How can WoW still justify a subcription model?

[Ickorus]

it is the only damn MMO in which you can not buy power or shortcuts.

This is probably the answer. There's no free lunch with MMOs. If you don't pay a subscription, you will be paying for power or progress which is less balanced and less fun.

A better question would be "how can you justify free-to-play models, when they inevitably ruin the gameplay?"

This is a ridiculous argument, there are plenty of games that do free to play without a pay to win model.

Examples you say?

League of Legends & Planetside 2 are two brilliant examples and to a lesser degree (because they're buy to play) Guild Wars & Guild Wars 2 could also be listed.

EDIT:

I missed you saying 'progress', not everyone has the time to grind, just because a game allows people to bypass it so they can get on to the interesting things doesn't make it bad in the slightest, a lot of us have jobs and other obligations.

 

[Lilani]

What eludes me is why subscription fees NEED to be justified.

Now its impossible to try to say subs are better than microtrans model, but Its abundantly clear to me at least that playing in an MMO w/ micro transaction model is not only not enjoyable, its completely devoid of any chance for immersion.

So If there was a modern MMO that was not built around antiquated MMO conventions set forth by WoW and EQ that was actually worth playing I would gladly play a subscription fee.

Playing in a microtrans MMO feels like living in the valley of perpetual popup ads. I dont care how "free" it is, thats an eyesore I do not wish to subject myself to. Its a shame too because this acceptance of the micro trans model has accomplished little more than leaving the MMO landscape a vapid malignancy. Why would anyone willingly subject themselves to that?

I feel the same way. I've played both subscription-based and microtrans MMOs before, and I can get fairly lost into the subscription ones, but the microtrans ones feel like reading through Skymall magazine. "Hey, look at all these things you don't need but we want you to pay way too much money for anyway! You'll enjoy life so much better if you have them! BUY NOW, BUY NOW, BUY NOW!"

WoW is still making money, as far as I know. Maybe not as much as they used to, but I don't see why they should change their business model at this stage. Besides, making such a transition will be very difficult and piss off the current player base beyond reason. The balance won't be right for a good long while, and thousands will leave just on principle. Gamers are funny like that, but frankly I couldn't blame them. Maybe microtrans games didn't exist as much when WoW started, but they certainly exist now so people looking for that experience have plenty of alternatives to explore.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

They can justify it because people are willing to pay it.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

It doesn't have to. It always was, and apparently, people are still happy to shell out. I think the videogame industry as a whole will reach a point where all the dickbag major publishers go "Oh fuck. We could have been doing this the whole time. Let's subtly try and put subscription models in our games, and hope nobody cares enough that we lose money over it". I mean really, CoD would make a ridiculous amount of money with subscriptions, by which I mean, a more ridiculous amount than it makes now.

 

[jackpipsam]

Well they have no reason to switch.

I play WoW sometimes and I have never had an issue paying $15 (with the amount of time I put into MMOs that is a low cost to pay).

Many MMOs start to lose support and get less and less updates (like TERA only gets updates because the game successful in its native South Korea) and when a game has little support it's hard to put a price on it.

World of Warcraft has constant updates which in my own opinion are worth the money.
Also World of Warcraft is less buggy than many MMOs on the market and overall more polished.


Don't expect WoW to switch models soon, MMOs like Asheron's Call still get content and that's a sub based game with less than 5K players, so WoW has no problem what so ever.

 

[Jeremy Skitz]

Can WOW justify a subscription model?

Apparently.

 

[Denamic]

It can justify it because people are willing to pay for it. There's better ways to do it, but they're sticking to what they feel works. And it actually does work for them. So far.

 

[Bvenged]

Am I THE only one, last person on earth, chosen of gods, the one and only, unique person that plays WoW because its fun? Am I the sole person...

(5 minutes later)

...statistical anomaly that liked WoW from its start to present? Does everyone else hates it or plays only because of addiction and/or social entanglement?

I pretty much only play PVE unless I need gear, and read the quest text at every opportunity. I think we're not alone, we're just not the type that talks about WoW.

I've loved WoW since 2006, when I first played it!

In fact, I love all aspect of it except for raiding, because I've never come around to doing that properly. I play the game for a few months and level a character or two where I then get bored and stop playing for year or 2, where I start again on a renewed 2-3 month subscription. That's just what I find fun in the game: Dungeons, quests, lore and a little PvP.

 

[Bvenged]

I can just take the same answer I gave to an incredibly similar thread [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.398174-How-is-WoW-able-to-keep-its-subsricption-service-going?] a week ago and post it here. There's no point giving a different answer to a variant of the same question, not that I'm trying to be impersonal or anything but I can't spare half an hour to recall it:

Because the content added or changed to that game in patches in short periods of time is monumental, especially compared to other MMO's.

Granted, the standalone cost of the games (WoW, TBC, WotLK, Cata, MoP) cover the costs to a lot of what they add, but the constant evolution of the game is funded by player subscriptions. Lets face it, £9 a month isn't exactly much. A lot of people pay more than that for a [sim-only] phone contract.

If you all stop buying overpriced iPhone contracts you could easily afford an MMO or two, and get a decent smartphone for a cheaper contract (£10 or £15/m) too. If you mange your money properly and don't waste it, you can easily subsidise the cost of a game subscription and for WoW it's still worth it. The amount of entertainment value that game offers is just unrivalled - and I haven't even played it in 2 years!

I'm sure Blizzard make a killer profit from it too, but a lot of people are quite happy to pay to play, and by paying a subscription it ensures Blizzard won't start cutting down on content and the game can keep growing.

I don't play EVE, but I believe it's the same story for them. A highly populated game that's well liked, with a fast growth in "free" content. A small subscription charge is what allows these games to maintain longevity. I can buy WoW up to Cata for £20, and 2 months makes it £36, whereas Guild Wars 2 isn't half the game in size and scope, or length, and doesn't grow at anywhere near the same rate, but that costs me £35. It still all adds up to be relatively fair for these big MMOs that are subscription-based still.

 

[Ickorus]

it is the only damn MMO in which you can not buy power or shortcuts.

This is probably the answer. There's no free lunch with MMOs. If you don't pay a subscription, you will be paying for power or progress which is less balanced and less fun.

A better question would be "how can you justify free-to-play models, when they inevitably ruin the gameplay?"

This is a ridiculous argument, there are plenty of games that do free to play without a pay to win model.

Examples you say?

League of Legends & Planetside 2 are two brilliant examples and to a lesser degree (because they're buy to play) Guild Wars & Guild Wars 2 could also be listed.

EDIT:

I missed you saying 'progress', not everyone has the time to grind, just because a game allows people to bypass it so they can get on to the interesting things doesn't make it bad in the slightest, a lot of us have jobs and other obligations.

I don't consider Planetside 2 or LoL to be MMORPGs which is what this thread (at least from what I can tell) is talking about. Guild Wars 2 is not "Free-To-Play". It is a "Pay-To-Play" game without a Subscription as you have to pay for the game itself first (which is still around 45-60 USD IIRC). While you don't have to pay for a subscription, it is hardly free.

Games like LOTRO or NeverWinter are true F2P games as you can play the game without ever having to spend a dime. Mind you they have tons of Micro-Transaction that annoy the living hell out of you (at least for LOTRO).

Well, the argument the quoted user was putting forward was that Free to Play MMOs don't work so I pointed to successful Free to Play games whose methods could be employed in MMOs.

I also mentioned myself that the Guild Wars games aren't free to play but employ very successful cash shops that allow them to survive without a subscription model that I'm sure free to play games could also employ.

 

[Ashannon Blackthorn]

Am I THE only one, last person on earth, chosen of gods, the one and only, unique person that plays WoW because its fun? Am I the sole person...

(5 minutes later)

...statistical anomaly that liked WoW from its start to present? Does everyone else hates it or plays only because of addiction and/or social entanglement?

I pretty much only play PVE unless I need gear, and read the quest text at every opportunity. I think we're not alone, we're just not the type that talks about WoW.

Agreed the vocal bunch that scream and yell and rant and rave about how horrible wow is and how much is casualized or caters to hardcore or etc etc blah blah yakkity-smakkity, are a very very small minority of the wow player base. Just sadly they the ones you see because they the ones that stand up and scream the loudest.

I play wow as a hobby. Same as my mother gardens, the step father collects coins, my roomie works out, my friends collects unicorn, another friend plays various FPS online, another plays civ 5... a hobby. I spend my subscription on it over the year. I might buy a store pet if I like the design. (like the cinder kitten) so for anyone to tell me to my face I'm stupid for paying for them I'll just ask them what they do and point out the various stupities of their hobby. They tend to shut up real quick, especially the one who have actually expensive pointless hobby. (collectors of anything pretty much come to mind...)

 

[Nieroshai]

Am I THE only one, last person on earth, chosen of gods, the one and only, unique person that plays WoW because its fun? Am I the sole person...

(5 minutes later)

...statistical anomaly that liked WoW from its start to present? Does everyone else hates it or plays only because of addiction and/or social entanglement?

I pretty much only play PVE unless I need gear, and read the quest text at every opportunity. I think we're not alone, we're just not the type that talks about WoW.

Agreed the vocal bunch that scream and yell and rant and rave about how horrible wow is and how much is casualized or caters to hardcore or etc etc blah blah yakkity-smakkity, are a very very small minority of the wow player base. Just sadly they the ones you see because they the ones that stand up and scream the loudest.

I play wow as a hobby. Same as my mother gardens, the step father collects coins, my roomie works out, my friends collects unicorn, another friend plays various FPS online, another plays civ 5... a hobby. I spend my subscription on it over the year. I might buy a store pet if I like the design. (like the cinder kitten) so for anyone to tell me to my face I'm stupid for paying for them I'll just ask them what they do and point out the various stupities of their hobby. They tend to shut up real quick, especially the one who have actually expensive pointless hobby. (collectors of anything pretty much come to mind...)

That... that would include Warhammer 40k, wouldn't it? Well yeah, it is kinda pointless when RTSs exist. The minis are so cool though!

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Because severs cost a lot of money to operate and maintain. Also last I checked WoW still has over several million subscribers willing to pay for that subscription, so I'm reminded of the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[The Great JT]

It's still making Blizzard money, so they don't see the need to change models.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

WoW is still selling subscriptions and making more money with that than f2p. Games that go f2p are the ones that fail at the subscription model, WoW isn't near that category and thus isn't going to go f2p anytime soon.
And despite the people who say they *hate* the newer versions of WoW, players are still playing and paying so it must be fun for more people than it isn't.
I don't find people pay for things they don't want, and WoW doesn't force sub's on anyone who doesn't want to play anymore.

 

[Sylveria]

Cause people will pay it.

Do I think WoW is worth $15 a month? No, and thus I don't play WoW. But, enough people still do and likely will for a long time. I wouldn't be surprised that if WoW ends up being the only non-F2P MMO.

Also for the people whining about panderan... They have been done very well and are easily one of the best races Blizzard has ever done. Calling something dumb because it looks cute at a glance and may not appeal to your oh so manly sensibilities without ever attempting to look at the real depth that Blizzard put into them is foolish.

Oh no, people have a different opinion from yours. They're just whining!

Normally I'd accuse you of trying to over-compensate by questioning people's security in their own masculinity, but considering WoW is general population is over-hormonal 14yr old boys comparing e-peen size, you're probably right.

Personally, I don't find them especially cute at all, just kinda dumb looking.

 

[00slash00]

do you really think they could get away with a subscription model in their next mmo though

Absolutely! The buzz might be 'F2P!' but there are 10 million people in WoW alone presently saying "Yes I am willing to pay" not just with their mouths but with their wallets. Those people are paying to play in spite of the availability of Aion, DC Universe Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars the Old Republic and dozens of others! It is a demographic within the gaming community that has been giving entertainment companies and investors quarterly wet dreams since Evercrack. $810,000,000get away with worse and they don't have a budget like Blizzard.+ a year, THAT is the model Blizzard wants. Do you think they can't pull it off?

Eh, im not so sure. while there are certainly multiple factor that contribute to wows continued dominance, what ive heard from many wow players boils down to endgame content. theres just so much to do in wow, once you hit that level cap. there are plenty of mmos that have done things as good or better than wow but couldnt stand up to wow because blizzard has been constantly building endgame content for years, close to a decade by this point. so even people who are kinda bored of wow will keep coming back because they will hit a point with newer mmos where they have just experienced everything and theres nothing left for them to do.

blizzards next mmo, obviously, will not have that same advantage. also, from what ive heard, the next mmo is not warcraft related or even an rpg. the fact that its a completely different kind of game means that many wow fans may be less willing to jump on board, and the days of blizzard having the reputation as the company that always releases quality games doesnt really exist anymore. i didnt think diablo 3 was THAT but, but i think it did hurt their reputation

 

[sunsetspawn]

If people are paying to play what makes you think they would suddenly turn around and say, "no no, fuck it, keep your money."
When far fewer people are willing to pay they will re-think the situation and go pay-to-win like Mass Effect 3 (on 360) was before the EC release.

 

[Baneat]

Because it is addictive and people can't let go of their achievements ingame nor any social obligations they make within it or friends inside it. People also do not like change.

 

[sammysoso]

Because they can?

Look, Blizzard doesn't give a shit about other games on the market. As long as enough people are paying for WoW, it'll continue to be subscription based.