How is TSW doing reaching it's core playerbase? Gamers worldwide 2025 https://truelist.co/blog/gaming-statistics/ Not sure about the sources of the data, but some of DTG's decisions do make sense now. Like the focus on youth, consoles, "newer content" post-1990, and if 75% of parents game with their kids, then the Thomas DLC makes perfect sense for TSW. They want that father/son moment to share sim railroading and build the brand. (Women are into railroading, but they find that most female gamers tend to prefer mobile games, not console or PC) One of the sobering findings I saw was that 85% of people put "mobile/cell phone" games as their biggest focus and that's where most of the profit in gaming comes from. Also "free to play games." So it wouldn't surprise me if DTG just moves to mobile train games to cash in on that. I can see TSW becoming "free to play" too, with DLC pushed to make money. Just hope we don't have "season passes" and "in game ads." Interesting tangentially related tidbit... "Subway Surfers" is the number one mobile game now? Didn't we hear "Subway" something or other was copyrighted by DTG?
I think the main problem as said repeatedly by myself and other members here is DTG are also forgetting the sole purpose of this game. It's only their to specifically appeal to train enthusiasts or simulator players in general. Train enthusiasts who love the idea of driving a loco based on a real life route and timetable. I can't imagine how would releasing Thomas the Tank Engine will appeal to a more casual player if they are already aren't interested in trains in the first place, being into trains by no secret is a very niche hobby the vast majority aren't into. This strategy by DTG won't work, leaving routes short, infested with bugs timetables left incomplete, locos with the wrong sounds, scenery not accurate or are sub-par and of course not holding themselves or another certain third-party developer starting with the letter 'R' accountable. I'm sure now we are awnsering why many here were incredibly frustrated by the announcement of the Thomas DLC at the end of the season of reveals calender, it's equivalent to a middle finger to all those customers who pay good money for the DLC's and often gives fair and constructive feedback for improvements, but this shows that all of that is flushed down the toilet. DTG has now shown their true colours that they'll attempt as much as they can to appeal to the more casual market to ulimately 'give the perfect excuse to not develop DLC's the core market wants'. It will happen, it may look good on a cash flow chart, but abounding the core market is essentially flushing the whole purpose of the game as a whole.
The whole intent is to get people who like trains to pass that love onto their kids (and grandkids.) That's why I thought the 74% of parents gaming with their kids stat was important. I'm sorry if you have a hatred for those not "committed" as gatekeepers as yourself, but again "casuals" spend money too. In fact if you don't want "casuals" I'd suggest TSW isn't the best choice because it was built around reaching out to console players and "casuals." If you want more realism, there are other games out there who specialize in that. Run 8 perhaps, Zusi or Derail Valley. The whole idea of TSW was to reach the "most players on the most platforms." Not to be the "most authentic to a small niche market." If they wanted to do that, they never would have focused on console players from the start. It's valid you want "more realism." That's a valid opinion. It's just rather silly to pick TSW as your ideal of that. TSW is the "Hostess Snack Cake" of train sims. It's well known and delicious, but it's hardly held up as the standard for gourmet cakes. "But it says SIM in the name!" "Train Sim World" is as much a sim, as a "Hostess Snack Cake" is a cake.
According to the description of TSW2020, it is actually meant to appeal to everyone. From the casual to hard-core gamer, enthusiasts alike.
This doesn't answer at the end of the day why DTG shall continue to sabotage and run down the game to its knees as if it's a bank. The more casuals we attract, the less quality of a DLC we will have to a point there will be no such thing called a 'realistic route' anymore. We are already seeing it, it's the same people who will happily defend WCML South to this day despite the atrocious state the routes still in with bugs, missing services etc. If you continue praising poor work, then the DTG will justify no longer upgrading routes or even setting them to high standards. What happened from the golden days of Rush Hour DLC's to now of just rubbish short, half baked routes? The decision to include consoles was to purely reach out larger rail enthusiasts who couldn't afford or have the infastructure to have Train Simulator on their PC. Those who can't play on a PC will be enjoyable with an arguably more playable train simulator than TSC. Now we have a CEO who was a former employer of EA Sports in marketing seems to have no idea what rails are and probably can't tell if the Class 390 is diesel or not.
be careful when talking about the current CEO and former EA employee, they will soon accuse you of insulting god himself and while these people applaud all this and intimidate those who point out the terrifying direction that things are taking, tsw is becoming a joke instead of what it was intended to be one day (a simulator)
No it wasn't, TSW was created to bring a quality sim to consoles and attract new customers as they felt they tapped the enthusiast market dry with TSC. That means it is more directed at the casual gamer not the hardcore simmer as that is where 60% of the sales are from. TSW is the first sim with real life vehicles and locations that was made for console. We had nothing else. Except fictional locations and arcade like gameplay calling themselves sims. So it was good for older people like me who can't be bothered with the whole PC thing and just like to play a few hours on the couch. The casual simmer. No where have they ever said for the hardcore simmer and train enthusiast exclusively in promotions. If they did and you can show me I'll gladly eat crow.
For reference, this is the steam description for TSW2020: I hardly think it's changed much since then.
Had to smile at that image. Five years down the road we have steam locos with unresolved Hornby Dublo physics. And the latest and greatest in ultimate realism arriving to the West Somerset Railway any time soon, Thomas The Tank Engine…
I don't have a problem with them wanting to appeal to young people and casual gamers it makes sense for them to do so. However if they abandon realism and stop catering for enthusiasts then they will end up with a very shallow game. I'll just look elsewhere as will many others. I'm already frustrated with the recent content save for JT and TSG. I can't imagine driving trains on a mobile, it's bad enough trying to watch a video on a small screen. Personally I don't think they will stop making "realistic" content and if they do another sim will pick up the pieces. I'll keep using TSC.
I can certainly see a situation arising where DTG focus on the DLC for those wanting a quick fix while the quality third parties like TSG and JT focus on the more cerebral and classic stuff appealing to the hardcore enthusiasts. Not sure where that leaves North American stuff, though!
It leaves them looking for someone who wants to make that content. That's frankly not DTG's fault. It's a lack of someone in North America making it. On the other hand, to play devil's advocate, many of those people who would be making that content seem to be out making their own games and content separate from TSW. Run 8 is NA freight. Railroader. Railroads Online. Century of Steam (soon), etc Just got a new video from Hyce on CoS and it looks very detailed and accurate. Maybe that's part of the issue? That and so much of the playerbase being European focused, but no one wants to hear that...or that the player base is commuter focused which is why we have MBTA, LIRR, San Bernadino.... so let's stick to the devs in America working on other projects of their own. I sincerely think that TSC is DTG's focus for the TSW model in the future. They tried out "free TSW" and that went ok, so they just back off on content, focus on the core, and let third parties do the content like TSC. To them it worked well in TSC, so why not use that strategy on TSW? Then when something is buggy or needs to be updated, they can point at the third party vendors and say "hey, not my problem. That's their fault."
I do feel over the past 2 games, DTG have been shifting their target audience to be more casual players. Over hardcore simmers. Especially since the Thomas DLC
I've no doubt the Thomas DLC is a cash grab. That being said, if it brings more players and thus more revenue to re-invest and *hopefully* make the game better in future instalments; then I'm all for it.
I hate the way people listen to Classic FM and enjoy the music. How dare they when they can't play an instrument to at least grade 8 standard and don't have A-level music? How dare they like Holst and not appreciate Schoenberg. Philistines!
Mattel wouldn’t have even considered licensing if there was no market for it. Let’s be honest. For example, a friend from college, he’s autistic. Even at 27 he’s told me it’s a great idea, and wishes he had something capable of playing it. This DLC may “bring in the noobs” like MSFS releasing on Xbox, but if it brings new players, and thus a bigger audience, I can’t see this being a bad thing. Cash grab? No doubt. Good idea? 100%
