http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content...e=new&aid=1881
Quote:
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Speaking in an interview with the Puget Sound Business Journal, Harrison commented that "we just don't believe consumers are ready for [online gaming]. Right now, no one's paying for subscriptions. The real test comes when you have to start coughing up $15 a month."
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Microsoft has got about half a million global subscribers pretty damned fast. Sure, it's a niche, but a niche that is growing fast.
I think Sony claims to have sold a million copies of SOCOM. Of course, we don't know how many of them have been played online, and how long the users have stayed online, but that sure shows some strong interest even if there is no monthly fee.
$15 a month? Try $4.25 a month for XBox Live.
I think this is spin doctoring their halfhearted online flop - a single pay-per-month game along with a modem and broadband adaptor that can't be found in stores.