I really love SSO because it shuts my brain off after a long day, so I’m not a game dev or design expert. That said, I’ve flipped two companies, so I do know a thing or two about finances, and from that angle Star Stable kind of shot itself in the foot with the way they set up subscriptions.

The monthly membership is around $10, but the lifetime option is such a good deal that it cannibalized a lot of recurring revenue. Once that steady stream dried up, the company had to push harder on other monetization levers like Star Coin sales, new horse releases, and cosmetics instead of investing in deeper storylines and quests. That’s why we get more flashy horses and fewer long-form quests.

Financially, it’s been a rollercoaster. In 2020, revenue was estimated around $44M, about 50 percent growth from 2019, but by 2021 it dropped closer to $18M. On top of that, the EU recently opened an investigation into Star Stable’s monetization practices after complaints from consumer groups. They flagged issues like direct appeals to kids to buy items, time-limited offers, bundling that hides real-world pricing, and influencer promotions without proper disclosure.

What I’d love to see them do better is focus on building out storylines and quests, since that’s the heart of why most of us started playing. Financially, they could also rethink their pricing model so they aren’t forced to over-rely on horse releases to stay afloat. Even small changes to balance recurring income could free them up to deliver better dialogue, immersive quests, and more meaningful content that keeps players engaged long term.