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World of Warcraft |OT7| Feel the hatred of 10,000 Murlocs
- Thread starter ampere
- Start date
Blizzard cares despite what they say. More than any of us.
I'd argue they say they care but they really don't if you think about what they're doing to keep them.
They could be doing many, many things to attempt to keep subscribers but they're not doing much, just the bare minimum to keep the usual userbase with something to look forward to.
Let's not imagine they're watching helplessly numbers go down and panicking in their offices wondering what to do.
They have a cycle as their strategy based on the data they have.
Well, the real benefit of the token to Blizzard is that people are paying $20 a month for subs rather than $15. So it's 33% more revenue per sub bought with tokens
JORMBO
Darkness no more
My guess is around 4-4.5 million. They really need to start pumping out good patches on a regular basis like other games do. WoD only had 1 real content patch, and that's really bad considering how many subs Blizzards has (and had).
I don't think anyone really cares. It's just an interesting topic.
I don't think anyone really cares. It's just an interesting topic.
I think the sub-numbers are really only worth discussing in the context of "Man, WoW was on top of the world at one point." Because otherwise, no other MMO playerbase numbers get any headlines these days. Granted that's probably because the genre in general isn't at the forefront of the PC gaming consciousness anymore (thanks largely to the rise MOBAs and the general stagnation of the MMORPG genre). I can't remember the last time TESO or FFXIV's playerbase sizes were something anybody actually cared about.
If WoW was still Blizzard's only real cash-cow at this point, then it certainly would be bigger news. But they've wisely diversified their portfolio over the last four years with the likes of Hearthstone, HOTS, and Overwatch and have given themselves other sources of revenue.
If WoW was still Blizzard's only real cash-cow at this point, then it certainly would be bigger news. But they've wisely diversified their portfolio over the last four years with the likes of Hearthstone, HOTS, and Overwatch and have given themselves other sources of revenue.
I don't think anyone is imagining that, or at least I hope not. But Blizzard would certainly care about how many people are playing their game for pretty obvious reasons. I mean, I would like to think they can look at WoD and see that what they did here isn't what they should do for keeping subs.
Nah, I agree with Rob Pardo, people just don't want to use the term MMO anymore because of expectations (thanks to WoW). Destiny is a themepark MMO despite what semantics people want to argue (it is just a stripped down WoW with guns). DayZ, Ark, Rust and all those games are just classic sandbox MMOs. MMOs haven't stagnated or anything, people have just chosen to stop using the term.
What I mean is to me it's pretty clear they've come to the conclusion than the ressources being put into "keeping" subcribers (as in regular meaty patches for example) outweight the value of the number of subs they would keep.
They know a few millions will stay subscribed even if they add nothing substantial for a year.
They know many people quit without doing most content of an xpac and don't come back for patches.
Whether or not their conclusion is the good one is another story, but that's what they're rolling with atm. They have expansion releases in mind and have both upped the price and added pricy tokens to offset the cost of lost subscriptions. They expected subs to drop a lot in advance and they're trying to maintain their revenue that way.
I don't think the benefit of this strategy will last that long but anyway we're probably closer to the end of the amount of new stuff being added than the beginning, so maybe that's their long term strategy. For as long as I can remember their target was always new or returning players rather than people who want to continue playing, but maybe in the next years they'll have to cater to the existing playerbase rather than to people who'll no longer exist.
I mean...it was less than a year ago that WoW was putting up strong sub numbers. This is the first time WoW has seen a drop this precipitous, and the question remains for just how far the floor has fallen out beneath them.
No argument from me man, I totally agree.
I've said numerous times that pandering to the people who claim they used to like WoW is a strategy I don't like. In my mind their first goal should always be catering to the people who are actually interested in playing long term.
Good point - I guess I hadn't considered that.
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
Don't forget to do your Day of the Dead stuff! 5 toys just for gold, and an easy to get, powerful pet!
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
Mythic cache pls. Treads of the Defiler again, but indestructible, rather than warforged + socket.
Trinket woulda be nice. Or like neck/wrist/cloak.
Trinket woulda be nice. Or like neck/wrist/cloak.
It took me 5 years to get the Qiraji mount and I did a LOT of archeology, even had realm first achievements in the profession.
StormyTheRabbit
Member
StormyTheRabbit
Member
I got 1 during MoP without even trying to farm them. Then, last week I had the bright idea:
"Lets farm Skyshards! Itll be eaaaaasy."
Worst part was, I got my second within 10 minutes of farming...Did it for 12 hours following that, got nothing.
Yeah I don't need that reskin THAT badly.
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
I think I have something like 5 Skyshards, but the prospect of farming more isn't that appealing when I consider what else I could be doing with my life 
Archaeology bug I still want real bad, but man that shit is the worst. Can't even buy my way to disappointed dreams anymore (with motes of harmony).
Archaeology bug I still want real bad, but man that shit is the worst. Can't even buy my way to disappointed dreams anymore (with motes of harmony).
CarbonatedFalcon
Member
Fastest thing I know is be a DK, port to Acherus, then fly back. Should be faster than walking out.
Robin64
Member
Yep.
fuck yes
My first time attending so hell yes!
Anoregon
The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I'm definitely curious at least, if not entirely optimistic. I'll be at a wedding all weekend so I'll have a nice information binge waiting for me when I get home sunday night.
This is the time for them to really wow us (no pun intended) with Legion shit. Give us tons of class change info, show a bunch more artifacts, get into other new things that the initial reveal didn't get into.
Also, Highmountain should have tamable wolverines for Hunters. The game really needs a solid wolverine/badger model.
This is the time for them to really wow us (no pun intended) with Legion shit. Give us tons of class change info, show a bunch more artifacts, get into other new things that the initial reveal didn't get into.
Also, Highmountain should have tamable wolverines for Hunters. The game really needs a solid wolverine/badger model.
I want my priest class hall!
and diablo 3's adventure mode. Random quests and bounties in old zones (I mean, if a demonic army invading the world is not the perfect excuse for them to make us go back to old zones nothing will and they're officially lazy) so the world feels alive and relevant again.
Don't screw up the rewards, make separate sets and currency if you have to.
...who am I kidding, they'll just steal GW2's system and scale down our level so we can do the old quests again. (which honestly would appeal to me but still)
and diablo 3's adventure mode. Random quests and bounties in old zones (I mean, if a demonic army invading the world is not the perfect excuse for them to make us go back to old zones nothing will and they're officially lazy) so the world feels alive and relevant again.
Don't screw up the rewards, make separate sets and currency if you have to.
...who am I kidding, they'll just steal GW2's system and scale down our level so we can do the old quests again. (which honestly would appeal to me but still)
RoninChaos
Member
Rösti;183741998 said:
High 3s, low 4s.
Do it on a rogue with the talent so you can sprint all the time.
This scene probably involves his wife. Thats why he's sad.
I'd actually like a mix of the two things you mention. After playing a bunch of random MMOs I've noticed one of the things I really like that most of them have yet WoW doesn't for some reason is public questing in every zone. Stuff like the events in GW2, FATES in FF14, Rifts in Rift. Those types of systems are cool as they keep zones relevant forever. You can always go back to them and just kill stuff but still get some sort of character progression regardless of your level. Seems like a dream system for Blizzard imo, it's something you put into the game once and it never loses value (assuming you balance and update rewards properly as patches/expansions come along).
Don't really even need the Legion excuse for it either, have the events in each zone tailored to the storylines of said zone and it wouldn't feel outdated once a new expansion comes along. Could even give them an excuse to finally do stuff with zones that never served a purpose to begin with like Gilneas, Crystalsong Forest, and Deadwind pass.
Considering the darkmoon faire and the holiday events are "updated" every three years at best I'm not holding my breath on that front :lol:
And actually I think legion events would not be outdated. Zones storylines are long done and still stuck in the cataclysm, but some demons doing shady shit is timeless.
In any case, that the old zones were abandonned for so long is fucking shameful for a world as big and played. At this point 90% of the game is irrelevant and useless, it's way past time to do something.
Cataclysm's makeover was cool and all but such a huge waste of time and ressources
cool art
Well I mostly meant that it would fit the tone of the zone better if the events tied into the story of those zones because they are clearly not going to update the storylines, so they may as well try and go for continuity. Also now that I think about it I think demons in every single zone would be kind of overkill and would run together after a while. BUT ANYWAY.
I agree it's shameful zones are abandoned the way they are. I honestly never thought much about it much until WoD but removing max level dailies (and no I don't really count apexis shit, c'mon now) made me realize how bad it is. They essentially abandoned the WoD zones the moment you are done questing in them, that is even crazier to me.
I'm interested. Give me more Demon Hunter info. Also interested in LotV and possibly some new Diablo stuff.
Shaohao it is then :lol
Can get Huolon's mount while I'm at it too.
Yep, make a DK.
JSoup
Banned
The whole open event/rift system would be great in WoW if for no other reason but because we know it works. It's one of the best things about GW2 and it's such a kick in the balls to come back to a current daily in WoW, then remember "right, not a community, we're all against each other".
It depends heavily on RGN and how much time you're willing to put into it. I wanted Qiraji mount and the skeleton raptor mount, so I spent the better part of a sick week doing nothing but archaeology, ended up getting them both on the last day. That was during Cata.
I've always thought about going for this mount.
Nah.
It depends heavily on RGN and how much time you're willing to put into it. I wanted Qiraji mount and the skeleton raptor mount, so I spent the better part of a sick week doing nothing but archaeology, ended up getting them both on the last day. That was during Cata.
Huh??
uh, where did you read that?
Brawndo Addict
Banned
I haven't played an MMO seriously since tapping out of WoW, but I was amazed at how much I abhorred traditional questing after getting exposed to public questing. It's just so much more intuitive and immersive. I mean yeah, once you understand the 'cycle' it feels a little gamey, but it just makes it so much easier to explore and jump in and out of stuff. I still enjoy a good linear quest-line, but that's not really where MMOs shine in the first place.
JSoup
Banned
http://www.pcgamer.com/warcraft-movie-poster-teases-the-beginning-and-an-incoming-trailer/
And other articles as well noting that there is a subtitle of "The Beginning".
Robin64
Member
And the Warcraft Facebook page.