Blizzard is still selling stupid numbers of copies of every expansion and enough people pay a sub through the two years expansions last that the game without a doubt remains a cash cow. Add on top of that all the mounts they add for $25 a pop, realm transfers, race changes (yay allied races) that many players buy and they really don't have an incentive to make the game free to play.
Personally I've bought 5 race changes due to allied races coming out and know several others who are on a similar level. Even if everyone stopped buying the extra stuff, all we might see a reduction in price. To see the game go free to play, they need to completely bomb the sales of an expansion and see bad subscriber numbers. At that point if they want to sell extra stuff, opening the game up to flood people back in to the drug that is WoW and getting them for a few cosmetics would be the way to go.
I hope they never go free to play though. The minimal barrier of entry helps keep out a decent chunk of "spam" like people legitimately spamming you with crap or people who just make an account to load up some hacks. If memory serves correct there was actually a point in time where CS:GO wasn't on sale during a Steam sale pretty much just to deter cheaters from picking up more copies. It isn't a big deal now though since not only is CS:GO free to play, but to actually get into the "real" queues you need to buy the game and put a verified phone number on your steam account. I'd be cool if Blizzard wanted to provide a similar setting where I could join a paid-game guild, paid-game dungeon finder (lul don't even use it), and paid-game battleground queues. Makes me feel like a bit of a dick but really, there's just too many negative with F2P games. Look at all the shit disturbers on League of Legends. They'd be singing a different tune if they were going to lose their initial buy-in to the game for getting banned. The only thing that keeps some people half nice is knowing they could lose their skin collection worth hundreds. Little kiddos though don't have many skins and so they'll just talk as much shit as they want all day.
A bit off-topic, but what do you think was the best WoW expansion post WotLK?
WotLK was the best expansion ever. They added so much content and the death knights were so powerful but also fun to play and not too much crazier than the next most powerful class. I think Legion was a pretty fun expansion. Had fun flying around and throwing crazy knives as a demon hunter.
I stopped playing after wotlk. Played a few expansions after, briefly for like a month or two at a time.
After you play for a while you realize it's just a money sapper and they add so much content to keep players busy with stuff to do. The people who still play wow are super invested and will pretty much keep the franchise afloat. I don't know the actual statistics but I would be shocked if the player base has actually grown in the last 5 years.
technically it's free to play up to level 20 with one character, and it also counts toward unlocking the paladin portrait in hearthstone for reaching level 20 with any class
A bit off-topic, but what do you think was the best WoW expansion post WotLK?
WotLK was the best expansion ever. They added so much content and the death knights were so powerful but also fun to play and not too much crazier than the next most powerful class. I think Legion was a pretty fun expansion. Had fun flying around and throwing crazy knives as a demon hunter.
I stopped playing after wotlk. Played a few expansions after, briefly for like a month or two at a time.
After you play for a while you realize it's just a money sapper and they add so much content to keep players busy with stuff to do. The people who still play wow are super invested and will pretty much keep the franchise afloat. I don't know the actual statistics but I would be shocked if the player base has actually grown in the last 5 years.
Weird ... i hated nearly everything about WotLK. It ruined so many important aspects of the game. In fact, the roots of the "money sapper" nature of modern WoW can be traced directly to that expansion.
That's why I'm looking forward to Classic, and I hope in the future Classic doesn't blindly follow the progression of the expansions. I would rather see it follow a new trajectory that respects the core of the game and the ideas that set it apart from what it devolved into.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Why, you never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose nor a body to kick." -- Lady Saba Holland
A bit off-topic, but what do you think was the best WoW expansion post WotLK?
WotLK was the best expansion ever. They added so much content and the death knights were so powerful but also fun to play and not too much crazier than the next most powerful class. I think Legion was a pretty fun expansion. Had fun flying around and throwing crazy knives as a demon hunter.
I stopped playing after wotlk. Played a few expansions after, briefly for like a month or two at a time.
After you play for a while you realize it's just a money sapper and they add so much content to keep players busy with stuff to do. The people who still play wow are super invested and will pretty much keep the franchise afloat. I don't know the actual statistics but I would be shocked if the player base has actually grown in the last 5 years.
Weird ... i hated nearly everything about WotLK. It ruined so many important aspects of the game. In fact, the roots of the "money sapper" nature of modern WoW can be traced directly to that expansion.
That's why I'm looking forward to Classic, and I hope in the future Classic doesn't blindly follow the progression of the expansions. I would rather see it follow a new trajectory that respects the core of the game and the ideas that set it apart from what it devolved into.
You get that Classic is just Vanilla WoW and nothing else. No expansions. No new content. Just Vanilla and nothing else.
Mists of Pandaria was actually decent looking back. For me at least, I loved the aesthetic and had a ton of fun with it. Comparing it to Draenor, Legion and BFA and it's not even close,
I'm not sure when it will be truly FTP but I haven't paid a single $ since they implemented wow token (subscription for in-game gold) which was like 5-6 years ago, so it's kinda FTP already.
Just wondering if anyone has heard anything about this.
I suspect that the answer is a resounding no. It is possible that Blizzard could do something like a premium subscription for $19.99 or $29.99 a month that gave you access to woW, all Standard cards in Hearthstone, All heroes and skins in Overwatch, All heroes and skins on HotS, and all expansions for Starcraft II. As long as you had a subscription active. Otherwise you could just pay for a WoW sub, buy loot crates, buy card packs etc. I would certainly pay double my current WoW sub to get those extras. If loot boxes/ card packs get classified as gambling in the US then I feel like we will see them shift to a sub for each game or one master sub.
Just wondering if anyone has heard anything about this.
i think you posted this in the wrong category and the answer is no.
no
Rejoice, for even in death, you have become children of Thanos.
It is FTP to level 20
Honestly, I don't really think so.
Blizzard is still selling stupid numbers of copies of every expansion and enough people pay a sub through the two years expansions last that the game without a doubt remains a cash cow. Add on top of that all the mounts they add for $25 a pop, realm transfers, race changes (yay allied races) that many players buy and they really don't have an incentive to make the game free to play.
Personally I've bought 5 race changes due to allied races coming out and know several others who are on a similar level. Even if everyone stopped buying the extra stuff, all we might see a reduction in price. To see the game go free to play, they need to completely bomb the sales of an expansion and see bad subscriber numbers. At that point if they want to sell extra stuff, opening the game up to flood people back in to the drug that is WoW and getting them for a few cosmetics would be the way to go.
I hope they never go free to play though. The minimal barrier of entry helps keep out a decent chunk of "spam" like people legitimately spamming you with crap or people who just make an account to load up some hacks. If memory serves correct there was actually a point in time where CS:GO wasn't on sale during a Steam sale pretty much just to deter cheaters from picking up more copies. It isn't a big deal now though since not only is CS:GO free to play, but to actually get into the "real" queues you need to buy the game and put a verified phone number on your steam account. I'd be cool if Blizzard wanted to provide a similar setting where I could join a paid-game guild, paid-game dungeon finder (lul don't even use it), and paid-game battleground queues. Makes me feel like a bit of a dick but really, there's just too many negative with F2P games. Look at all the shit disturbers on League of Legends. They'd be singing a different tune if they were going to lose their initial buy-in to the game for getting banned. The only thing that keeps some people half nice is knowing they could lose their skin collection worth hundreds. Little kiddos though don't have many skins and so they'll just talk as much shit as they want all day.
Ever yes at some point decades from now I would guess. Any time soon no.
No and I dont think they should. Yes, bfa is a dumpster fire right now but the fanbase is loyal
A bit off-topic, but what do you think was the best WoW expansion post WotLK?
WotLK was the best expansion ever. They added so much content and the death knights were so powerful but also fun to play and not too much crazier than the next most powerful class. I think Legion was a pretty fun expansion. Had fun flying around and throwing crazy knives as a demon hunter.
I stopped playing after wotlk. Played a few expansions after, briefly for like a month or two at a time.
After you play for a while you realize it's just a money sapper and they add so much content to keep players busy with stuff to do. The people who still play wow are super invested and will pretty much keep the franchise afloat. I don't know the actual statistics but I would be shocked if the player base has actually grown in the last 5 years.
technically it's free to play up to level 20 with one character, and it also counts toward unlocking the paladin portrait in hearthstone for reaching level 20 with any class
think it would never happen!! like ever!
I think what you're looking for are private servers.
If you thought you knew what you think I know, then you'd know I knew you knew I know.
Weird ... i hated nearly everything about WotLK. It ruined so many important aspects of the game. In fact, the roots of the "money sapper" nature of modern WoW can be traced directly to that expansion.
That's why I'm looking forward to Classic, and I hope in the future Classic doesn't blindly follow the progression of the expansions. I would rather see it follow a new trajectory that respects the core of the game and the ideas that set it apart from what it devolved into.
"Why, you never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose nor a body to kick." -- Lady Saba Holland
You get that Classic is just Vanilla WoW and nothing else. No expansions. No new content. Just Vanilla and nothing else.
yes it will be, just give them couple more years
Dead but dreaming
There is you’re answer 👆
Mists of Pandaria was actually decent looking back. For me at least, I loved the aesthetic and had a ton of fun with it. Comparing it to Draenor, Legion and BFA and it's not even close,
I'm not sure when it will be truly FTP but I haven't paid a single $ since they implemented wow token (subscription for in-game gold) which was like 5-6 years ago, so it's kinda FTP already.
Two words: Private server.
I suspect that the answer is a resounding no. It is possible that Blizzard could do something like a premium subscription for $19.99 or $29.99 a month that gave you access to woW, all Standard cards in Hearthstone, All heroes and skins in Overwatch, All heroes and skins on HotS, and all expansions for Starcraft II. As long as you had a subscription active. Otherwise you could just pay for a WoW sub, buy loot crates, buy card packs etc. I would certainly pay double my current WoW sub to get those extras. If loot boxes/ card packs get classified as gambling in the US then I feel like we will see them shift to a sub for each game or one master sub.