Should Blizzard reveal current subscription numbers?

[Vineri]

This is an interesting, yet delicate topic. One that can't be solved easily. It is in every interest to Blizzard to stop reporting subscription numbers, since WoW continues to garner revenue via added-value. To most people, this is known as: the cash-shop store. The "store" has become so popular that it has offset subscription losses, and investors are aware of this.

The overall WoW revenue for Blizzard during investor reports is now made to encapsulate added-value, while not including subscription numbers.

Lately, Blizzard seems to be only including the very bare minimum to shareholders. No concrete numbers, just that WoW is successful, and they are profitable, without mention of much else. I get they have other projects, but there is also no mention how much money goes into them either, failed or successful, or if even released.

I believe Blizzard should be more forthcoming about everything dealing with WoW, since this is their bread and butter. I don't appreciate when large companies hide behind other statistics to mask something deeper going on. If money is being diverted, I want to know.

So the question is:

Should Blizzard disclose more information about WoW than they seem to be willing to?

[Post]

No there's no reason to reveal subscription numbers.

[Darkeon]

Blizzard only has to lose if they reveal subscription numbers, the way they used to do. So it won't happen.

But they will reveal the numbers every time they get considerably high, for whatever reason it might be, don't you worry.

[melodramocracy]

They'll be more than happy to when those numbers become positive. So no news can more or less be considered bad news, if that's something you care about to begin with.

[Bumbac]

Claiming that Blizzard should do something is on the same level as saying you should shut up.

[IIamaKing]

I really could not give less of a fuck about this. Those numbers in no way affect us.

I believe Blizzard should be more forthcoming about everything dealing with WoW

Why?

Sub numbers are less meaningful than total revenue to a shareholder.

[Sarethion]

The real question here is... what do we even get out of knowing the subscription numbers?
If you enjoy the game, why would you care if there's 10m or 1m other people playing it?

[Doomchicken]

I really could not give less of a fuck about this. Those numbers in no way affect us.



Why?

Sub numbers are less meaningful than total revenue to a shareholder.

It's for his vanilla server crusade.

[IIamaKing]

The real question here is... what do we even get out of knowing the subscription numbers?
If you enjoy the game, why would you care if there's 10m or 1m other people playing it?

Doomsayers get to say "SEE WOW IS DYING", that really it.

[BannedForViews]

No there's no reason to reveal subscription numbers.

I disagree. I clickd the first option but with a caveat:

Blizzard doesnt owe the customer shit, but the do owe the shareholder. If i owned any amount of Activ Blizz stock that mattered, I would want to know what the actual revneu streams looked like, because they tell an important story, more so that just "yea we are in the black." Publicly traded, so should be public knowledge, not for us, but for the investor. It doesnt really matter if it benefits them, they dont own "them."

[Heladys]

Blizzard owes you nothing, and you should feel bad for thinking otherwise, because you are bad.

[BannedForViews]

The real question here is... what do we even get out of knowing the subscription numbers?
If you enjoy the game, why would you care if there's 10m or 1m other people playing it?

Ask for server mergers *shrug

[Lasombria]

The real question here is... what do we even get out of knowing the subscription numbers?
If you enjoy the game, why would you care if there's 10m or 1m other people playing it?

This is the crucial thing. If people you like to play with are around, and you like what you're doing in game, then it's working, no matter how few others subscribe. If you don't like what you're doing, and if you can't find people to share in what you like doing, then it's not working for you, and it doesn't matter to you if millions of others are out there having a good time.

[Netherspark]

Nobody cares about subscription numbers except people who are desperate for a reason to hate the game.

[Post]

I disagree. I clickd the first option but with a caveat:

Blizzard doesnt owe the customer shit, but the do owe the shareholder. If i owned any amount of Activ Blizz stock that mattered, I would want to know what the actual revneu streams looked like, because they tell an important story, more so that just "yea we are in the black." Publicly traded, so should be public knowledge, not for us, but for the investor. It doesnt really matter if it benefits them, they dont own "them."

I love how people are now trying to be on the shareholders' side while usually they're all seen as the evil destroyers of gaming. They still don't need to know the numbers, they'd only need to know if Activision stock is going down because WoW subs are slipping enough.

The only ones that care are the ones that want to claim WoW is dying, and those ones do more damage to the shareholders than Blizzard does by not reporting the numbers.

[FelPlague]

I disagree. I clickd the first option but with a caveat:

Blizzard doesnt owe the customer shit, but the do owe the shareholder. If i owned any amount of Activ Blizz stock that mattered, I would want to know what the actual revneu streams looked like, because they tell an important story, more so that just "yea we are in the black." Publicly traded, so should be public knowledge, not for us, but for the investor. It doesnt really matter if it benefits them, they dont own "them."

so why dident you click "share only with share holders" ? insterad of share with everyone

[obao98]

I'll tell you one thing. I've never seen my server with so many people on. And the exp is not even here.

[Sarethion]

Let's be real here - if actual shareholders, not players imagining how it would be like to own Blizzard's stock, really wanted to see the sub numbers for WoW, I'm pretty sure that Blizzard would satisfy their demands. If we don't see the sub numbers getting shared, then I guess the shareholders don't really give a shit about that.

As was said, I feel that the only thing sub numbers done was giving people an excuse to complain about things.
Which isn't really needed. Blizzard has the numbers. If Blizzard sees they're dropping, they have a ton of feedback available to help them identify the problem and fix it, without a portion of the community going into panic/complain mode over subs dropping.

[melodramocracy]

Sub numbers are less meaningful than total revenue to a shareholder.

I wouldn't say that's entirely true. If you look at something like an auto manufacturer as a shareholder, for example, you look at more than just overall sales as a factor.

[Vineri]

Nobody cares about subscription numbers except people who are desperate for a reason to hate the game.

This is not true. Subscription numbers assist to gauge a games health, beyond added-value expenditures.

The number in itself doesn't mean much, but the change in number from month-to-month, or quarter-to-quarter is of high interest.