Here is some background/links info which IMHO are relevant to the potential "end game" for a new progression system as mention by Kyle in recent Relic stream. To understand how important this is, you've got to see this in context. Now Relic has done a lot to recover from a bad launch and applaud them for that.
Whoever get into the Alpha, please help provide Relic with non-biased feedback. IMO Relic do listen, they have just been listening to biased feedback and by doing so, they have several times misjudged the potential player base (many of which are playing MOBAs).
As a PvP'er, I just finished playing 4 alpha games with an "achievement hunter/PvE'er" that like doing comp stomps. For me, it was boring as hell (I almost fell asleep), but this is the way to learn more about the PvE community within COH rather than just listening to competitive top10 PvP'er. It has also been proven by some big surveys (see link below) that competitive play is primary a youth motivation.
Personal, I'm excited because with the right development support/post-launch monetization schemes there are so many things both Relic and CA can do with a âprogression systemâ, especially for Warhammer. The RTS genre needs to evolve so that they become games that capture players of all skill level, not just a few.
For both COH2 and SC2, MOBAs are soaking up a lot of what might have otherwise been an eSport RTS audience. I suggest checking for yourself the steam profile of players in team games. There are quite a lot CS GO/DOTA players that are interested in COH/DoW. I don't know whether that's because it's easy to transfer to COH from Dota2/CS GO or the other way around, or mutual.
Without breaking the NDA here what I said on the alpha forum;
Cosmetics/Collector items are more or less meaningless for competitive pvp'er but can have high value for PvE'er. As a former MMO trader from EvE Online, I sold many collector items to achievement hunters. Don't underestimate the power of collector items/achievements, just look at CS GO cosmetics. Many "casual players" really love to customize their belongings, to make choices how their property feels, looks and behaves. You see it in their browsers, and more importantly, in their games. Achievements and customizations are here to stay for many years ahead. It's all about making a good sandbox for all players, letting them feel in control of their destiny are things that keep players coming back for more.
Or as Destiny the pro variety-streamer from SC2/LoL has said, if you just want meaningless PvP, go play SC2. If not, go play games with a sandbox. There is no reason why RTS can't have a "limited sandbox" outside competitive 1vs1.
Over 2 million unique users log onto Starcraft 2 a month but only about 500,000 play 1v1 gameshttp://waywardstrategist.com/2015/08/20/a-multiplayer-platform-is-not-enough-for-an-rts-to-succeed-ready/As Gamers Age, The Appeal of Competition Drops The Most
"The data weâve collected from over 140,000 gamers via the Gamer Motivation Profile allows us to see how gaming motivations vary by age."http://quanticfoundry.com/2016/02/10/gamer-generation/Gametrics, South Koreaâs internet cafe and game ranking stat:http://www.gametrics.com/ (use google translate to read in English)
SC: BW is more popular (top5) than SC2 which doesn't even make it into the top10 rankings.
Former WoW Lead System Designer, ghostcrawler:
Why are SC2 dying?https://ask.fm/RiotGhostcrawler/answers/134859308427BLIZZARD IS HOPING TO FIND THE FUN AGAIN WITH EXCITING CHANGES TO DIABLO III AND STARCRAFT IIhttp://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/blizzard-gdc-2015/Day[9] Special - CSGO and Multiplayer Game Designhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFxix7NJKN0&ab_channel=Day9TVCS: GO - Autograph Sticker Capsules Opening (ESL One Cologne 2015)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQY_F2G_DDgHow could Blizzard bring the casual players back to Starcraft 2? Adopt something like Hearthstone's ranked system for the lower leagues could help?https://www.quora.com/How-could-Blizzard-bring-the-casual-players-back-to-Starcraft-2-Adopt-something-like-Hearthstones-ranked-system-for-the-lower-leagues-could-helpStarcraft 2 fans speak up against âfast-paced actionâ of Void of the Legacyhttps://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/starcraft-2-fans-speak-up-against-fast-paced-action-of-void-of-the-legacy/Destiny, The 2014 Blizzard Stream Awards winner as nr.1 Favorite StarCraft II Individual Streamer http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blog/18313046/and-the-winners-are-%E2%80%A6-3-18-2015https://blog.destiny.gg/starcraft-2-legacy-into-the-void/The CS GO Article, Destiny highlighthttp://web.archive.org/web/20141224123611/http://www.esports.gg/csgos-high-growth-rate-in-2014/
Also SEGA have openly said they are planning to change their business strategy:
Sega Spending More Time on "Higher-Quality" Content Prompts 90% Profit Forecast Cut (December 2015) "Higher-quality content is expected, thus resulting in a trend of longer development lead times."http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-spending-more-time-on-higher-quality-content-/1100-6432822/We Betrayed Fans And Want to Be a Brand Again, Says Sega CEO (July 2015)http://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-betrayed-fans-and-want-to-be-a-brand-again-says/1100-6428680/President of Sega Games Finally Realizes That Gaming Quality Is Important (July 2015)http://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2015/07/08/president-of-sega-japan-finally-realizes-that-gaming-quality-is-important/Sega May Be On The Verge Of A Renaissancehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2015/07/24/sega-may-be-on-the-verge-of-a-renaissance/