What's the main reason for the dropping WoW subs?

[Darmalus]

What other games can you complete (not talking hardest difficulty) by pressing one button? And yes you can easily complete LFR with one button and not moving. There is a chance you will die with rng and ofc you wont be contributing much but you will get epics and you will be able to complete it and kill the games (current) final boss. Death is irrelevant anyway. The fact is you will still complete it and collect loot/achievement, maybe not every time but it is extremely possible.

Any game with large numbers of players on a team, actually. In DDO they are called "pikers" and that game doesn't even have a Vote to Kick feature. Moochers are not unique to WoW. The only reason moochers get anywhere is by being an insignificant minority. You can mooch in LFR only because 20+ people don't.

[Deleted]

inability and cowardice to make stern and "evolutionary" decisions. They are being too safe with almost everything. But at this point a major turnaround and alteration to the core of the game is needed.

Also, erasing "inconveniences" has shown to have devastating effects on the long term success of the game. LFR and all those myriad of "convenience" features that don't seem to complement each other, but rather come off as something added into the game out of cluelessness regarding the direction of the game are actually working against the game, not towards improving it.

They need to rethink it all and venture into the land of firmer and totally unexpected decisions. They need to change the game for real.

[Deleted]

I've spent over a thousand dollars since I started, my guild has spent over $50k, just on realm changes.

U have just summarised perfectly why character xfer will NEVER be free.

All the time they can suck such a massive amount of cash from its playerbase they will keep charging.

[Musclestalk]

The main reason for the dropping of WoW subs?

It's simple. People grow tired of the same game at some point and move on.
It can't stay fresh forever and it's amazing that millions of people are still playing this 8 years old game.

[Deleted]

The main reason for the dropping of WoW subs?

It's simple. People grow tired of the same game at some point and move on.
It can't stay fresh forever and it's amazing that millions of people are still playing this 8 years old game.

Age have nothing to do with subs loss. Stupid decisions by blizzard in past 3 or 4 years what dumbed down game done work. 8 year old MMORPG is nothing compared to others MMO what are much older and got still much biger player base then WoW. 5 of 5 my friends alredy left this game but nobady NOBADY becous of age of WoW. Everyone left coz game becoms stupidly easy and too casual. Compettion in WoW is completly gone. Game reward everyone with same content no matter if you are casual or hardcore player. Just check Blizzard past games like D2, D1, Warcraft 3, WoW till WOTLK old games but still everyone plays them. And now check pressent blizzard games. Diablo 3 = huge fail like nobady play this game, Cata + MOP = biggest subs losses what this game ever had. Starcraft is huge only thanks to e-eport but it wasnt blizzard who create e-sport events for this game.

So what happend? Why Blizzard isnt that huge company anymore what once was. I always expect amazing game from blizzard but after 4-5 i am very disapointed.

[iadamson]

I think a contributing factor is how the games progressed.

I wouldn't say it's progressed badly, but I would say it's progressed in a way that some may have found unappealing.
You got to remember BC and WOTLK were seeded in the previous Warcraft games, the villains, settings, etc were anticipated and people were hyped to see that next.
So we defeat the Lich King, people are some what expecting some lore relevant boss or story for the next expansion.
Instead we get a new expansion that completely overhauls the original world, makes huge changes to the talent system, and for the first time the game just didn't expand upon itself, it literally changed everything. We have a relatively new game. Change is known to have both positive and negative effects on people.

I think if the game is able to get back to some of those root stories and characters, and finish up those loose ends with Azshara, N'Zoth, Sareges and etc. I think it'll restore wow to it's former glory. Emerald Dream has that nostalgia factor, as a formerly highly anticipated possible expansion. Blizzard has a huge opportunity here, i'm expecting a lot since Blizzcon was canceled last year.

[NeverStop]

I don't expect a bunch of free stuff and I've had an uninterrupted subscription since May 2005.

What I do think is a disgrace is character transfers. We move ourselves and entire guilds repeatedly in the name of raiding. Then servers die and we move again. We make alts to play with a friend, try something new, years pass and that friend quit then our alt sits idle. Characters are lost, unplayed, ignored. We deal with the tedium of realm populations determining raider recruitment while social culture health is ignored for item level.

The game is great but their problems stem from lack of reasonable account support. I've spent over a thousand dollars since I started, my guild has spent over $50k, just on realm changes. It is now at a point where most people I know are just ready to quit instead.

On the other hand character transfer fees and faction change fees discourage poaching and guild hopping. If you're one of the top Heroic raiding guilds on your server it's hard for guilds on other servers to poach your raiders unless they're significantly more progressed or they're willing the foot the bill for the transfer.

Going from a US top 30 guild to say a US top 10 guild is much less attractive when you have to fork over $55 per character (or possibly even more as most guilds at that ranking require alts). Most people willing to pay that much are probably joining Blood Legion / Midwinter / Duality, in which case the transfer cost is just something you have to deal with if you raid at that level.

[Decisive The Hallowed]

The classic gamers are also OLD.
Most of them that I know now actually have a life, husband/wife and kids, work...etc.
Commitments and just being burned out from the Game.

[xDavis194]

There could be a lot of different reasons. Just cause its losing subs doesn't mean the game is getting bad.

[Zemiki]

imo, the game just looks and feels dated.

Compare it to all the more recent games, what's WoW missing? - it looks OLD .. but is it the vintage kind of old wine feel to you? or is it more like old people's home old feel?

imo, do a WoW 2, wrap up this one in the next 2-3 years and relaunch the game and this time with an engine they can upgrade.. a more long term vision.

I'm not sure if any amount of tweaking would make a difference... do you know of anything blizzard could do to attract your friends that quit?

You know, WoW cartoonish game styled graphics is the reason i keep playing, it's in my opinion better then any MMORPG. (personal opinion)

I like Wow's Cartoony look, and really that's their style and how they want to roll it. Not every game company has to make their models realistic. I personally hate it too realistic for character models. I would rather more polygons and better flowing movement in face and body but to make it look real like other MMOs are going....I like WoW more. I did start off playing Ragnarok Online 1. (I play RO2 occasionally, but still a big WoW person. RO2 you cannot play with Lag or you die a lot, and you have to have patience....or you die a lot).

The major reason they don't is because the game is old and lets face it....Directx11 sucks a lot. I like how they allow you to downgrade the settings inside the game to directx9 so it doesn't crash. Nvidia made an error with directx11 they are not admitting to and game companies are taking the slack. But Blizzard found a way to make it still playable.

Most people quit because they grew bored of the game. I got bored of Ragnarok Online and came to WoW(That and I finally finished high school and got a job. Money is an issue with online games) I take a few days off from WoW here and there now, but it's good for the colder seasons to stay inside and play...even if my fingers are slower from the cold and hurt to hit keys :S

[Stellan]

WOW is old. MOBA's have become very popular taking players away from MMORPG's. WOW has a lot more competition than it had 3 or 4 years ago.

[Armourboy]

Its simply just old. Say what you will, they have added lots of things over the years, but we are still doing exactly the same thing we were doing 10 years ago, its just easier to do now with more options. People get tired of it after a while and want a new story and world to run around in.

I personally think as well that part of the " decline" has little to do with an actual decline and more to do with the numbers finally starting to be a true reflection of the actual sub numbers. Everyone has their own opinion, but it is mine that they have been inflating the sub numbers in Asia massively for years. Believe it or not I think it drew people in and kept others around to be playing the biggest, even if it may not have been as large as what they have said over the years.

The game world itself is showing its age, but nothing more so than the actual characters we play. They really need to get the new character models out fairly soon. I don't think its hurting them with old players that much, but with brand new players it would definitely feel like you were playing a 10 year old game right at the creation screen. Yes MMO's never look as pretty as single player games, but it can only go so long before it just doesn't hold up.

[Planetarism]

IMO, the game just looks and feels dated.

Compare it to all the more recent games, what's WoW missing? - it looks OLD .. but is it the vintage kind of old wine feel to you? or is it more like old people's home old feel?

IMO, do a WoW 2, wrap up this one in the next 2-3 years and relaunch the game and this time with an engine they can upgrade.. a more long term vision.

I'm not sure if any amount of tweaking would make a difference... do you know of anything blizzard could do to attract your friends that quit?

..Yet it's still better than most of 'all the other recent games'. But that's because they're boring, stale, undynamic, and so is this game still.

And, ain't no wrap going on here until 7-10 expansions total and ain't no WoW2 released till 2024++ buddy. At 7+ mil subs the cash is still being raked in, they can downsize maintenance/upkeep costs & requirements & keep things profitable a long time.

You know, WoW cartoonish game styled graphics is the reason I keep playing, it's in my opinion better then any MMORPG. (personal opinion)

So true. Not that GFX matter really (are you gonna be watching the game or you're gonna be playing it..??), but I sure always found these cartoony 'vintage' pixels & the overall Blizz artstyle to be endearing & pleasing to the eye.

[Deleted]

I think you could use the analogy of one if your favourite bands, first album gets you in and you live it, they go for that tough second album, more of the same but some new things going on. The third album is a triumph but then something happens. The band become a bit comfortable, bit jaded and they play it safe and then instead of relying on their artistic skills and their ability to push boundaries, they instead give the fans what they think the fans want to hear. And it backfires.

The patch notes used to be fascinating, seeing where they were taking the game, their great vision 'of course they should do this, how clever, how very Blizzard' but not now. The patch notes feel forced and very very much rehashed. Nothing to strive for.

But Blizzcon is almost upon us. Over to you Blizzard, make or break time. I have the faith but one more time only.

[Glorious Leader]

An argument could be made that making the classes more "interesting" to play, which is in Ghostcrawler's domain of responsibility, has upped the performance spread and driven many players away from the game.

His idea of interesting at first bloat bloat bloat and then at some point I gather the developers reached an understanding they couldn't add that much more so proc proc proc proc became the interesting mechanic.

[Pancaspe]

When the movie comes out WOW will get a vast influx of new players.

An entire generation will discover the game for the first time.

Get prepared Haters, this game is going to last another 20 years.

[Deleted]

I think you could use the analogy of one if your favourite bands, first album gets you in and you live it, they go for that tough second album, more of the same but some new things going on. The third album is a triumph but then something happens. The band become a bit comfortable, bit jaded and they play it safe and then instead of relying on their artistic skills and their ability to push boundaries, they instead give the fans what they think the fans want to hear. And it backfires.

The patch notes used to be fascinating, seeing where they were taking the game, their great vision 'of course they should do this, how clever, how very Blizzard' but not now. The patch notes feel forced and very very much rehashed. Nothing to strive for.

But Blizzcon is almost upon us. Over to you Blizzard, make or break time. I have the faith but one more time only.

Damn, you just described my thoughts and feelings about linkin park back in the days. hybrid theory <3

[Planetarism]

When the movie comes out WOW will get a vast influx of new players.

An entire generation will discover the game for the first time.

An intriguing prospect. Should be a pretty fun time to play/AH things once the film indeed gets this game a massive activity burst.

..A very short-lived burst, however, for, knowing how the world works, one quickly remembers that 95%+ of these trendy mainstreamish newcomers will drop their sub after the first 1-2 months, out of lack of interest, boredom, and being non-gamers.

[Belisaurio]

Maybe I have a different point of view, but why attach all the fault to the "game is old"?
I mean, more than 80% of all wow friends that unsubed and continue playing online games are in another game more outdated than wow.
I play an outdated mmo too!! And I'm not talking about 5-10 friends, I'm talking about IRL friends, with MMO friends, friends of a friends, etc...people that end at your skype conversation at midnight.

So, knowing that, and with my own experience, I can't believe this "wow is outdated" thing to be the cause of unsubs.

I think you could use the analogy of one if your favourite bands, first album gets you in and you live it, they go for that tough second album, more of the same but some new things going on. The third album is a triumph but then something happens. The band become a bit comfortable, bit jaded and they play it safe and then instead of relying on their artistic skills and their ability to push boundaries, they instead give the fans what they think the fans want to hear. And it backfires.

That's a nice point, and it's what I thing that is happening to wow since BC (maybe in a low level, but "in crescendo" in every expansion).

[aabay123]

There's loads of mixed reasons why the game is going slightly downhill. Although I think the biggest one is burnout. People are getting bored and moving on.