When will WoW go F2P?

[manisher]

Hey guys... So I just read the front page that transmog items will now be in the blizzard store.. Why are blizzard only making the items available on the store and not by playing? This really reminds me of the RIFT item shop.. So do you guys think blizzard is slowly going towards the F2P model? Imo they will, as they will gain massive amounts of players if they do..

[FuxieDK]

Hopefully, never..
Realistic, when below 500.000 subs..

[magicric]

If they keep bleeding subs like they have been then probably by next expansion. I do think Blizzard is slowly going towards the F2P model. Thats just my opinion though. There are lots of Threads about the the ingame store.

[Deleted]

It will eventually, but not for a few years.

[Tekkommo]

It would be a strange decision to go F2P before they fall below 1m subs.

[Vankrys]

realistically (and perhaps cynically), when blizzard would have found a F2P model more profitable than current.

People often mention low sub number like 500k because, when wow subs would get that low, it's a good bet that only die hard fan left in game. And die hard fan are likely to spend a lot in cash shop, if you cater to them. allowing to play the game for free is a way to cater to them.

that being said, if blizzard find somehow a way to be more profitable in F2P than sub even at 5 millions subs, they would make the switch. with subs numbers decreasing and more and more F2P MMO on the horizon, i'm willing to bet they already have contingency for a F2P swtich.

when would that happens? maybe as early as TESO launch, or maybe 5 years from now, it will depends on where the market go.

[Deleted]

Only after the last expansion is fully released. I think I read somewhere they want to stop at character level 100. Which makes for 1 or 2 more expansion. So I would say in about 3 to 6 years.

[bionics]

When the current system is no longer profitable for them.

[Drusin]

I don't think it ever will.

Only after the last expansion is fully released. I think I read somewhere they want to stop at character level 100. Which makes for 1 or 2 more expansion. So I would say in about 3 to 6 years.

I doubt they will stop at 100, if i'm recalling correctly GC said "100 is only a number".

[Deleted]

When they think they can make more money from being F2P than being sub based.

[klaps_05]

oh look its this thread again. the game was meant to have in the range of 300-500k subs, you can safely assume if subs drop below that amount the game will either become f2p or have annual fee of $30-40.

also the ilevel cap in the game is 255 and that was years ago when the engine was pretty old. im sure they can easily go over 255 if they wanted to.

[Drusin]

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3424796717#7 Found it lol. Hated saying something without having the sauce...cuz you need the sauuuucccceeeeee.

Also ilevel cap of 255?

[Airwaves]

They will in time. But not for years.

- - - Updated - - -

Only after the last expansion is fully released. I think I read somewhere they want to stop at character level 100. Which makes for 1 or 2 more expansion. So I would say in about 3 to 6 years.

They have never, ever said they would stop at 100. Only the players said they would. In fact they said 100 is only a number so it means they already plan to go over 100.

[Deleted]

I don't think it ever will.



I doubt they will stop at 100, if i'm recalling correctly GC said "100 is only a number".

True, in the end if Wow stays profitable they will just continue on. Hooray for us I guess. I truly wonder what my /played will look like by the time I actually stop playing Wow xD

[Normie]

Soon, I hope. It would save me $15/mo. And I could have multiple accounts for free.

[Terridon]

Never i guess.
Apperently they can get people to both pay monthly _and_ pay for vanity items on top of it. Why remove the huge, safe income then?

[Count Zero]

I've projected before that WoW will go f2p by 2020 (or maybe it was 2021), give or take a year. I think this is a realistic expectation. After it goes f2p it will last indefinitely, assuming they at least sporadically add at least minor content.

[Sigmar]

It'll go buy2win with the next expansion pack, announced at Blizzcon this year.

Screenshot this post for when it happens.

[Bizerk]

I see it as more likely for wow to shut down if it goes low enough to require an f2p model.

[tohyatvc]

Not as long as people are still paying monthly. A reliable income stream.