Prediction: upcoming sneak peak heroes available all the time
Think about it in light of recent and upcoming changes.
1) removal of DE zapping
2) 3hr kick off to ensure more defending and other changes designed to encourage proper defending (24/7 heroes mean we get them on regular defenses as well as to attack with)
3) No more TH snipes and changes to loot bonuses meaning less DE generated from higher league without spending resources.
I think supercell is going this direction. They will do what everyone is saying they will not. Heroes will be available all the time. DE, not the upgrade time, will be the new constraint in hero progression. They will make the money elsewhere via increased boosting of troops, hero boosting and DE drill boosts. They may also increase the DE amount required to do the upgrades.
I am willing to bet and guessing supercell is thinking the same that increased velocity of micro transactions will net higher profits than the few odd whales who gem their heroes.
People who pay to gem heroes result in no revenue once they quickly max them anyhow. The larger amount of money on the table is all of us with closed wallets not willing to pay to gem hero upgrade times.
Supercell will increase their net profits many times over with this. We all will get a better game. I am looking forward to this sneak peak and very excited for the update! #holiday wish heroes 24/7
People do not understand my OP
I do not predict this will happen solely because it is good for the game.
It is going to happen because supercell is a smart company and will realize they can make more $ with this change.
The comments saying "it will not happen because supercell is a business" are missing the point.
I predict this change will happen precisely because supercell is a smart company that wants to maximize their potential profit.
many shall eat their words
I shall emerge the Nostradamus of clash and necro this thread to make the nay sayers eat their words. Just watch, Supercell will do this because they are smart and will make even more money in alternate ways.
did so in my OP and second post
but...
more profitable because
1) other changes combined resulting in DE being the constraint not upgrade time which results in...
2) more DE drill boosting
3) more hero boosting (you cant boost sleeping heroes)
4) more boosting in general because I cant be the only player who just logs to minis when the heroes on their main is upgrading. (minis if you have a few can live off trees so you don't spend on these accounts)
5) Better long term profits via better retention and a funner game.
6) greater incentive to straight out buy DE. You would have to be a pretty hardcore gemmer to gem both upgrade time and the DE itself. But if you can arn't looking at losing your heroes you might buy that last remaining DE at the end of a session and start the upgrade knowing you can farm more with the hero later.
7) goodwill: my first gem purchase was not because i wanted an in game advantage. What broke my cherry was playing for months in a game i enjoyed and wanting to reward the company for a job well done. That first purchase was only a $4.99 thank you to supercell.
Make a good game and consumers will reward. Once you lose that gemming virginity you just want it.
Note: Gemming hero upgrade time is finite. Once max level you stop gemming that. Happy customers boosting the things listed in the above points is indefinite, an infinite source of revenue.
do not underestimate boosters
I spend 90 gems for every boost session.
I boost at absolute minimum 2X a day but only when heroes are up. So 90X2X7= 1260 gems.
1260 gems or possibly much more since 2X is absolute minimum and on some days i do 6-8X.
1260 gems not spent because I was not playing my main account and was on a mini that I do not spend $ on for one week.
Cost of gemming heroes 7 days is less. 1000 gems will gem a 7 day hero upgrade.
I am sure that I am not the only player like this. It is not that I am too cheap and unwilling to spend money on a game. It is that the value proposition is currently wrong.
So what of the people who will boost and gem hero time? I am willing to bet with a high degree of certainty that there are far more people out there to offset this amount willing to boost more if they could only use heroes all the time.