Numbers will go up when next expansion hits but it's past its prime for sure.
That's par for the course for just about every change ever made to WoW or any other MMO with a strong competitive component. Not really a good indicator for the mood of the community. Personally I just think it's an old game and people are getting tired of it now, sure they have been changes but the basic gameplay is still the same. Some of the changes have pushed people away but lets be honest here WoW still has a huge population especially given its age.Thing is, when [insert anything] was announced; hardcore fans were pissed off
Well, that's also part of the story not being told...
A whole large portion of deserters are leaving BECAUSE of the upcoming expansion.
On a personal experience only - My EVE corp has grown by 25 in the last 2 months, since the announce at Blizzcon. More incoming.
So?!
Well, they're all coming over from WoW. My guildmates.
Why? They're pissed. And oh boy, are they...
Thing is, when Cataclysm was announced; hardcore fans were pissed off. Whuh? But why?
Well, we were expecting an Emeral Dream expansion! At that Blizzcon (Cataclysm) the question came up.
Q: "What happened to Emeral Dream?!"
A: "The next expansion will be Emerald Dream, we promise."
Result: ROFLTROLOLOLOL! FUCK YOU! EAT PANDA!
Yeah.
People are pissed.
Badly.
The difference, I believe, this time around is that they are straight up breaking promises and shoving the big fat finger at their loyal players.That's par for the course for just about every change ever made to WoW or any other MMO with a strong competitive component.
Meh. I didn't enjoy BC a whole lot. WotLK was ok, not too bad. Cataclysm was just too short.Imho the only real and proper wow was the initial package without the expansions, the 1st one was cool, but from there it just went to shit-hole.
Yeah there is that, but that specific reason for quitting is nothing new. People like myself who have played since day 1, had that feeling YEARS ago...I don't know, I reckon it's just the WoW is getting really long in the tooth now. Subscribers are no doubt looking for games with a little more of the fresh and minty look.