Should wow go F2P for non current content?

[Erwarth]

Sub keep most of the toxic players out of WoW so they can QQ on the forums about how terrible this game is and how he should go F2P so then can play it again.

And it's fine that way

[Shuji V2]

It's funny how these so called 'awesome, cool and nice' players talk about that poor F2P scum being toxic as fuck, but they don't realize they're the cause of the problem. =D I've seen plenty of kind F2P environments and also paid environments which are shit. It's not really related.

[Erwarth]

I just said we have enough toxic players and we don't need more. There's nothing bitter than an ex-WoW player

[Gray_Matter]

I just said we have enough toxic players and we don't need more. There's nothing bitter than an ex-WoW player

People suggest things that they think will improve WOW and your answer is to insult them? And you wonder why the subs for WOW are decreasing hand over fist. GW2, as an example, is B2P and the players are no where near as toxic as you guys. F2P and B2P don't players toxic, it's the players attitudes that make them toxic.

[Deleted]

Last time I checked the game still had around 5 Mil. subs. That's not exactly nothing. Blizzard has no reason to make WoW F2P at this point.

they did hide the numbers for a reason. rumors are that the real subs are below two million right now.

[Deleted]

they did hide the numbers for a reason. rumors are that the real subs are below two million right now.

Rumours are exactly that, rumours. It's all just speculation - and with that said, I highly doubt that this is the case.

[Erwarth]

And then, same players are tells that theirs suggestion won't improve WoW, but they insist because the only thing that matter is playing for free. It's just being selfish. A F2P MMO is an MMO who admit its failure. Going F2P with 5M sub is nonsense. Also you can already pay your sub with gold. The day F2P will be beneficial for Blizzard, WoW will go F2P in an heartbeat.

For now, the sub model fills theirs wallets more.

Also, some F2P model are just awful. I'm looking at you, SWTOR. Microtransaction to equip epic gear or unlock action bar... No thanks

[Shuji V2]

And then, same players are tells that theirs suggestion won't improve WoW, but they insist because the only thing that matter is playing for free. It's just being selfish. A F2P MMO is an MMO who admit its failure. Going F2P with 5M sub is nonsense. Also you can already pay your sub with gold. The day F2P will be beneficial for Blizzard, WoW will go F2P in an heartbeat.

For now, the sub model fills theirs wallets more.

Also, some F2P model are just awful. I'm looking at you, SWTOR. Microtransaction to equip epic gear or unlock action bar... No thanks

It's not being selfish, it's thinking ahead. It's not that those who suggest a F2P model want to see WoW cripple or anything. On the contrary, they want it to succeed and keep doing so.

Currently the number of games that require a sub and are successful can be counted on one hand. There is a reason for that, because there are games being F2P or B2P which are a direct threat to them. It's no wonder Blizzard stopped announcing sub numbers because they only appeared going down. So WoW is feeling the pressure of those games. At some point Blizzard will have to change its businessmodel in order to stay competitive. I believe that's why they added the in-game shop, the ability to purchase tokens, have crossgame promotions and so on. It's so they can go F2P with the flick of a switch and put tech in place to support this model and also serves as a way to test this tech right now.

As for the model, I'm pretty sure Blizzard knows how to make a good one. They have plenty of experience with that.

[TS26]

What current content?

[Erwarth]

It's not being selfish, it's thinking ahead. It's not that those who suggest a F2P model want to see WoW cripple or anything. On the contrary, they want it to succeed and keep doing so.

Currently the number of games that require a sub and are successful can be counted on one hand. There is a reason for that, because there are games being F2P or B2P which are a direct threat to them. It's no wonder Blizzard stopped announcing sub numbers because they only appeared going down. So WoW is feeling the pressure of those games. At some point Blizzard will have to change its businessmodel in order to stay competitive. I believe that's why they added the in-game shop, the ability to purchase tokens, have crossgame promotions and so on. It's so they can go F2P with the flick of a switch and put tech in place to support this model and also serves as a way to test this tech right now.

As for the model, I'm pretty sure Blizzard knows how to make a good one. They have plenty of experience with that.

Yes, and it's why they don't go F2P. Because they know it isn't the time.

I don't say WoW will never go F2P, I'm just saying he won't go in the near future. If FFXIV can be a sub based model with 1M sub, WoW still have good day before him. The ability to purchase token isn't exactly free to play, it's a conceiled increase of the sub price. Each person who buy a token is giving 20$ to Blizzard.

F2P is a sign of a failed MMO (or a dying one). I don't think WoW is feeling any pressure at all, it's not just WoW but the whole MMO Market who is in decline, lots of players prefers MOBA, mobile gaming (just take a look at hearthstone). They want instant action and gratification. In a matter of years, MMO's will be back at what they were before WoW : A niche genre. And then, WoW will be F2P.

[Boxilot]

That would actually be a good idea. A lot of people don't find pre endgame worth paying for. I certainly don't. I also don't think current endgame is worth paying for, and so I don't. I would most probably level a lot of characters though, if it was free and I was bored enough. Store them for later when a new expansion comes out and they might be worth taking out.

Blizzard wouldn't get my money in that timeframe, but I would be one more player populating the world, queueing for dungeons and overall participating in the game. I would be an active account which is extremely important in an mmo. I would most probably also be more inclined to spend money in the store which is a win/win for blizz.

As for botters... who are anyone kidding? Botters are already a HUGE problem, a paywall never stopped them.

I also notice a lot of people didn't get the part of "before current content" and instantly get their panties in a twist at the term f2p. WoW won't be f2p, it will just extend the amount of content you can consume before you have to pay.

[CrossNgen]

F2p is the wrong way to go, I think. They should just go with a B2P setup, they already have the shop to sustain it.

But Blizzard's greed wont allow it.

[Deleted]

Blizzard wouldn't get my money in that timeframe, but I would be one more player populating the world, queueing for dungeons and overall participating in the game. I would be an active account which is extremely important in an mmo.

Personally, I just don't care about that. There is a reason why I choose to play on a low-pop server - because I want some people around, but not necessarily a lot of them. And some will always be around, even without it going F2P.
Now that's obviously subjective and differs from person to person - but like I said, no reason for me to support the change.

As for botters... who are anyone kidding? Botters are already a HUGE problem, a paywall never stopped them.

That does, however, not mean that it wouldn't get even worse without the paywall.

[McCrazy]

I think there is a difference between 'free-to-play' and a 'trial-version'.

Take a look at 'F2P' like it's done in Lord of the Rings Online: At the launch it was a sub-model like WoW. Years later it changed to free-2-play and financially they are doing better with the new model. (That's what I read some time ago). You can still pay a sub and be a 'VIP-player'.
As f2p-player you can get to max-level, but there are restrictions to the account. You can buy many improvements to the game-experience with the ingame-currency that you get with just playing and later on, with grinding mobs because you have to buy questpacks if you don't want the grinding.
If you buy something at the ingame-shop with real money, your account is altered to a Premium-Account that has some improvements compared to f2p.

A 'trial'-account is just that. You can play 'a little' on a trial basis to see how the game works, but not have everything in it. If you like what you tried, you buy it.

[Boxilot]

Personally, I just don't care about that. There is a reason why I choose to play on a low-pop server - because I want some people around, but not necessarily a lot of them. And some will always be around, even without it going F2P.
Now that's obviously subjective and differs from person to person - but like I said, no reason for me to support the change.


That does, however, not mean that it wouldn't get even worse without the paywall.

Perhaps not to you, but for the game's overall health more players is of course a positive. Faster queuetimes, seeing people in the world etc, all of that is very important to a lot of players, especially new ones. Imagine wanting to start playing WoW, a game you've heard a lot about, and people are screaming that it is dying. You create an account anyway to check it out and you log into a barren, dead world. You probably won't continue (you as in plural, from your text I assume you personally wouldn't care).

And I don't think it would be worse. Blizz have things in place to combat the worst of the current botters and that won't change.

[Seranthor]

It's funny how these so called 'awesome, cool and nice' players talk about that poor F2P scum being toxic as fuck, but they don't realize they're the cause of the problem. =D I've seen plenty of kind F2P environments and also paid environments which are shit. It's not really related.

Okay, I'll bite... What benefit is there for Blizzard in going F2P?

- - - Updated - - -

they did hide the numbers for a reason. rumors are that the real subs are below two million right now.

I heard a rumor they were back up over 7.... but rumors are rumors... So, which rumor is right, if any of them?

[Aggrophobic]

F2P in MMO's only brings even more bots than we already have. No thanks.

[Seranthor]

It's not being selfish, it's thinking ahead. It's not that those who suggest a F2P model want to see WoW cripple or anything. On the contrary, they want it to succeed and keep doing so.

Currently the number of games that require a sub and are successful can be counted on one hand. There is a reason for that, because there are games being F2P or B2P which are a direct threat to them. It's no wonder Blizzard stopped announcing sub numbers because they only appeared going down. So WoW is feeling the pressure of those games. At some point Blizzard will have to change its businessmodel in order to stay competitive. I believe that's why they added the in-game shop, the ability to purchase tokens, have crossgame promotions and so on. It's so they can go F2P with the flick of a switch and put tech in place to support this model and also serves as a way to test this tech right now.

As for the model, I'm pretty sure Blizzard knows how to make a good one. They have plenty of experience with that.

You know of another MMO that brings in at a minimum a half a billion dollars a year? Please point them out.

[Triggered Fridgekin]

I thought this was what the Veteran program was intended for but has since gone off the radar.

You know of another MMO that brings in at a minimum a half a billion dollars a year? Please point them out.

The bulk of that money likely comes from the end-game since that's where nearly all players from casual to elite spend most of their time. Cutting out the content which no longer serves a purpose might encourage sales since you're no longer being charged to waste time in an area of the game which simply does not matter on any level.

[Deleted]

Wow shouldve gone F2P a couple of years ago