Future of TSB

Jonnydaman · February 2015

Reading this forum gives me the impression that most people seem to assume that this game will continue and be updated throughout the 2015 season, am I the only one that thinks there will be a new app? Aside from the fact that many people have gotten to the point where their teams are either great or the best possible, Glu could potentially make a lot more money by releasing a tap sports baseball 2015. Along with this, the fact that most sports games have new games each year leads me to beleive that, assuming this game made enough money to warrant another game(which is likely because they are still actively updating it in February), there will be a Tap Sports Baseball 2015 coming out in late March or early April. Although some of you may be angry at this thought, hopefully they would use some of the money they made to invest in making an even better game for 2015. What do you guys think about this?

Amused_79 · February 2015

Are u assuming that glu would not let anything carry over? Players, upgrades, gold, cash, etc... That it would be an entirely new game? New app? God I hope not. For all the time and energy spent on this game. I would not start up if it was a new app. I'm assuming that the success of this game is still drawing in new players. I'm hoping they continue to upgrade this app and the players stats numbers as the 2015 season is going on.

~Lawman~ · February 2015

Jonnydaman:

I'm not sure what the future holds for this game, but am fairly confident GLU will not abandon this platform. To create a "new" game would require a lot of work from programmers, licensing agreements with MLB, additional Customer Care Specialists, etc.. Based on what I've seen with this game, it takes a long time to resolve certain issues and launching updates. Does GLU want to expend further resources, when it appears they are possibly spread too thin already?

I'm not sure that GLU would want to take market share away from themselves with a different baseball game. Perhaps a different sport such as football, basketball, or soccer might be in the works. Let me ask you, if GLU created a 2015 version of baseball, would you adopt it instead of the current game? In all honesty, I would not. I agree with my friend Amused, that I have spent too much time, effort and yes money to start all over. I'm very interested in what the board consensus will be on this topic.

One of the reasons I like this forum, is the exchange of ideas. I think you have brought up an interesting topic, and it's one I did not give much thought to. In spite of my own viewpoint, you very well could be right. I would be of the opinion, that if GLU wanted to change things up (for lack of a better phrase), it would incorporate updates into this existing platform. I guess time will tell.

jemic · February 2015

I stand at the same side with Lawman and Amused.
Moreover, I even think GLU will not improve this game.
If I am the game company owner, I will invest the most in the game which gives me the most revenue.
According to "Think gaming" revenue estimation, "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood"'s daily revenue is 105,409 but TSB is only 10,303.
So which game you will choose to make the new app?

The answer is quite clear after you review the income statics of GLU and this is also one of the reason why customer service is always late.

Amused_79 · February 2015

This game came out at the near the end of the 2014 baseball season (August, I believe). I hope they use the start of the 2015 season to market and advertise the game they have firmly established in TSB. The fact that they have MLB player licensing to use their names may be a big draw to new players that may not know about this game. Look what Game of War did with their advertising by getting Kate Upton on their commercials. A little advertising using MLB player(s) would be huge in expanding this game. And leading to future updates and expanding on the CURRENT TSB game. I could think of several good ad ideas they could use. Ads similar to the humor that earlier MLB games brought using players. (Dustin Pedroia in MLB '09 The Game , it's on YouTube, the one where he's polishing his MVP trophy cracks me up). Anyway, just my thoughts.

Jonnydaman · February 2015

To address some of your thoughts: actually the game came out in May(at least for iOS). I don't know how exactly the liscense works but if they don't make a new game, I would think that they would either have to remove retired players or not add any rookies(I think the latter is more likely). If the Kim Kardashian game makes 10X more than TSB and they decide not to make a new app, then I would think they would eventually stop updating this app which in my opinion would be a worse fate for us than a new app (I never new they released data on how much they make on in app purchases, that's a useful link). If they released a new app and stopped updating this app I would move on to the new one even though I have invested a lot of time here. From past experiences in similar games like Madden Ultimate Team and MyNBA2K14, I think they would leave up this game but not improve it and a majority of people will go to the new one. Many(not all) of the people that are against switching will eventually realize that this game is pretty much dead and move on to the new one. Also drawing from my experiences in the similar games I mentioned is some kind of incentive program for returning players. The incentives are usually underwhelming but give returning players some sort of head start to the new game. My guess is that they would either reward us with a few draft picks based on the tier you were in, or give you a small percentage of the gold/cash you earned by achievements. Overall, I'm in support of a new game to keep things fresh for next year.

Amused_79 · February 2015

Jonnydaman,
(Version 1.0.0 came out August 5th, which included the MLB players and the bulk of the game we know today) I understand what you are saying, but why start a beta on a all new game when you already have a fan base on an existing platform. They can still make the current TSB fresh for next year. There have been many ideas expressed by fellow forum members of ideas for improvement and expansion. I'm probably a bit older then most of the guys on this forum, but most games that had new games every year, had a one time price for the game. No in app purchases. You bought the game and earned your way up through playing. It seems most in app purchase games that are free stay around on their original game. I do not think that Kardashian game will come out with a whole new game. (Or other similar games like Clash of Clans, Game of War, etc...) The idea being an in app purchase games is that people will spend more on those then a 1 time fee. But like I said, I'm a bit older and used to gaming from a few years ago. So maybe your right. Maybe this is how it's done now. I hope not. But if it is then, all I can do is enjoy this version while it lasts.

solarmen · February 2015

Glu (or any other public company) only cares about how to keep users spending money. Let's be honest and ask ourselves, what's the most effective way to encourage users to spend real money? Is it the league? Is the it tournament? Is it the coin (I don't even remember what it's called...LOL)?

No! It's simply the desire to build your fantasy team. Once it's done, people are not going to spend any more money.

Glu has two options.

(1) They can update the stats for this app. Users will spend to adjust their team. The problem is a lot of users already have a great team and a lot gold saved by the time they fresh the stats (at most twice a year). They are not going to spend a lot of real money.
(2) They can release a brand new app. This will sure drive another stream of revenue since everyone starts from zero. The problem is that users realize the app won't last too long so they won't spend as much as they did in the first app.

Glu basically has to evaluate which option can potentially generate more revenue. That's it. All the other concerns, license fee, programming cost, fan base, and etc are not an issue. Look at Glu's track records (iOS only), the following games are all free, offer in-app purchase (red indicates active):

Amused, I am sorry to burst your bubble. They have no problem to discontinue it and build a new one. Losing fan base? Nah... They probably will lose a few die-hard users but comparing to the revenue they'd get from the new app, it's well worth it. And trust me, the die-hard users will eventually jump ship anyway. This game is essentially a multi-player game. When there is no other player playing, what's the point staying there?

And the cost to build a new app is minimum. They basically refresh the stats and re-brand it as TSB 2015. The only difference is that your progress gets wiped out.

With all that said, I certainly don't want a brand new app. I have never spent so much time playing a game (console or mobile) so to start over is going to be exhausting. But if I were Glu, I would for sure take a serious look at releasing a new app instead of updating this one.

~Lawman~ · February 2015

Jonnydaman:

Question, why do you think a TSB 2015 would make more money than the current version? This app has a very simple concept, you are the batter and swing at pitches. Other than some "managerial" dynamics, and tweaking some features, what could be changed which would make the game so different and generate more revenue?

In my opinion, TSB is still in its infancy and has yet to see its true upside. If you are correct in that there is a TSB 2015, we probably would see it before the start of the MLB season. If we dont, then I think it is highly unlikely for this colander year. I don't have a crystal ball and your opinion is just as valid as mine, since we are both just guessing.

solarmen · February 2015

~Lawman~ wrote: »

Other than some "managerial" dynamics, and tweaking some features, what could be changed which would make the game so different and generate more revenue?

To start from new, it forces you to spend again to build your ultimate fantasy team.

Sure, you'd say "I'm not going to play the new app or spend a penny on it. I've already spent too much on this one".

OK. Does Glu lose anything by giving up on you? No. You won't spend another penny on this app anyway, right? So if Glu won't get another penny out of you from either this app, or the new app, what do they lose?

But there may be other players that haven't invested much in this app and may be willing to get a fresh start on the new one. Glu is counting on them.

Which one will generate more revenue for Glu? I don't know. Glu must have their own marketing analyses team to do that. But based on their past track records, it does look like they make more money by releasing a new one. Just saying.

~Lawman~ · February 2015

Solarmen:

Based on the hypothesis presented, whats the sense of following GLU to another venture? If the only reason is to try a newer game from them is the answer, why bother. According to the revenue philosophy, they will just stop updating that app and let it die a slow death until TSB 2016 comes out, and then TSB 2017, and so on .... Let's see how things unfold. Interesting topic though!

solarmen · February 2015

~Lawman~ wrote: »

According to the revenue philosophy, they will just stop updating that app and let it die a slow death until TSB 2016 comes out, and then TSB 2017, and so on ....

This is exactly what happened to Glu's other games: Contract Killer, Deer Hunter, and Eternity Warriors. They let the prior version die and release a new one.

After all, I am not saying this is what will happen to TSB. This game is very much different than the other ones. But don't be surprised if Glu chooses to follow a similar path.

Amused_79 · February 2015

Solermen, you make a very compelling argument. And from a fiscal point of view you are right. Those of use that have built our team to completion and need not spend another dime, there is no reason for Glu to need us. So why not try a new game and hope that even the veteran players will follow to start a new team. Based on the graph you provided it sure looks like that is their history. I agree with Lawman that this game is in its infancy, and has so many places it can go to become better and increase its fan base. My heart wants to believe that they stand by this product and continue with it. But my head knows that in the end it comes down to dollars and cents. And I think we know that Glu is in the business to make money. I sure hope that we are wrong. But I guess all we can do is wait and see. The start of the baseball season should be a pretty big clue on what Glu will do. If they keep the updates and fan reward events coming then I suspect that this version of TSB has another year left in it.

~Lawman~ · February 2015

Good Morning Amused:

As the game stands right now, there are some that have "tapped out" in terms of upgrades and players. However, There are many different things TSB could do to change the current status. If other options were presented to me that would enhance game play, I would be willing to pony up. I think the vast majority of players are not completely upgraded, nor have the ultimate team, so pulling the proverbial plug seems premature.

The fiscal argument does make sense, as does the track record of the company. The niche TSB has is interesting, as I know of no other game quite like it. Room to grow, I think so.

Metropolitans · February 2015

It does seem as though the most experienced members are speaking here in terms of already having their team maxed out. Of course, these types are players won't be spending as much money going forward, it any at all. I do think those types of players are the extreme minority though. I will say I've spent $50 on this game so far. I started playing in December. My team is solid, but not great. I'm all 4 star with a few 4.5 and 5 star players sprinkled in. I was pondering spending another $50 or so to get the gold I might need to proceed and get the team of my dreams. This thread alone has stopped me from doing it. If there is even a chance of them letting this current game die and starting a new one....I won't spend a dime. Why would I? If GLU intends to go the route of updating the current game...I would spend the money. Its as simple as that. If they decide to offer a new game, I would also play it, but I wouldn't spend on that either....if all my hard work and effort is just going to be erased after each season. Just my thoughts. I play clash of clans as well. If they just started a new game, after my building a great base for a year, I would be very upset and might not play again. Its sort of a smack in the face to people who have spent a lot of time and money....although I understand it is business.

solarmen · February 2015

Well, this topic is indeed interesting. And it reminds me that Glu is a public company and that they will release their roadmap every quarter. Luckily, Glu released their earning on 2/4, just a few weeks ago. If you want to read their filing, just go to their website and hit "investors"

Here are few slides that may give us some clue:

1. TSB is their sport engine that they will release a similar TSFootball in 2015.
image?quest=1&rid=23&ipage=10039455&doc=17

image?quest=1&rid=23&ipage=10039455&doc=17

2. TSB revenue in Q42014 is 2.1M, dwarfed by Kim Kardashian, but not bad comparing to the others. So this game will likely continue.
image?quest=1&rid=23&ipage=10039455&doc=36

image?quest=1&rid=23&ipage=10039455&doc=36

3. Finally, this is the scariest one, 2015 roadmap!!! I'll let you guys decide what that first Half roadmap means!
image?quest=1&rid=23&ipage=10039455&doc=43

image?quest=1&rid=23&ipage=10039455&doc=43

~Lawman~ · February 2015

I would say the 2015 Roadmap represents that a TSB 2015 is already in the works! I'm interested to see the game platform for TSF (Tap Sports Football). Should be interesting.

Jonnydaman · February 2015

Wow good work on that roadmap, that certainly suggests that there will be a Tap Sports Baseball 2015, and the fact that it says first half makes me beleive that it will be released close to opening day. With this in mind I wouldn't be surprised if they announce the new game pretty soon, probably around early March.

Amused_79 · February 2015

~Lawman~ wrote: »

Good Morning Amused:

As the game stands right now, there are some that have "tapped out" in terms of upgrades and players. However, There are many different things TSB could do to change the current status. If other options were presented to me that would enhance game play, I would be willing to pony up. I think the vast majority of players are not completely upgraded, nor have the ultimate team, so pulling the proverbial plug seems premature.

The fiscal argument does make sense, as does the track record of the company. The niche TSB has is interesting, as I know of no other game quite like it. Room to grow, I think so.

I was asleep and seemed to miss a lot of great points. I agree that it is a small minority that have already spent their money and have reached the end goal. That's what I like about this game, is that there are new players starting all the time. And those that started a month or two ago, are now entering Legends, creating a larger group there. I too, Lawman, would spend money if they expanded on their current franchise on this platform. If there was a season mode or another level to get past I am definitely not opposed to cracking open the wallet.

Wow solermen! That is some great research to get that information. It is extremely informative. I wonder if they will get the NFLPA approval. I think Madden franchise has that locked up. But I have seen other games that use the players names. The last part where it shows TSB 2015 is left up to interpretation in my book. They can still use the same game and rename it TSB 2015 with the upgrades without creating an entirely new game. I think it depends on how many new players they are still attracting. If it's still generating revenue, which it looks like it still is, then I do not think they would "reboot" the franchise with a new game. I have a few apps that stay the same every year, but do rename themselves with the current year and upgrades. That is my hope. But I can defiantly see the other side if this signaling a new game. Very interesting.

~Lawman~ · February 2015

I sent an e-mail to GLU Investor Relations regarding this topic. I'm hoping I can read between the lines, if or when they answer. In all likelihood, it will be a boilerplate reply.

Next time GLU announces earnings, and they have a subsequent conference call, I will try and get through. So, if you tune in and hear a caller identify himself as Mr. Lawman, it's me!!!

yaybaseball · February 2015

~Lawman~ wrote: »

I sent an e-mail to GLU Investor Relations regarding this topic. I'm hoping I can read between the lines, if or when they answer. In all likelihood, it will be a boilerplate reply.

Next time GLU announces earnings, and they have a subsequent conference call, I will try and get through. So, if you tune in and hear a caller identify himself as Mr. Lawman, it's me!!!

i honestly wouldn't mind if they make a new game (TSB 2015) but i would want some kind of way we could bring some of what we have now to the current game. i doubt they'll give us anything, but losing everything and starting over sucks. i don't know if i would.

Clark22 · February 2015

I'd bet the game gets a refreshed look and name while much everything else remains the same.

If this one is ditched for an entirely new one, I'd be pretty upset.

Robotstove · February 2015

I have never played any other micro transaction game that has had the same model as other sports games in which a new game is released each year. I think that such a model works great for games that the full cost is paid up front, but fails to fully capitalize on the micro-transaction player mindset.

If I know up front that a new game is coming in a year, there is no way I am going to pony up half the cash I would normally.

The only other micro transaction game I really played, I sunk $2000 or so into, and I know for a fact that I would never have been so invested if I knew the game was going to be let out to pasture a year later. I went on to play it for about 4 years, until the company finally stopped caring and let cheater bots take over.

Future of TSB

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