Just putting this here so it doesn’t get lost in the News Feed.

It’s exactly what it sounds like, purchase a subscription for a user.

Pros -Subeta is a business and needs money to operate, mentioned making decisions based off of concrete cyclical income, which makes sense. This would boost that income. -Non US users can have access to subscriptions and the benefits associated them. -Users who are not in a financial position to subscribe, can have access to subscriptions and the benefits associated with them. -They can be used as gifts -They can be used as event prizes -Probably many more pros

Cons -There’s none let us do it I was wrong there are some -Doesn’t fit current subscription model -Subscription renewal rate will likely be super low with a gifted subscription

If anyone has any ideas on an alternative solution, please let us know! The goal is to create more cash flow for Subeta and give non-subscribers an opportunity to have subscription benefits (an alternative solution should have an answer for both of those goals)

I would buy a few!

Support! I was definitely thinking this when I saw that some users really wanted a subscription but didn't have an option for one. I'd be happy to 'sponsor' another user now and then! :3

Unfortunately we can't really do the same modeling off someone who was gifted a subscription (and is unlikely to continue paying for it when it runs up) as for someone who has subscribed (even monthly) to a subscription.

This is one of those situations where we have to make a tough call and exclude some folks :/

you really can't do some kind of "buddy gold account++ ultra" situation? that seems like it'd be really nice, like gifting discord nitro or twitch prime

[edit] i understand if it's incompatible with the way subscriptions are currently set up, coding-wise, but i really do think some kind of "melody" tier/option that gifts the $5 tier benefits to another user could be a nice thing to have.

Yeah I thought about that. I guess finding a solution isn’t entirely simple, but with Quester costing only $5 subscribing for 20-40 users is super realistic.

I know that not fitting the current model is an issue, but for the non-renewal piece that you brought up, what if a gifted sub is made to be a 3 month minimum? That way quarterly earnings will reflect some stability with that platform. I’d commit to that.

I’m not trying to over complicate, just brainstorming on how y’all can diffuse some of the saltiness and increase the generated income (because some of us love giving the site money because we understand how the world works). Plus doing a monetary favor for someone just fosters happiness.

I'm all for making this available for users who don't have the means - gifting is great but I'm not sure enough users would gift enough to make it warrant the cost of coding. There would need to be some option for users to buy it with their on site currency - the actual user buying the subscription would only have the option of real world $$$$.

I had the same thought of DefJamRecords of maybe making the gift/tradeable option limited to extended subscriptions. Doing it per quarter / whatever extended frequency still sticks with the current intent of streamlined revenue. You could track it separately from regular subscriptions and this would be unearned revenue but still gives you an idea of a constant stream for those short term periods. Your still getting the desired effect of knowing you get 3 months of income its just prepaid. Not doing something like this just locks out revenue.

The other and simplest option is to make it available as a CSC opponent after an extended period of time. It would need to be long enough so people just don't wait it out (1 year?). This would also help move some CSC out. Basically the added perk for subscribers is early access to special cash shop challengers and no user is permanently locked out. Also requires no additional heavy coding resources.

[edit] Just pigging backing on brainstorming :p I definately get not pleasing everyone.
[/edit]

Could you clarify a little more what changes with the model if someone is gifted a sub? When first mentioned this, I was instantly reminded of somewhere like Twitch where you can subscribe for a month and then need to renew your subscription. However, you also have the option to gift out as many paid subscriptions as you want while still buying a subscription for yourself. A viewer is given three options:

1. Gift subscriptions anonymously
2. Gift a bunch of subscriptions to random viewers online (don't see this really working for subeta)
3. Gift specific users 1 month subscriptions

All three options can only be gifted to viewers that don't already have an active subscription.

This way subeta is still being funded, subeta is actually gaining more subscriptions as a person can gift as many subs as they want, and you have the chance for one of the gifted subscribers to rejoin once the month is over or pay it forward and gift someone else. I also think there is to an extent a community/camaraderie aspect to it to help friends or new players out while also contributing to subeta. A new player might think, "Wow, these subscription perks are great! I should buy another one next month."

I'd be all for this.

This idea is wonderful and generous. I don't understand, why Keith throws it out of the window. Yes, this would not add to the "stable" income (unless, like Wesker pointed out, the encounter with the goodies added appeals so much to the gifted person, they decide to renew and subscribe themselves from then on). But more subscriptions being bought, simply means more income on top of the regular, faithful subscribers. Why not go for it?

• unless it's not doable from a programming point of view. But, sorry, layman speaking, what works for Buddy GAs should also be feasible for Buddy Subscriptions?

There's nothing to be lost only possible gain in the suggestion. I rather feel, that the masses of Buddy GAs hurt the system.

I feel like I'm whining here, but a problem is that if a user isn't very interested in CWs, there's not a whole lot to buy with csc and the current subscription perks are unattractive. And with csc so cheap, it's really unappealing to buy in order to sell for sP either. Depending on how much work it is to revamp the subscription model to add Twitch-like gifted subs, it might be worth it in order to provide players who want to support the site something they can actually spend money on that isn't CWs.

It just seems like all of Subeta's income eggs are wrapped up in the CW basket.

Fair enough, thanks for the feedback!

Does that mean, coding subscription gifting is so expensive, that the bought subscriptions woul'd not pay for the work, thus not increase the income?

that's exactly what it means.

I honestly can't imagine that the number of users that would utilize this feature more than once is enough to justify spending money paying a coder to work it out.