Gothenburg June 11, 2012
Fellow Entropian,
In May, we mailed a survey to all Entropia Universe participants who had created their account before January 1, 2012, and who had been active during 2012; including both depositors and non-depositors. Nearly 20 percent of all recipients chose to complete the survey - a rich amount of valuable data to analyze!
Main survey results
The purpose of the survey was to help MindArk identify the main reasons why active participants reduce playtime and/or deposits in Entropia Universe. Based on the results from in the survey, the three main reasons are:
Poor loot returns: A total of 85 % of respondents either "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" with the statement about "Poor loot returns" as a reason to reduce playing or depositing.
Looting powerful Unlimited items: A total of 67 % either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement "Low chance of looting powerful Unlimited items" as a reason reduce playing or depositing.
Avatar progression: A total of 42 % either "Strongly Agree" or "Agree" with the statement about "not enough opportunities for avatar progression" as a reason to reduce playing or depositing.
Other reasons to reduce playing or depositing: "Strongly Agree" or "Agree"
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4 Lack of direction and purpose 38 %
5 Game missing important systems 37 %
6 No interesting content, story missions 36 %
7 Introduction of limited items 30 %
8 Inferior customer support 16 %
9 Not enough social interaction 11 %
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All of the reasons highlighted above offer opportunities for improving Entropia Universe, and MindArk, along with the planet partners, has already started projects to improve those areas.
Loot returns in particular is an area that is being evaluated very closely, and you will be happy to hear that several projects are already under way. Among those are:
MindArk's balancing team is working to improve the delicate economic balance within Entropia Universe and among the various planets, with the goal to provide an exciting, challenging and rewarding experience to the largest number of participants as possible. Creature loots in particular will receive a major overhaul throughout 2012 to improve this balance. Planet Calypso, in one of the more exciting announcements in recent months, has announced that it will subsidize the Calypso lootpool during 2012 with more than 100,000 USD worth of Calypso Land Deeds, which will no doubt improve the overall loot returns for many participants. Full details on this announcement can be found here. In many cases, participants can experience poor loot returns by engaging in activities in a manner that is relatively inefficient. In order to provide tips on becoming more efficient and help participants avoid common mistakes, the MindArk development team has begun a series of Developer Notes articles, available on the Entropia Universe Buzz webpage. MindArk is also exploring new partnerships and promotions that will bring new sources of revenue to the Entropia Universe economy, and which will ultimately lead to better overall loot returns and an improved user experience. One such example is expected to be launched within the next few weeks, and will offer a way for Entropia Universe participants to increase their PED card balance by taking part in exclusive offers and surveys. More information about this will be released soon.
Kind regards,
Jan Welter Timkrans
Humble Creator of Entropia Universe
