Blizzard Talks Free-To-Play World of Warcraft

[yoyo13rom]

If they go to free-WoW(it will happen in a somewhat distant future after the release "Word of Diablo" or a Diablo/Starcraft-subscription-game), Blizzard will put in adds.
I mean why make something free if you can't still get income from it?
Why let go off all the money, and not try a new trick/gimmick to keep on producing it?

+ Blizzard is at least as half as evil as Activision is so I won't get my hopes up for it to become a goody-two-shoes free-MMO(they will do that when no one will be willing to pay monthly subscriptions; that or launch an other expansion pack)

well over half [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101552-Kotick-Only-30-of-Activisions-Profits-Come-from-Consoles] of Activision's operating profit

 

[Marmooset]

but not until another game manages to make a serious play for WoW's crown.

So, WoW will be free to play in Spring 2011? After all, thats when SW: TOR comes out.

Yup. Just like when LOTR came out.
And Warhammer.
And Age of Conan.
And D & D online.

It's BioWare. It's Star Wars. It's KOTOR. It's all 3. Yeah, it will be different.

Oh, I have no doubt it will win the majority of this website.

 

[Billion Backs]

Quick! People! Stop playing wow for a week, and save poor suckers like me the trouble of sub fees!

Why do people assume that Free-to-Play system is somehow better?

When you have F2P, all you get for free is shit. Look at DDO - some of the best quests have to be bought. Extra races and classes have to be unlocked or bought - and without any bought content, it's going to be forever until you unlock them.

Why would you want to avoid paying some change every month when it means you'll have to pay a withered husk of the game?

Because "a little change" for me is almost all of my available money, and for all I enjoy WoW I really don't have the money to support it. Mull that over before jumping down my throat next time.

That's called having a job, buddy.

I'm in full time education, buddy.

They're not mutually exclusive, buddy.

I'm in full time education too, and 5-10 hours a week is hardly a problem. Nobody said it had to be full-time job.

 

[Marmooset]

And Angry Joe fans, and BioWare fans, and Star Wars fans, and KoTOR fans and a few others.

Star Wars fans AND KoTOR fans?
Wow.
How on Earth will you ever get those two groups to see eye-to-eye on anything?

 

[Stormz]

WoW's community is already horrible WITH a sub fee. Just imagine all the extra amount of morons and trolls coming in to play it for free. The community would sink to a whole new level.

*Shivers*

 

[SenseOfTumour]

WoW's community is already horrible WITH a sub fee. Just imagine all the extra amount of morons and trolls coming in to play it for free. The community would sink to a whole new level.

*Shivers*

sort of my thoughts except that I thought:

WoW has a fairly nice community on my server, imagine how it would go downhill if suddenly people could join in and play with no limits, no fear of being banned, as they could just go make another free account, it'd be horrible.

 

[Captain Pancake]

Quick! People! Stop playing wow for a week, and save poor suckers like me the trouble of sub fees!

Why do people assume that Free-to-Play system is somehow better?

When you have F2P, all you get for free is shit. Look at DDO - some of the best quests have to be bought. Extra races and classes have to be unlocked or bought - and without any bought content, it's going to be forever until you unlock them.

Why would you want to avoid paying some change every month when it means you'll have to pay a withered husk of the game?

Because "a little change" for me is almost all of my available money, and for all I enjoy WoW I really don't have the money to support it. Mull that over before jumping down my throat next time.

That's called having a job, buddy.

I'm in full time education, buddy.

They're not mutually exclusive, buddy.

I'm in full time education too, and 5-10 hours a week is hardly a problem. Nobody said it had to be full-time job.

Fair point, [HEADING=1]buddy.[/HEADING]

I was in a very argumentative mood, i'll just put it out there that I'm not usually like this.

 

[wordsmith]

Buy the game and pay 15$ a month and you get everything in the game if you work for it. - Monthly Subscription Model

Buy the game, or download it for free and then you have to pay say 5 bucks for a cool weapon skin, 20 for this rare mount, 40 to get these potions and exp boost. - Free to Play model (Or the F2P games I have tried)

The point I am trying to make, F2P games seem to have far less quality than those who pay subscriptions for. Also most of the cool stuff in F2P MMO's require you to pay a lot of freaking money just to get them. Unlike in Subscription where you pay a base line of 15 bucks a month.

Ok, let's do the numbers:

Even if you DO pay for all this "cool stuff" (which, by the way, you don't need to play the game, so you don't have to buy), $5 for the skin, $20 for a mount and $40 for potions... I make that $65. At $15 per month, you pay $75 every 5 months. So basically as long as they don't release "cool stuff" more regularly than that (remember, DLC's aren't weekly things), you're better off with the F2P setup.

Having said that, who in the hell pays $40 for POTIONS? You can buy whole new GAMES for that money.


Personally I say free to play or free to obtain, I refuse to pay for both. APB was looking pretty damn good, then I found out it was a subscription. It's like seeing an incredibly attractive woman and then seeing her Adams Apple - I have a sudden suspicion of anyone who sees it's there and carries on regardless.

 

[Billion Backs]

Quick! People! Stop playing wow for a week, and save poor suckers like me the trouble of sub fees!

Why do people assume that Free-to-Play system is somehow better?

When you have F2P, all you get for free is shit. Look at DDO - some of the best quests have to be bought. Extra races and classes have to be unlocked or bought - and without any bought content, it's going to be forever until you unlock them.

Why would you want to avoid paying some change every month when it means you'll have to pay a withered husk of the game?

Because "a little change" for me is almost all of my available money, and for all I enjoy WoW I really don't have the money to support it. Mull that over before jumping down my throat next time.

That's called having a job, buddy.

I'm in full time education, buddy.

They're not mutually exclusive, buddy.

I'm in full time education too, and 5-10 hours a week is hardly a problem. Nobody said it had to be full-time job.

Fair point, [HEADING=1]buddy.[/HEADING]

I was in a very argumentative mood, i'll just put it out there that I'm not usually like this.

Same here, no worries. Don't think I can outdo that buddy there...

 

[Ickorus]

Oh yeah, and it's EA! What do you think they're gonna do with their MMO?

Somehow screw it up? They seem to be good at doing that with their games.