Introducing the Remote Auction House

[kmita]

Blizzard is such a whore.

[Zariana]

Hello, I may be a little strange I love playing wow and all but why do I need a remote AH. Ok I place autions I may not be the best at it or make the gold cap not because I couldn't do so but because I don't see the need to waste my time in WoW doing the AH run around. To me making a remote AH would mean using my real life everyday time to play the AH that is beyond being a game even RP players take time out and away from WoW. Its not real money its game gold and only the gold sellers will make real money. Which may be why Blizzard would make such a thing maybe they are hopeful it will take a few of them out of the game world and free up the servers a little for players. Doubtful it will but nice thought.
I won't be getting one paying again for something I can already do in the game is just not my way of playing a game.

[arcticsnow]

When I saw this, I felt like it was an April fools day joke. I know some play the AH hard core, but isn't this a little excessive? If I see someone using this out in public I will either laugh, or cry not sure which. Even if the service was free, do people seriously have no lives outside of this game where they have to play the AH, even if they are not near a computer? Browsing the web is one thing, messaging a friend on your phone, but the AH? Really?

I just do not get it.

[Forza27]

Nice ! a new easy way for Blizzard to make money ! ;D

[Haseo]

At no point did I say that soliciting optional products is better. I said that the conceptwas a cool one, and if they want to charge for it, they're perfectly within their rights to do so. It's outside of the monthly subscription, so they're under no obligation to hand it out. If you don't like it or don't want it, don't buy it. My issue is with all the people screaming and crying saying that blizz sucks cuz selling gear is next, when that's an entirely unsubstantiated claim. I could just as easily say "Fuck Blizzard, they made a Titan killable so now Titans are gonna be the next playable race and they'll be OP and pwn arenas". Entirely unsubstantiated and illogical.

Well I can understand the underlying logic.. I'll write it out for you since you don't seem to grasp the ramifications of all the optionnal products WoW has been offering.

Acti-Blizzard can now be percieved as a whore that will do many things for more money (pets, mounts, remote AH, ...). If we take for granted they will do many things to have more profits and realize that they should sell stuff to sustain their growth they might get to the point of selling gear.

Sure, it's all optionnal and cosmetic for now, but who knows what's waiting around the corner? The slippery slope argument is not an empty statement imho.

I have fully read the financial report of Activision (http://investor.activision.com/relea...leaseID=444224) and their income is depending on the micro-transaction market to maintain growth year after year (ancillary revenues = micro transactions + byproducts).

As a consequence, the company's non-GAAP results exclude the impact of the change in deferred net revenues and related cost of sales associated with certain of the company's online-enabled games for certain of the Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo and PC platforms and for World of Warcraft boxed software, including the sale of expansion packs and other ancillary revenues, to provide comparable year-over-year performance

It's not the end of the world, it's capitalism. Imo Activision-Blizzard will become worse as time goes by, whatever they do I wouldn't want it to go that way.

[Xenryusho]

When they announced the feature I thought it was pretty cool, but the price just isn't worth it.. Half a year of this service could buy me another month of wow and a slice of pizza. I don't mind them charging for the feature but it just doesn't seem like it's worth the service. Maybe a 20 dollar charge to link it to an account (usable while the account is) is something I'd go for (simply for the longevity of it). But this is a bit much, even with a seemingly low number.

[Justsomeguy]

I don't think you 'need' an iPhone...I think just any phone with 3g would work fine. Orrrr yeah.

[Erutan]

Has anyone else noticed how many materials and products are sold under profit the last weeks? (since the frozen orb = material patch)
And all the BoE blues from the heroics are sold at lower prices than greenies.... due to flooding, all the enchanting materials have plummeted.... borean leather is CHEAPER than light leather.....

So now you can check how much you've LOST in gold in the AH

And it should be a free app..... anyone paying 15 dollars a month is entitled to the same "service"... once realms are up and lag-free ofcourse

[chrisisvacant]

I love all the impending doom posts of:

"I don't like the feeling of this"
"This is making me worried"
"Where is this headed"

lmao...

[Rellekk]

Well they lost me and my families subscriptions I won't put another dime in their pockets.
Their greed will be their downfall.
This game has been craptastic for the past few months anyways.

i love how people think their 1-3 subscriptions is gonna break blizzard.

Learn to do Simple math:

THIS GAME HAS BE OUT FOR 6 YEARS

There are 10+ million people who play this game

assuming they all have WoTLK. just on buying the games alone is:
10,000,000 x ((*WoW$49.99 TBC$39.99 WotLK$39.99 = $129.97)) = $1,299,700,000 on just the games alone

next lets just assume people gave been playing for 2 years.
(for the sake of arguement im just picking its number as a medium, i myself have been playing for 5 years)
$15 per month x 24 months = $360 x 10,000,000 accounts = $3,600,000,000

SOOO this is a VERY rough estimate that i gave the benefit of the doubt and severly under estimated how many ppl actually play and for how long they play and we are still looking @ =

~$4,899,700,000 ((Yes i know im sure there are more then 10 million people that play and people have been playing longer then 2 years, this is just a ROUGH estimate to prove a point, realistically they are probably making double that amount))
JUST on subscription fee's and Game costs.

NOT counting in:
Character Transfers ($25)
Name Change ($10)
Faction Change ($30)
Race Change ($25)
In Store Items (Special Mounts, In game pet, Authenticator...)

This game is one of if not THE highest grossing game EVER. And people think posting that they are canceling their 1-5 accounts is gonna cripple the giant that is Blizzard??? sorry i cant help but LOL

[Brock2525]

When they announced the feature I thought it was pretty cool, but the price just isn't worth it.. Half a year of this service could buy me another month of wow and a slice of pizza. I don't mind them charging for the feature but it just doesn't seem like it's worth the service. Maybe a 20 dollar charge to link it to an account (usable while the account is) is something I'd go for (simply for the longevity of it). But this is a bit much, even with a seemingly low number.

I agree with this. I think a monthly fee is too much, I'm certainly not going to pay it. But I would seriously consider it if it were a one time payment.

[Joshua-Sensei]

Oh my God, I am amazed shocked and appalled. No no silly not at the app but at the amount of QQ that everyone is doing.
They are not going to sell gear, this does not break-game play. You can still make your gold sitting at your computer, this just allows players to be more addicted to the game?
Hate the movie you're in and want to check the AH, you can!
Bad date (lol you wish) and you want to see if your Saronite sold? You can!
How would this be any different than lugging around a Laptop logging in and playing the ah? I've seen people do it. I guess Blizzard should make it to where you can't play on a laptop either? Hmm... or at work? Stop complaining you idiots.
Btw want to know who you have to blame for this app? Yourselves, as in the player base, people asked for it. They did, go look at the official wow forums, people asked for this.
Who is to say that it was Blizzard that is wanting to charge the 2.99 fee anyways? Do you realize that they probably aren't making that much off this? They have to give a % to iphone most likely, OH and At&T will try to get their money grubbing hands on that shit. Now as far as the browser version I can't say, but then again if you don't like it don't pay for it. THEY ARE A BUSINESS!! A BUSINESS They want to make money like most all businesses and they are doing it. If you think they only care about the game and that we have fun, you are dead wrong. They do care about that but their number one goal is the almighty dollar.

[Adrius123]

I could just as easily say "Fuck Blizzard, they made a Titan killable so now Titans are gonna be the next playable race and they'll be OP and pwn arenas". Entirely unsubstantiated and illogical.

/lorenerd
...murmur actually the individual(s) you're referring to aren't titans, they're the children OF the Titans... creations, basically just very powerful, intelligent, self-aware golems murmurmur...
/lorenerd

[Latherus]

Once it includes a stock ticker of the WoW-Jones Industrial average and cross realm day trading comes into effect it'll be worth it...

[gringo]

i love how people think their 1-3 subscriptions is gonna break blizzard.

Learn to do Simple math:

THIS GAME HAS BE OUT FOR 6 YEARS

There are 10+ million people who play this game

assuming they all have WoTLK. just on buying the games alone is:
10,000,000 x ((*WoW$49.99 TBC$39.99 WotLK$39.99 = $129.97)) = $1,299,700,000 on just the games alone

Sorry to burst you bubble, but the 11 million was at WoW's peak, and that factored in a lot of chinese players, who do not subscribe, but pay per hour of playtime. these are not regular subscribers. the actual active subscriber number are more along 5-6 million players afair.

more info here: http://news.filefront.com/Blizzard-D...W-Subscribers/

[AndrewDoK]

Guys.. $3 a month is not a lot. It comes out to about 10 cents a day. If you really can't afford that then maybe you should be out trying to get a job.. or a better job instead of trolling these forums all day.

If you're going to complain that you shouldn't have to pay, then don't? It's capitalism, if you like a product or service then buy it.. if not, then don't?

[rainCZ]

yea im usualy throwing 3$ to bin

[dvx]

Guys.. $3 a month is not a lot. It comes out to about 10 cents a day. If you really can't afford that then maybe you should be out trying to get a job.. or a better job instead of trolling these forums all day.

If you're going to complain that you shouldn't have to pay, then don't? It's capitalism, if you like a product or service then buy it.. if not, then don't?

You say this as if strikes, boycotts, complaints, and policy changes have never been part of the capitalist economic system. Lol.

It's sad to see Blizzard stoop down to this level. The AH app can clearly provide an advantage. Maybe an infinitesimally small and negligible one, but it's still there. The slippery slope fallacy is a fallacy that abuses the slippery slope's inductive properties, assuming that A leading to B, leading to C, leading to... Z implies A leading to Z, i.e. without any gradation or middle ground. No one (except for the person saying that the iPhone app "leads" to selling of gear) is acting on this fallacy. As a matter of fact, most people are pretty careful in acknowledging the presence of middle ground. We may not see the selling of gear any time soon, but there might be other purchasable services that are likely to push the envelope even further. This is hardly a fallacy, and it's very logical.

Furthermore, it's to be expected, given their current stance on the respect they have for their customers given by the current Vernor v Autodesk, UMG v Augusto, MDY v Blizzard-Activision joint-lawsuit going on (which, if it goes in Blizzard/Autodesk/UMG's side could be a very dangerous precedent).

I haven't played for more than a year now, but the game has significantly dropped in quality since launch. From recycled armor to rehashed boss fights, to empty promises, the facts speak for themselves. Unfortunately, there's just nothing else out there. So essentially, WoW has a huge monopoly over the MMO market just because it is an AAA+ title and AoC, WAR, L2 can't compete. Depending on what happens with the new Final Fantasy and Star Wars MMOs (and other, unannounced, MMOs), a foreseeable a shift in the market is inevitable.

My two cents is, go out, go to a park, read a book, get a girlfriend or boyfriend! Enjoy life

[Ashes to Ashes]

Say your joking..it's handy and that, but I DO think it gives players in game advantage

[Amazad]

This game is going too far..