Status Update 3rd February 2017

[kahuamp]

I sure hope to see another release of The Hunter Classic, as standalone, like TheHunter 2012, especially if, knock on wood, things start going south for one reason or another.
As far as I'm concerned, Graphics have never been a main reason to choose one game over another...and I'm still skeptical about the COW gameplay....at least for now I'd rather keep on playing Classic...

[MonacoSteve]

Well, the discussion thCl vs thCotW is indeed an interesting one, and one that will surely continue for a while. While I also think that nobody can make solid predictions what will happen on the long run, my (rather short-term) prediction is, however, that first things will become a lot more clear pretty soon after the release of CotW (just 10 days more to go, people).

It is easy to foresee that very many of the tHCl players - who can afford it (technically, monetary-wise) - will want to see how CotW is, and they will buy a copy. That will result in a major initial boost for tHCotW - but the immediate effect on tHCl will be moderate because nearly all these players still also have their thC membership. So, the tHCl community will probably (necessarily) invest just noticeable less time in thCl in the upcoming weeks to check out what CotW has to offer, but not be permanently lost.

And then it really depends on individual preferences. Those who will be disappointed for any reason by CotW, and also those who like it but play it through fast and soon miss the constant challenge and expansion that tHCl has to offer will thereafter return to invest their time (and money) to thC. In that case, EW has made double revenue without having compromised thC. And each time CotW releases a new DLC, this process repeats. That is probably the optimal win-win situation.

Whether a currently not exploited new gamer group which has never considered thC will jump on thCotW, however, remains to be seen – but it will for sure not be a big group, and also not be an immediate effect after release. The particularly interesting features of CotW for such players will have to be communicated constantly by those who already play, and only depending on that CotW may attract a significantly new clientele, or not. So whether complementation wins over competition in this interesting situation will depend on many factors, but it seems possible to me.

I personally doubt, however, that CotW will be so superior to thCl (in terms of graphics, map size, engine etc.) that it can be an immediate threat – but it’s long-term possibilities may not be underestimated either.

[therisths]

I hope that CoW will help THC to stay alive since THC gave birth (economically) to CoW,to be honest i felt bad after CoW 1st announcement especially after i disscused it with Greek old players, one of them ( i dont want to write his name) who spend more than 1000 euros in the game and prepaid 12month lisence, stopped playing since the announcement, telling me that he will wait until CoW is out. I was like '' what about your investment..'' he and others told me since its like a newer version of THC there is no reason to stay and i got the same answer from every player i met. Also have in mind that new gamers whose PC's are overpowered (nowadays gamers are way too young) all they care about is graphics ,gameplay comes second.We will see.

[Cartoon Head]

My tuppence FWIW.

I have not touched this game since the announcement of CotW, I haven't spent any more money either, usually buy at least 5k EM$ per month.
That may have been down to not getting a BETA key and me throwing my toys out of my pram, now I have not missed this game at all but knowing it is there if I need it is awesome, I will be buying CotW on release date, I expect to like it but it will not take over this game as my hunting game I don't think, I didn't see too much replay value from what I saw of the BETA, classic will be my weapon of choice in the future I think.

BTW I hope I am wrong and CotW is the best thing since sliced head

[walt133]

My tuppence FWIW.

I have not touched this game since the announcement of CotW, I haven't spent any more money either, usually buy at least 5k EM$ per month.
That may have been down to not getting a BETA key and me throwing my toys out of my pram, now I have not missed this game at all but knowing it is there if I need it is awesome, I will be buying CotW on release date, I expect to like it but it will not take over this game as my hunting game I don't think, I didn't see too much replay value from what I saw of the BETA, classic will be my weapon of choice in the future I think.

BTW I hope I am wrong and CotW is the best thing since sliced head

Don't you mean bread? And someday if you would like to set up a hunt for me I would love to play on your server! I can not imagine having all that equipment!

[stancomputerhunter]

.... passionate community that has time and money invested into the game and strong personal bonds with each other. After 9 years theHunter Classic is bigger than a game, at least for many of us.

Even though at times there are issues within the community it is still the best I have seen.

IMHO, the reason for the strength of the community today is because of the dedication and hard work that Alena demonstrated during the time she was riding herd on this neighborhood.

[jeff1963]

I read in the update that you are planning something for the hunter in the next few months and i hope you to give your best but i have one question and i would like a straight serious answer because my lisence is going to expire and i want to renew, i love the game , i support it as much as i can but i dont know if its worth it or not right now.

hypothetically speaking:
Feb 16 is the release date of CoW lets hypothetically say that 40-50% of the hunter classic players move to the new one*, how the hunter classic is about to survive/make releases/or be mentained with a 40-50 or even 30% income reduction (because there will be income reduction for sure)?Right now you have the troops to release something, what would happen right after. Also you say that you have plans for the half+ year, how can you be sure since you dont know if you will have the troops(money) to move on?

* + those ones who will be scared to spend more money in the hunter classic.

Really good question and definitely the one I've heard a lot in the last couple of months. I am not sure where the forecast of 30% income reduction is coming from but I am confident that theHunter Classic will continue to stay relevant and attractive to the community for years to come, alongside our bigger (or, in some respects, smaller) brother, theHunter: Call of the Wild. The reason is that we offer different hunting experience with a deeper gameplay and around-gameplay features, significantly more content, established and passionate community that has time and money invested into the game and strong personal bonds with each other. After 9 years theHunter Classic is bigger than a game, at least for many of us.

Another thing is that we have an exciting roadmap ahead including some things that we have never done before, and the team is on fire.

Yet another thing is that theHunter: Call of the Wild simply has too high hardware requirement for a large percentage of our community. Sure, some people will leave for theHunter: Call of the Wild, some people will play both games, some people will stick to theHunter Classic. But all in all, I don't see any real danger or serious competition for theHunter Classic in the long run.

Having said that, of course, no one can ever be sure about anything long-term in game development, things change all the time, that's why we always make a roadmap for 6 months at the longest.

Well said, thank you Alena. I hope COTW stands up and becomes the theHunter game of the future, and borrows all the best from theHunter classic packaged in a new and better vehicle.

[FR_Bugs]

... passionate community that has time and money invested into the game and strong personal bonds with each other. After 9 years theHunter Classic is bigger than a game, at least for many of us.

Absolutly, totally agree with Alena on these points.

[Tanngnjostr]

IMHO, the reason for the strength of the community today is because of the dedication and hard work that Alena demonstrated during the time she was riding herd on this neighborhood.

Well said! Not implying that Philipp didn't do a great job, but having her as a producer now makes me confident that tH:C will be thriving for a while despite its age. I know that she'll find a good way to combine player's wishes and interests with the inevitable business constraints. For example: did you all read "deleting images from the trophy gallery" in the status update?

[outrider]

.... passionate community that has time and money invested into the game and strong personal bonds with each other. After 9 years theHunter Classic is bigger than a game, at least for many of us.

gee whiz, how time flies, when your having fun. nine years already..........