There is a massive shift in the MMO space right now, with the subscription model being rapidly replaced by a free-to-play model which relies on micro-transactions to make cash.
World of Tanks is a great example of a game which costs nothing to install and play, but has been successfully luring players into spending significant amounts of cash on in-game items. Of course there are dozens of other examples, I just felt like punting my personal favourite free-to-play MMO.
The trend has also swallowed the likes of AAA MMORPGs like Age of Conan, Star Trek Online, Lord of the Rings Online and DC Universe Online.
World of Warcraft has until now ignored this trend, and going on what Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime told Eurogamer in an interview, this is not likely to change anytime soon.
“For us, and even for EA with the Star Wars game, I think that the value that you get for the $15 a month is just unmatched,” said Morhaime.
“I don’t think you can get that amount of entertainment value anywhere. I’d put the $15 up against anything.
“I think that there’s an underlying – a fundamental assumption right now, that the less you charge, the more money you make. Which isn’t true. And it doesn’t necessarily make for a better game. I mean, everybody likes free… I think that definitely, players have seen a lot of really great quality free-to-play experiences, but I’m not sure it’s the best model for us right now.”
“I think it is a very difficult market to compete in, I think it’s very expensive to make these games, especially if you’re expecting people to pay a monthly fee just to play the game,” he said.
“And so there are very few companies that can compete at that high level with those types of budgets.
“Definitely if you’re not charging anybody, they’re going to be a lot more forgiving about the experience they have. They haven’t paid anything. So in terms of developers entering the market, I can understand why a lot of games might choose to go free-to-play.”
And he is probably right, because World of Warcraft’s subscription model continues to be ridiculously profitable.
Blizzard has also announced their fourth expansion to WoW, Mists of Pandaria, which will likely generate another fat pile of cash for the company.
Free to play model not suitable for WoW, says Blizzard << Comments and views
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