WoW Lost 300k Subscribers, Patch 4.3 this year, Blizzcon 2011 Tickets, Blue Posts

World of Warcraft lost another 300,000 Subscribers last quarter, Patch 4.3 this year
Activision Blizzard latest earning call revealed that World of Warcraft lost another 300,000 subscribers last quarter, following the loss of 600k subscribers announced last quarter.

In this conference call we also learned that:


  • The next patch will include "major raid and dungeon content", we can most likely expect a raid and a 5-man from Patch 4.3
  • Patch 4.3 will be the "largest content update since Cataclysm"
  • It will be released later this year, which means that we can probably expect a PTR soon.

It's also worth noting that despite the loss of players, Mike Morhaime pointed out that the new trial system resulted in an increase in new account creations. For more details on the earning call, go check the coverage on sites such as Venturebeat or Gamasutra.


BlizzCon 2011 Virtual Ticket Now On Sale
The Blizzcon virtual ticket is now available, it seems that some people already got their Murkablo Companion Pet by buying the ticket early. (See this forum thread. However, this is most likely a bug and pets might be removed very soon.



Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Want to experience the panel discussions, tournaments, game-related announcements, and all the excitement of BlizzCon 2011 from the comfort of your own home? Then be sure to check out the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket!

The BlizzCon 2011 Virtual Ticket is now available for purchase around the world for $39.99 USD (pricing may vary by region). Virtual Ticket coverage will be available as a multi-channel Internet stream and also via Pay Per View on DIRECTV in the United States, granting viewers a front-row seat to all of the action on the show floor including exclusive interviews, demos, and more!

New DIRECTV subscribers in the United States who sign up for DIRECTV service between now and September 25 through www.directv.com/blizzcon will receive this year's BlizzCon Virtual Ticket coverage for free. Existing DIRECTV customers will be able to purchase the event on DIRECTV Pay Per View for $39.99 beginning Monday, October 10. Visit www.directv.com/blizzcon for more info.

DIRECTV customers who order the Pay Per View event through DIRECTV will receive the multi-channel Internet stream at no extra charge, and those who order the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket will also receive this year’s to-be-announced BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft and StarCraft II in-game items.

Don't miss out! To learn more about the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, head on over to our official BlizzCon 2011 Live Stream page or read the FAQ.

Cenarion Hatchling Raises More Than $1.9 Million for Japan Earthquake Relief
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of World of Warcraft players around the world who purchased the Cenarion Hatchling pet, we’ve raised a total of more than $1.9 million USD to support the ongoing earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. In May, we announced that for every Cenarion Hatchling purchased by July 31, 2011, 100% of the $10 USD adoption fee would be going to assist victims of this disaster -- and the community responded by opening up their hearts and wallets wide. Thanks again for your support and for helping to make an impact on the lives of those affected by these events.

To learn more about the Pet Store, please visit the Pet Store FAQ.

Diablo III Beta Profile Update
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The beta test approaches! We’ve just updated our System Check program and would like everyone to update their Battle.net Beta Profile information by running the new one. You should do this regardless of whether there have been hardware changes made to your system.

You can run the new System Check by visiting the Beta Profile settings of your Battle.net account:

https://www.battle.net/account/manag...a-profile.html

I don’t have a Beta Profile
If you haven’t yet created a Beta Profile on your Battle.net account you’ll be presented with two download options, PC and Mac, for our System Check program. Running the program will present you with the Beta Test Opt-In Agreement, and once you agree to that it will immediately query basic computer specification information such as your type of video card, processor, and RAM. Clicking the Send button will then upload the shown information to your account.

On your Beta Profile page, you’ll want to ensure you at least have “Diablo Universe” checked for future testing, if not StarCraft and Warcraft as well. That’s it! You’re now eligible for future beta test opportunities.

I have a Beta Profile
If you’ve previously uploaded your system info you should use the links to download the new System Check program for PC or Mac and update your system info. Run the program, read through the Beta Test Opt-In Agreement that appears, and once you agree to that the program will immediately query your basic computer specification information. Click Send and the program will automatically update your profile with your system specifications. You’ll remain opted in for whichever beta tests you’ve previously selected, and you can change these selections on your Beta Profile page at any time.

Having current system specifications and checking the franchise boxes to express interest in beta testing our future products does not guarantee your entry into the beta test. We will grant a very limited number of people entry from the entire pool of those interested, based on their system specifications and other factors. While having an official Battle.net Beta Profile is one way to potentially get in, we’ll have information on other ways to increase your chances as we draw closer to the beta test.

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Lack of Blue Posts / "Where are the Blues?"
The whole team is here today. We're actively reading the forums whenever we can while working on other tasks. :)(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Repair costs too expensive?
Repair costs have always scaled with item level. If anything, I'd say this game has a burden of too much gold out in the economy, rather than too little. 4 deaths in 1 5-player Heroic dungeon run is well above what you should expect as an average, and 100 gold is pretty easy to come by at level 85. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

New Warcraft Fan Art
The Blizzard Fan Art Section has been updated with five new pieces of fan artwork set within the Warcraft universe.




"The Raid" Livestream on August 6th @ 6:00PM PST
Blue Loon Films, the studio behind the upcoming World of Warcraft documentary, The Raid, has announced that the live stream of their film will take place on August 6th.

The Raid follows a guild over the course of a few months and features a host of content including in-game and at-home interviews with the players.

To celebrate the release of the film, TypeFrag will be giving away:


  • 1 desktop PC by Doghouse Systems
  • 5 high-end gaming headsets
  • 25, 25-person Ventrilo servers

The PC features an Intel i5 Quad-Core CPU, Windows 7 64-bit, 1TB HDD, 4GB RAM, 2 NVIDIA GTX 460 PCI-E video cards and more!

The live stream of The Raid will take place on August 6th at 6:00PM (PST) and is brought to you in part by TypeFrag, Gamebreaker.tv and Curse!

This article was originally published in forum thread: WoW Lost 300k Subscribers, Patch 4.3 this year, Blizzcon 2011 Tickets, Blue Posts started by Boubouille View original post
Published on 2011-08-04 04:22 AM
600 Comments
Comments 597 Comments
  1. mmocedbf46d113's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by razisgosu View Post
    WoW subscribers are going to continue to fall, I for one am going to be deactivating my account after my next 6 month cycle is up, so it will end around the end of June.
    How do you even know that?
  1. Darlok's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nindoriel View Post
    How do you even know that?
    Economy for starters.. + the fact that a large playerbase of any MMO are poor people who dont have a dollar to their name and receive govt aid or are in the military.
    These people should get a life
  1. mmocedbf46d113's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Darlok View Post
    Economy for starters.. + the fact that a large playerbase of any MMO are poor people who dont have a dollar to their name and receive govt aid or are in the military.
    These people should get a life
    Economy tells you, that the numbers of subscriptions of a certain MMO will continue to fall, because they are bouncing back and forth between 11 and 12 million since 2009? Again I have to ask, how do you know that?

    Quote Originally Posted by Darlok View Post
    + the fact that a large playerbase of any MMO are poor people who dont have a dollar to their name and receive govt aid or are in the military.
    These people should get a life
    This "fact", like every other "fact" needs proof first. There is absolutely no reason for you to assume something like that. Throwing around phrases like "a large playerbase of any MMO" without any concrete evidence doesn't really mean anything. Did you make a survey or some kind of study, that looked at the financial situation of MMO players? And if so, why were the subscriptions for WoW continually rising from 2005 to 2009? What changed now that " a large part of the playerbase" now can't afford it anymore?

    And even more so, to even classify someone as a player of an MMO like WoW, means those are people currently paying a subscription. So saying, that WoW players are poor and can't afford a subsription, doesn't even make any sense. Because to be a WoW player, you have to have an active subsription.

    To say, that the WoW subs drop, because most MMO players are poor, would mean subsription numbers for every MMO must be continually dropping, which isn't even logically possible.
  1. Deleo's Avatar
    A product's life cycle from marketing PoV



    The only problem is figuring out where in the chart wow is atm. Judging by Blizzard's approach and marketing strategy I'd say wow has reached maturity. Diversity of market is one of the approaches that companies take when the product is in the estate of maturity, AKA "milk it to death" phase. I'd be surprised if they manage to turn this around and will be happy to play a more interesting game when they do.

    There is nothing wrong with it though. There is no need for everyone to enjoy the same game and you don't need each other's approval to play a game. The mindset of what I have/do is better than what you have/do has to stop. If you don't enjoy wow and play some other game you don't need to curse people who do play it and vice versa.
  1. mmocedbf46d113's Avatar
    Has anyone ever considered, that maybe 12 million subscribers is as much as possible? All of the other MMOs arent even close to that. You can't get the whole world to play your game. There's a limited amount of people even interested in stuff like MMOs. At some point it's just not possible to gain more customers.
  1. hambaby's Avatar
    I'll be back for 4.3.
    Don't let me down blizz
  1. Tic Tacs's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nindoriel View Post
    Has anyone ever considered, that maybe 12 million subscribers is as much as possible? All of the other MMOs arent even close to that. You can't get the whole world to play your game. There's a limited amount of people even interested in stuff like MMOs. At some point it's just not possible to gain more customers.
    Do you seriously expect Blizzard to suddenly get their lost subs back? Good luck with that... lols

    WoW is getting old and nothing can stop that. Decline will continue until all "casuals" quit. You will end up with lore nerds and hardcores. Hardcores eventually quit because of the lack of content as usual.
  1. napraforgo's Avatar
    dayum! looks like the final loss was the kick in the butt blizzard so badly needed
  1. Osmeric's Avatar
    dayum! looks like the final loss was the kick in the butt blizzard so badly needed
    I suspect Blizzard is getting vocal because Q3 is almost over, and that Q2 loss, unfortunately for them, doesn't look to be anywhere close to "final".

    We'll know in early November if that was the case.
  1. shadowkras's Avatar
    Raise from your grave!

    Necroposting at it's best.
  1. roboscorcher's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nindoriel View Post
    Has anyone ever considered, that maybe 12 million subscribers is as much as possible? All of the other MMOs arent even close to that. You can't get the whole world to play your game. There's a limited amount of people even interested in stuff like MMOs. At some point it's just not possible to gain more customers.
    Yup, I believe the term is called 'market saturation.'
  1. Phocket's Avatar
    If you know anything about marketing, the only way to determine where you're at is to review sales data. Optimally, you want to be ready to release a new patch or new content when you think you're in the maturity stage, just before the decline stage. Now, this being said, it doesn't mean we're in the decline stage because general fluctuations do occur, and one cannot jump to conclusions as to what part of the product cycle you're in. That being said, Blizz could be entering maturity, and they probably realize this. We shall see soon, because this type of thing can only be speculated and not calculated.
  1. Akumawraith's Avatar
    Ive read alot of the posts above and felt i should make a few points.

    Yes Blizzard has nerfed the game content drastically since TBC. Not at the release of TBC but when the requirements for the raids were removed. Battle Grounds like AV and WSG have been nothing but zerg fests, resources and time limits on a battle? Ridiculous. Battles go until its over, have you capped three flags? no? then continue until you do. Have you killed the opposing general and conquered the the opposing forces battlements? no? then get on with it. Yes AV took hours, often, but it was a 40 man Battle ground. get over it its meant to be tough to win and yes even turtles were expected.. Its called defense, not that 90% of the player base even has a clue of what that word means.

    Raids... wow theres a good one... many players have the opinion you should have access to all the gear in the game as a casual player.....Are you delusional? A raid is a 20 man cooperative instance that requires teamwork of the highest ability. It takes preparation and scheduling to make them happen. The LFR system is nice but few if any of the idiots using it could have survived in Vanilla Molten Core.

    Get over yourselves, if you are a casual player then youll have access to casual gear. vanilla casual players managed just fine with what they had access to what makes you whiners any better? The ones who are paying the toll are us veterans who have played for 6+ years and watched the whining player base screw up a game that we loved. Sure, Blizzard has added alot of content, a few continents, Arenas, Dungeon finder, and achievements which do spice up the game a bit, bit it does nothing for us raiders and serious PVP players who want more challenging content, new battle grounds that arent a rehash of previous ones, and give us back our NPCs that got in the way.

    so what 900k or more players have left the game in last year or two, its a recession. Dont clump all of those who left the game due to financial reasons with the idiots that are whining over content being too hard or they cant get the best gear because theyre too lazy, busy, casual. And no i do not rate casual players with lazy ones it was just a short list. Whine all you like, but Blizzard has already said they are making content more challenging and I for one want them to do it. MoP has a few nice things in it, the PVE scenarios are a head turner for one.

    In closing I'll say this, yes players left, sure more will leave, but in the end WoW wont die, if that were possible then why are games like runescape and Everquest still around? I could list a whole lot of games that were released over the last 5 years that were labeled as WoW killers.. they all failed SW:ToR will be no different. I have already seen players in my guild come back from ToR claiming the end game content was non existent.. yep a WoW killer there. WoW set the standard for the newest mmo's and the game codenamed Titan is supposed to be the next great thing in MMo's. So for now lets enjoy whats left of cata, get ready to de/sell/trash the gear we are working for or have already gained and get ready for MoP. Theres only a few more expansions left. 2015 isnt that far away folks.
  1. Osmeric's Avatar
    Akumawraith: so, in the same message, you whine about how things should be, then tell us to get over ourselves. Hypocrit much?

    I'm also amused about the reference to 20 man raids. You playing Rift, by any chance?

    Anyway, enjoy the casual future. And, necro?!
  1. Labz's Avatar
    WoW is always losing subscribers but it won't matter because there are still enough subscribers for the game to stay strong
  1. Aadren's Avatar
    At least they didn't lose as many subscribers as Eve did when that info about the Incarna expansion was leaked.
  1. mmocef2fdcc82b's Avatar
    its fun to bump old threads :|
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