Would Vanilla WoW have succeeded with a cash-shop?

[soulzek]

World of Warcraft launched 23rd November 2004. Even though some critical features (player-versus-player battlegrounds, for one) weren't implemented, the game clearly outstripped established rivals in polish and scale at launch, and demand was so intense that Blizzard's overloaded servers spent the first few months fighting a losing battle against the tide of players. But, what if it sold pay-2-win?

[Darsithis]

No. It wouldn't have. The market was different back then. F2P and P2W didn't really exist at the time.

[aevitas]

Definately not. If I recon correctly even paying per month to play was new to people, if WoW was pay2win at launch it definately wouldn't be around now.

[Deleted]

I'm going to vote yes, based on the terms the title has given us. It could've potentially lived on a core of a few thousand people willing to pay to be on a high level of character progression but as for how long that would've lasted I can't speculate. Compare the market currently to the market 10 years ago and it's possible that because of the massive name WoW had behind it, it could've succeeded for a while on a combination of a young market and brand name alone. Obviously not to the same degree that our Vanilla did, but it's not hard to imagine that even with P2W it could've been financially stable.

In no way, shape or form am I saying that's a good thing though. I'm just trying to put myself into the position of what things might've been like 10 years ago, as opposed to looking back 10 years into the past with my current experience.

[Mormolyce]

Cash shop =/= pay to win.

Feel like this whole thread is troll bait.

[Constraint]

No idea, I certainly wouldn't have tried it though. Just like I wouldn't now, if I was new to the game.

I mentioned the P2W 90s to a few friends at work who played casually in Vanilla/TBC and were thinking about coming back for WoD - they laughed and said "forget it". I found it difficult to disagree.

[FinalDestonaion]

I think Vanilla WoW did fine considering that BC came out. I don't think succeeded is the word you're looking for.

[Bathory]

I wouldn't have stayed. If we're talking REAL p2w, not just a character to 90.

[Immitis]

back in vanilla there was almost no mounts, almost no pets and not many ever made to end game.

however it also took a much longer time to even have a mount.

pets i think would be very popular. mounts wouldnt sell that well because most people wouldnt even be able to use it.

the level boost would probably be popular but wow probably wouldnt have been half as successful since everyone would get bored very quickly

[PuppetShowJustice]

This could have potentially made for an interesting talking point about the MMO market in the days of EverQuest / FFXI / vanilla WoW versus today.

Instead you said "Pay 2 win" which will color all the responses and turn this into a mud slinging contest by the middle of the second page.

[Mirishka]

A better question is, why are the moderators allowing these nonstop, redundant 'cash shop' topics?

FFS, buying mounts is not pay2win. Buying pets is not pay2win. Buying a ding to 90 and getting a bunch of shitty green gear is not pay2win.

I'm sure there will be 50+ new topics about it tomorrow nevertheless. Some people can't live with themselves if they don't go somewhere and whine about something.

[Boogums]

Cash shop =/= pay to win.

Feel like this whole thread is troll bait.

My sentiment exactly.

[WarpKnight]

Cash shop =/= pay to win.

Feel like this whole thread is troll bait.

You don't understand what trolling is. Raising angst and concern over Blizz's increasingly moneygrubbing ways is not trolling. It's a legitimate issue.

This thread is more of a "devils advocate" stance towards the whole issue.

Pay to win has existed since before WoW as well, just not in particularly high quality games.

[SL1200]

Probably would have done even better than it did without a cash shop. Look at the polls, Look at LoL and other "free" to play games. People want pay to win.

[Mysterymask]

I'm going to go....maybe?

I mean when WoW came out there were maybe..3 other major MMOs on the market Everquest, Final Fantasy 11 and Ultima Online

on one hand it may of strengthened it because it would of been the FIRST MMO with a cash shop and besides..of the other 3 MMOs Warcraft was considered the casual one and back then..people really didn't care that much since the concept of "P2W" simply didn't exist back then hell the concept of paying a subscription to play a game was still pretty foreign. Hell until Warcraft the concept of A MOUNT (something that is commonplace in mmos nowadays) was kinda new so honestly a cash shop with special mounts may of helped it take off

though quite honestly ....hindsight here..when vanilla wow came out I don't think Blizzard had any idea it was going to be as big as it actually became...considering once again BACK THEN EQ was considered the biggest MMO on the market period...so chances are if they did try the store when vanilla was released it would of made the servers laggier and crappier then they were back then

[Immitis]

I'm going to go....maybe?

I mean when WoW came out there were maybe..3 other major MMOs on the market Everquest, Final Fantasy 11 and Ultima Online

on one hand it may of strengthened it because it would of been the FIRST MMO with a cash shop and besides..of the other 3 MMOs Warcraft was considered the casual one and back then..people really didn't care that much since the concept of "P2W" simply didn't exist back then hell the concept of paying a subscription to play a game was still pretty foreign. Hell until Warcraft the concept of A MOUNT (something that is commonplace in mmos nowadays) was kinda new so honestly a cash shop with special mounts may of helped it take off

though quite honestly ....hindsight here..when vanilla wow came out I don't think Blizzard had any idea it was going to be as big as it actually became...considering once again BACK THEN EQ was considered the biggest MMO on the market period...so chances are if they did try the store when vanilla was released it would of made the servers laggier and crappier then they were back then

yeah, these days people see a mount in the store and they think "hey i couldve gotten that from a rep grind or a dungeon drop or a raid drop or a raid meta or an achievement or a holiday event"

back then it wouldve been "wow for just some cash i can get a mount other than the 5 striders im stuck with because i chose to play a gnome"

[Denarius]

Probably would have done even better than it did without a cash shop. Look at the polls, Look at LoL and other "free" to play games. People want pay to win.

People want pay to win NOW, 10 years ago, I didn't even want to pay the 15 a month because i could just play warcraft 3 for free. If they started the game with pay to win (not that that's what it is now) it would have failed, miserably.

[Iamanerd]

I don't understand, WoW is not P2W just because of an option to buy a shitty geared level 90. Leveling is a joke as it is. Also LoL is not P2W either, seriously some of the people on this forum need to learn to read.

[Trubo]

Definately not. If I recon correctly even paying per month to play was new to people, if WoW was pay2win at launch it definately wouldn't be around now.

DAoC and EQ were both monthly subscription games so it wasn't a new concept. Can't remember if Ultima Online was or not but that was so long ago I don't particularly care.

[Illiterate]

Wow didn't have an army or brainless fanboys to mindlessly support it back then. It would have died fast.

How is WOW pay 2 win now?

How is it not?

Probably would have done even better than it did without a cash shop. Look at the polls, Look at LoL and other "free" to play games. People want pay to win.

Wow is not a f2p game