Wow makes more money

[Ogloo]

http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000763 and
http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000762

lol, But at least they are donated 50% to charity, but i mean has anyone noticed how they are coming out with more and more stuff just to get people to buy stuff that puts pixels on our screen ? lol
race transfer
faction transfer
character re-custom.
now... pet buying ;000

[Ogloo]

o i forgot name change ;0

[leroyreborn]

wow starting loot look more and more like the free to play games you see out there ;(

[Lax]

wow starting loot look more and more like the free to play games you see out there ;(

+1 Insightful. I think there's more than meets the eye here.

Obviously Blizzard is enjoying great success with WoW, and their ability to monetize the game is no doubt working out well for them. They're adding layer upon layer of additional paid services to the game. The idea is not new, but think about this.. whatever the new MMO is that they're developing, it very well could be subscription-free, but instead have the same sort of nickel and dime micropayment crap that has been plaguing the game industry. It wouldn't even be the first MMO to do this -- Runes of Magic (among others) anyone? -- but in true Blizzard fashion, they could end up defining it. I just don't see them building a subscription-based MMO with brand new IP to compete against WoW.

I think they're seeing the tip of the iceberg with WoW's bajillions of players, and in order for them to truly build their Scrooge McDuck money bin to swim in, they want to expand their customer base even further. What better way to do that than drop the subscription fees, and monetize it instead with things that women with credit cards, or people with too much money, will want to buy, in a game that is designed to have mass appeal in the first place? The whole idea is to take more money out of your wallet than that $15/month subscription fee.

Okay that last paragraph sounded a little harsh but: 1. the purpose of a business is to make money, 2. WoW makes a lot of money, and 3. they are most likely trying to figure out how to make even more of it

[Naysayer]

As long as it's not something that gives beneficial bonuses in game like 20 stam or something, then I could care less what they sell. The minute they start requiring people to buy items to compete is the moment this game goes to ****.

[Naysayer]

The monk does make some funny sounds when you click on him though.

[Stealthy]

Actually I think the fact that they are donating half the sale to Make-A-Wish is great.

I think I'll be getting some Lil KT's:

Watch with misplaced pride as he freezes critters and laughs maniacally at your vanquished PvP foes

[Malekyth]

Hah! That's awesome! I sent the links to my pet-collecting girlfriend with the question, "so, are you about to become $20 poorer?" The reply was a simple, unpunctuated "YES".

I love the idea of micro-transaction for non-competitive junk, though I haven't indulged in WoW yet. In Champions Online, I wanted a hockey mask for my second Nemesis so I sprung for the Halloween costume pack. That's the only thing I wanted from it and the only thing I used, but the fact that I could get my way without relying on luck or burning hours of grinding -- legally -- is totally appealing. More! More!

[Gadzooks]

/tinfoil hat

This just days after they lose WoW China? Good way to make up lost revenue!

/tinfoil hat off

Beat me to it!

Personally, I don't care. It's just a pet.

What i DO wonder, tho, is this is a company with 6 million subs, and they have *27* prizes for the anniversary?

C'mon.

At the very least, start throwing in-game stuff around as prizes - forget the headphones and mousepads or whatever, start giving away phoenix mounts, or a special edition chrome proto-drake, or a gold plated sircon encrusted 22 slot bag or two. They're FREE. Throw some goodies into random loot tables for the month, or add some to the boss loot tables.

They're not even giving away enough stuff to get 1 person on every server.

Heck, throw some of those nifty loot card items out there. You don't even need to design them, you just generate some codes.

Yes, I know, we all get a mini-Onyxia, which is cool, but c'mon, splurge with the prizes a little. Put an NPC in Dalaran and all of the major cities, and once a day you get to spin a wheel, or pull a slip of paper from a box or something, and give away everything from vanity pets to ore to gems, epic gems, weapons, mounts, everything.

But noooo. *27* prizes. Among 6 million. Yeah. Whoop whoop.

[Ogloo]

lol at china going offline, but i mean... how did they do that!