Entropia Universe Receives $2.5 Million Dollars From One Investor in Planet Calypso Citizenship System

[Art Jennifer]

I disagree, other than to try and prove that EU is worth investing in.

Which from what i have seen in there fincial reports will not be re-invested

 

[KlowN]

I disagree, other than to try and prove that EU is worth investing in.

Which from what i have seen in there fincial reports will not be re-invested

Disagree that it's not important for the community to know?

If so...

Shall we all sit here and complain on forums that "Why the hell aren't you putting up anymore CLDs on the auction MA?"...Like before when they broke it in a patch lol. No...

Off topic, but btw, seems like before you used to make your "positive posts" to get +rep here and there (kinda assumed already your a rep whore by the "give me rep and i'll rep you back" sig.) Did losing a minor depo inna few weeks really turn you around or what lol.

 

[Ludvig|MindArk]

I just hope this announcement isn't supposed to be the "massive advertising campaign".

Well they have already said a bunch about what the ad campaign will be, and it is not just the announcement.

Here is one quote, but if you look in posts from MindArk you should be able to find more, this was just the quickest to find:

Feedback and inquiries received through support cases and on community forums recently have expressed interest about MindArk's efforts to promote and market Entropia Universe.

As Mr. Timkrans stated in his State of the Universe Address,

"As these planned improvements and developments are completed during 2012, MindArk will ramp up its efforts to promote Entropia Universe and expand the active user base."​

MindArk plans to focus increasingly more resources on marketing efforts throughout 2012.

In fact several marketing and promotional projects are already well under way, and the groundwork is ongoing for projects scheduled for launch in the coming months.

Our current efforts are focused on measuring the effectiveness of various marketing opportunities to determine which provide the best return on our marketing expenditures.

Here is a quick overview of some of our current and upcoming marketing projects:

• Targeted Keyword Ads - We are currently running several Google AdWords campaigns on a trial basis to assess the effectiveness of this keyword-targeted marketing in bringing new players to Entropia.
• Facebook App - We have partnered with SocialType to create a custom Facebook application that will give existing participants a convenient and exciting way to share content and information about Entropia with their friends, while earning in-game rewards. This app is in the final stages of testing, and will be launched very soon.
• Surveys - We recently contacted a large number of inactive participants amd invited them to take part in a survey in order to gain feedback on their experiences in Entropia Universe and uncover the primary reasons for their inactivity.
• Banner Campaigns - Later this year once the new player experience upgrades have been completed, we plan to launch a series of high-impact banner campaigns on popular gaming webites.

We also have several other exciting marketing efforts planned for 2012; more details on those will be made available in the coming months.


Bjorn (on behalf of the MindArk marketing department).

Link for that one: https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forum/ask-mindark/202804

 

[Art Jennifer]

Disagree that it's not important for the community to know?

If so...

Shall we all sit here and complain on forums that "Why the hell aren't you putting up anymore CLDs on the auction MA?"...Like before when they broke it in a patch lol. No...

Off topic, but btw, seems like before you used to make your "positive posts" to get +rep here and there (kinda assumed already your a rep whore by the "give me rep and i'll rep you back" sig.) Did losing a minor depo inna few weeks really turn you around or what lol.

I did write a large reply, but four words came to mind.


I don't trust Mindark.

They are looking new players in all the wrong places..

I do not think they have any idea about their playerbase.

 

[Chrome]

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 4, 2012
/PRNewswire/

Read the full press release on PR Newswire

The Citizenship System allows users to participate directly in the Entropia Universe's future. Planet Calypso is the oldest of the planets in the Entropia Universe, with over one million registered accounts and over $400 million USD per year in user-to-user transactions. Under the newly implemented Citizenship System, just about anyone can share a piece of an entire virtual world, as investment is open to anyone who creates an avatar and has the desire.

And so begins the advertising campaign.

This "press release" is so full of bullshit. I never knew that "desire" is a synonym for "money".

 

[Chrome]

I don't trust Mindark.

They are looking new players in all the wrong places..

I do not think they have any idea about their playerbase.

I personally don't believe for one moment that they are looking for additional players.

I think all that matters is looking for additional income.

 

[Profit]

One million players registered... one percent retention.

 

[Huskie]

Well they have already said a bunch about what the ad campaign will be, and it is not just the announcement.

Here is one quote, but if you look in posts from MindArk you should be able to find more, this was just the quickest to find:


Link for that one: https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forum/ask-mindark/202804

Pff, pathetic. Why would they need 6 million dollars for those ridiculous marketing campaigns? I'd be extremely surprised if all those combined over the course of 3 years amounted to even just one million!

I'm not one for conspiracies and such, but that post surely does not make MA's promises of a "massive advertising campaign" look very bright... or true.

 

[Ludvig|MindArk]

Pff, pathetic. Why would they need 6 million dollars for those ridiculous marketing campaigns? I'd be extremely surprised if all those combined over the course of 3 years amounted to even just one million!

Maybe they are planning on using interest gained from those 6 million to fund the ad campaigns to make sure they always have money for it as long as they keep gaining interest?

Anyways, I am not really educated in advertising (well technically I am for parts of it, just not what type is the more effective) so I can't really comment on how good that campaign is. And as I said, this is one quote about it, not idea if they are mentioning all their plans in that or not.


And hey, it is at least more than they have done before

 

[Profit]

Does anyone giving "props" to the proposed campaign actually understand how little impact they have?

Think to yourself - how many times have you clicked on a google ad-word, ON PURPOSE? How many products have YOU purchased through them? Apparently in MA's mind it's a lot more than I ever thought.

Think to yourself - how much effort does it take to compile and analyse a survey? $100? $200? How is that "advertising" in the first place? It's not, so why do they include it in their proposed advertising summary?
I hope the survey is prior to the ad-word campaign, and consists of two questions: "do you ever click ad-words on purpose?" and "have you ever followed through in the purchase of said ad-words advertised service/product?"

Think to yourself - Facebook App. REALLY? Who is this going to be used by? Current clients or potential clients? Again, how much does this really cost? $1000 in labor max? Then the rest of it's use is based on current clients flooding their friends (soon to be ex) with app invites? I pity the fool.

Banner campaigns, ok, I can understand that... but how much does that really cost? Some photoshop junky (they'll prolly have some community thing so they don't even have to be creative themselves) then they'll prolly give it to sites that get .002c per click, with minimal cost to EU in the long term. If we got 100,000 clicks that's $200 spent by MA. Maybe some positioning/timing costs added, so say $5000 MAX for good measure.

In total, that's not even $50,000 (then again I probably forgot the 50,000 meetings staff have about it, salary and all that would be in cost analysis too, right? lol) and I'm being generous. I doubt their adword campaign is going to be so robust (nor cost-effective) enough so as to warrant them splashing for the mega-packages.

Think about these things for a minute, seriously. I know I'm cynical, but I was also involved in web development for 15 years, maybe costs have changed drastically since stopping (1.5-2 years ago) and if so I apologize for my ignorance, but I fail to see how even 1% ($60,000) of the monies collected, will be used in this "ambitious" ad campaign (as proposed so far).
Not only that, but I have many friends who are employed in Media (TV, movies, jingle compilations, soundtracking etc...) and I know that $6,000,000 would be FAR better spent on good ol' targeted TV/web adverts. And it would NOT cost $6,000,000. Especially considering half the community would sell their grandparents at the chance to compile some ad work, for a set of UL armor.

In my personal opinion, buying up $2.5mil of their own CLD under the veil of "an anonymous investor" brings more attention to MA than any of the proposed advertising mediums. Tin-foil hat anyone?

 

[OgiMini]

if CND buying was a world wide buzz in major tvs, thsi must open newspapers tomorrow(not).

SO when the major publicity campaing will start?

and when new deed issue wil hapen?

 

[ruslan]

if CND buying was a world wide buzz in major tvs, thsi must open newspapers tomorrow(not).

SO when the major publicity campaing will start?

and when new deed issue wil hapen?

How's this for a 25 thousand times a proof that your pricecheck is... you know

 

[Bernz]

Think to yourself - how much effort does it take to compile and analyse a survey? $100? $200?

Nah, 100-200$ is not enough. I guess it cost a lot more for MindArk.
Everything is hard and cost a lot for MindArk.

Look at the Estate Development opportunities for example.

Location of Teleporters & Service centers

• Custom location to your specification - 75,000 PED

7500 $
Anyone who tried the free CE2 know how hard, how much time and how many programers it need to do it?
I did not, so I cant know for sure. But it looks like dangerous to do it. They maybe even have to risk their life to do it.

 

[TheOneOmega]

We don't even know for sure that an individual's voting power corresponds to the number of deeds he or she holds. I think it is OBVIOUS at this point that the voting system should be implemented such that each citizen who owns one or more deeds gets exactly one vote.

 

[thoreau]

A person purchased 2.5 million dollars worth of an investment that promises 30% ROI. I'm betting a few regulatory ears will perk up.

 

[Charlie Gloom]

A person purchased 2.5 million dollars worth of an investment that promises 30% ROI. I'm betting a few regulatory ears will perk up.

There has never been a "promise" and all you have to do is pay tax on income and you are fine.

Agree that governments will pay close attention to game income after this purchase.

I really wanted 1 more deed for a total of 30, stupid small limit on CC having to deposit small amount every month, but I am happy with my 29 deeds

Now prices need to double so I can withdraw and finish the down payment on a duplex I want to buy!

 

[ZAN ZAN]

Yeah, guerilla marketing efforts like having an app in social networks like Facebook, and some keyword/adword exposure in Google costs 6 million USD. Right.

Well they have already said a bunch about what the ad campaign will be, and it is not just the announcement.

Here is one quote, but if you look in posts from MindArk you should be able to find more, this was just the quickest to find:


Link for that one: https://www.planetcalypsoforum.com/forum/ask-mindark/202804

 

[prism]

Anyone else look at that financial statement? At least MA is slowing the bleeding, 6M less SEK in losses in the first 6 months of 2011 as compared to 2012. Heartening? No.

 

[aridash]

Does anyone giving "props" to the proposed campaign actually understand how little impact they have?

Think to yourself - how many times have you clicked on a google ad-word, ON PURPOSE? How many products have YOU purchased through them? Apparently in MA's mind it's a lot more than I ever thought.

Google made just shy of $40Billion in revenue, their main source of income is from ads. no clicky, no money. you probably need to rethink.

 

[DurakJung]

In total, sixty thousand (60,000) Land Lot deeds will be created, each representing a 100 square meter plot on Planet Calypso. Starting on November 8, 2011, batches of these deeds will be offered on the Entropia Universe auction. Each Land Lot deed will have a start-bid price and a buyout price of 1000 PEDs ($100 USD). The Land Lot deeds will be implemented as stackable items, and will be made available in single units, as well as in stacks of 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. Batches will continue to be offered on the auction until the entire sixty thousands deeds have been sold.

From the home page.

Dont know if this has been discussed in this thread however from the above I assumed that all deeds would be through auction.

How is it someone was able to purchase the bulk of the remaining deeds thus removing the opportunity for the average player who may have been saving up to buy the base 9 deeds?

Something out of place with this deal

 

[Spawn]

From the home page.

Dont know if this has been discussed in this thread however from the above I assumed that all deeds would be through auction.

How is it someone was able to purchase the bulk of the remaining deeds thus removing the opportunity for the average player who may have been saving up to buy the base 9 deeds?

Something out of place with this deal

No, it's not.. there's also info that if you wanted to buy bigger stacks than available on auction you could contact Mindark.

 

[valentin]

Pff, pathetic. Why would they need 6 million dollars for those ridiculous marketing campaigns? I'd be extremely surprised if all those combined over the course of 3 years amounted to even just one million!

I'm not one for conspiracies and such, but that post surely does not make MA's promises of a "massive advertising campaign" look very bright... or true.

MA says and promise so much but i will belive it only when i see it not before.

 

[Few Scars]

I see the big MMOs advertising on www.mmorpg.com
Why MindArk doesn't is beyond me. Surely it cant be that expensive? The crux of the situation is player retention not advertising and the killer is cost of play. Until these costs are addressed new players will continue leaving the game when they realise sweating is not fun. Imagine XBox or PS releasing a game called sweating, it would fail! Entropia Universe requires a credit card. I know some players have extreme patience to sweat and play 24/7 without depositing, but these are not common.

2.5 million dollars is a piss in the ocean for a big multinational gaming company. We are 4 months into 2012 and there has been fuck all happen since last year. They need to employ more programmers for a start! Anyway, let's see what they release this month, bets on it wont be taming LOL

 

[DurakJung]

No, it's not.. there's also info that if you wanted to buy bigger stacks than available on auction you could contact Mindark.

yea did some more reading.

Well that was a bigger stack

 

[Joat]

I guess I've seen they mention something about the advert will not come
until the new area for newbs is up and running.
Imo, MA should clean up some code first too, so things like "stuck in
space" are solved once and for all.
Poor loot will probably not scare away newcomers as much as non-working
systems here and there.
If I try a new game or software out, things that makes me leave quite fast
are bugs and also features that are poorly created.
I doubt I'm unique about that...

 

[Unearth]

are Deeds stuckable?
if no this guy must have a huuuuge storage...

 

[Artrat]

are Deeds stuckable?
if no this guy must have a huuuuge storage...

Yes, they are stackable. And I'm guessing he must be one of the few (perhaps only) people whose stack has a noticeable TT value .

 

[Brother Rick]

And as always, MindArk is late... They can't even make the deadline of the first of April for their jokes

 

[Ludvig|MindArk]

I see the big MMOs advertising on www.mmorpg.com
Why MindArk doesn't is beyond me. Surely it cant be that expensive?

I have seen a RockTropia ad on MMORPG.com, it surely wouldn't make me want to download and play the planet but...



(Also, it was in the middle of an Entropia-related interview lol)

 

[Buck Buck Stone]

I guess that some clever people realized that demand for cld decreased rapidly. Those clever people realized that they needed to do something to stabilize price niveau. Nice move to cut supply in order to keep demand up. Not that i can prove something - they are just too clever!

Buck.