of former pay-to-play players responsible for said stimulus.
people were grumbling about accessories when they came out, were very bitter when shadow keys were announced, and outraged when they went ahead and released them as they said they would in the announcement without any changes despite the many concerns posted by players BEFORE the release. They had plenty of warning leading up to this that people weren't happy yet they dismissed all the signs for some insane reason and still went a head with the launch.
They could have delayed the new content and reworked the system while people were busy with the special Halloween event then release it AFTER when it had been thought out more. Instead they went a head with a launch that pretty much has ruined the Halloween event at least on the forums.
I don't know what their rationale behind the release is, did they think that its only some 'small vocal minority' posting on the forum that has made this such a big issue? They should try making a pseudo-character in game and chatting with people there cause they are mad as hell even if they don't post on the forum. They had more then enough signs that people hated the system and it needed revamping without some marketing expert to tell them so yet they chose to ignore them and go ahead anyways despite this.
I think they really do deserve all these rage threads for what came out looking like blatant arrogance and apathy towards their player base regardless of their real intent or motives cause there were so many signs this was coming all of which were ignored. Even if you really don't care about the new content the whole attitude OOO took is just insulting on a personal level too.
Hopefully the outcome of this will be a wiser, smarter OOO team and that this is only a one time upset they will try to avoid next time, if it was some idiot marketer from SEGA whose responsible for this debacle next time OOO should learn to stand up for themselves cause THEY are the ones who know how the game works NOT the guy who counts the money, a delay of a week to get things right for a release won't kill the game, or the company, but stunts like they just pulled will.