World of Warcraft lost another 300,000 Subscribers last quarter, Patch 4.3 this year
Activision Blizzard latest earning call revealed that World of Warcraft lost another 300,000 subscribers last quarter, following the loss of 600k subscribers announced last quarter.

In this conference call we also learned that:


  • The next patch will include "major raid and dungeon content", we can most likely expect a raid and a 5-man from Patch 4.3
  • Patch 4.3 will be the "largest content update since Cataclysm"
  • It will be released later this year, which means that we can probably expect a PTR soon.

It's also worth noting that despite the loss of players, Mike Morhaime pointed out that the new trial system resulted in an increase in new account creations. For more details on the earning call, go check the coverage on sites such as Venturebeat or Gamasutra.


BlizzCon 2011 Virtual Ticket Now On Sale
The Blizzcon virtual ticket is now available, it seems that some people already got their Murkablo Companion Pet by buying the ticket early. (See this forum thread. However, this is most likely a bug and pets might be removed very soon.



Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Want to experience the panel discussions, tournaments, game-related announcements, and all the excitement of BlizzCon 2011 from the comfort of your own home? Then be sure to check out the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket!

The BlizzCon 2011 Virtual Ticket is now available for purchase around the world for $39.99 USD (pricing may vary by region). Virtual Ticket coverage will be available as a multi-channel Internet stream and also via Pay Per View on DIRECTV in the United States, granting viewers a front-row seat to all of the action on the show floor including exclusive interviews, demos, and more!

New DIRECTV subscribers in the United States who sign up for DIRECTV service between now and September 25 through www.directv.com/blizzcon will receive this year's BlizzCon Virtual Ticket coverage for free. Existing DIRECTV customers will be able to purchase the event on DIRECTV Pay Per View for $39.99 beginning Monday, October 10. Visit www.directv.com/blizzcon for more info.

DIRECTV customers who order the Pay Per View event through DIRECTV will receive the multi-channel Internet stream at no extra charge, and those who order the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket will also receive this year’s to-be-announced BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft and StarCraft II in-game items.

Don't miss out! To learn more about the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, head on over to our official BlizzCon 2011 Live Stream page or read the FAQ.

Cenarion Hatchling Raises More Than $1.9 Million for Japan Earthquake Relief
Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of World of Warcraft players around the world who purchased the Cenarion Hatchling pet, we’ve raised a total of more than $1.9 million USD to support the ongoing earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. In May, we announced that for every Cenarion Hatchling purchased by July 31, 2011, 100% of the $10 USD adoption fee would be going to assist victims of this disaster -- and the community responded by opening up their hearts and wallets wide. Thanks again for your support and for helping to make an impact on the lives of those affected by these events.

To learn more about the Pet Store, please visit the Pet Store FAQ.

Diablo III Beta Profile Update
Originally Posted by Zarhym (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
The beta test approaches! We’ve just updated our System Check program and would like everyone to update their Battle.net Beta Profile information by running the new one. You should do this regardless of whether there have been hardware changes made to your system.

You can run the new System Check by visiting the Beta Profile settings of your Battle.net account:

https://www.battle.net/account/manag...a-profile.html

I don’t have a Beta Profile
If you haven’t yet created a Beta Profile on your Battle.net account you’ll be presented with two download options, PC and Mac, for our System Check program. Running the program will present you with the Beta Test Opt-In Agreement, and once you agree to that it will immediately query basic computer specification information such as your type of video card, processor, and RAM. Clicking the Send button will then upload the shown information to your account.

On your Beta Profile page, you’ll want to ensure you at least have “Diablo Universe” checked for future testing, if not StarCraft and Warcraft as well. That’s it! You’re now eligible for future beta test opportunities.

I have a Beta Profile
If you’ve previously uploaded your system info you should use the links to download the new System Check program for PC or Mac and update your system info. Run the program, read through the Beta Test Opt-In Agreement that appears, and once you agree to that the program will immediately query your basic computer specification information. Click Send and the program will automatically update your profile with your system specifications. You’ll remain opted in for whichever beta tests you’ve previously selected, and you can change these selections on your Beta Profile page at any time.

Having current system specifications and checking the franchise boxes to express interest in beta testing our future products does not guarantee your entry into the beta test. We will grant a very limited number of people entry from the entire pool of those interested, based on their system specifications and other factors. While having an official Battle.net Beta Profile is one way to potentially get in, we’ll have information on other ways to increase your chances as we draw closer to the beta test.

Blue Posts
Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
Lack of Blue Posts / "Where are the Blues?"
The whole team is here today. We're actively reading the forums whenever we can while working on other tasks. :)(Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

Repair costs too expensive?
Repair costs have always scaled with item level. If anything, I'd say this game has a burden of too much gold out in the economy, rather than too little. 4 deaths in 1 5-player Heroic dungeon run is well above what you should expect as an average, and 100 gold is pretty easy to come by at level 85. (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)

New Warcraft Fan Art
The Blizzard Fan Art Section has been updated with five new pieces of fan artwork set within the Warcraft universe.




"The Raid" Livestream on August 6th @ 6:00PM PST
Blue Loon Films, the studio behind the upcoming World of Warcraft documentary, The Raid, has announced that the live stream of their film will take place on August 6th.

The Raid follows a guild over the course of a few months and features a host of content including in-game and at-home interviews with the players.

To celebrate the release of the film, TypeFrag will be giving away:


  • 1 desktop PC by Doghouse Systems
  • 5 high-end gaming headsets
  • 25, 25-person Ventrilo servers

The PC features an Intel i5 Quad-Core CPU, Windows 7 64-bit, 1TB HDD, 4GB RAM, 2 NVIDIA GTX 460 PCI-E video cards and more!

The live stream of The Raid will take place on August 6th at 6:00PM (PST) and is brought to you in part by TypeFrag, Gamebreaker.tv and Curse!

This article was originally published in forum thread: WoW Lost 300k Subscribers, Patch 4.3 this year, Blizzcon 2011 Tickets, Blue Posts started by Boubouille View original post
Comments 597 Comments
  1. planetchips's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by MrShapatsky View Post
    You can write a reply, i will read it, but i wont reply to it.
    Take your best shot
    Durr, yes, Journalism is taught. It is NOT a field of science as you claimed, journalism falls under "arts" in most colleges. Hell, I even said "behavioral science" for your benefit, thinking you would look into it so you would understand the exact field for what you were talking about. That was the point I was making, way to miss it (not surprising, since you missed the first one). I hope you're not majoring in journalism because your reading comprehension sucks. Seriously, learn how to read in context of your previous posts, it's like you forget what you wrote before and reply as if my posts are stand-alone.

    As for not replying, you've constantly dug yourself into a deeper pit with every reply. Its taken you way too long to try and save face. I've enjoyed pointing out your inability to think clearly.
  1. Nebthet's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by BenBos;12555763[B View Post
    If CATA REALLY was bad, the game would have lost 50% of its player base already.
    Wrong, trust me. It's hard to quit after you play for such a long time, even if you're truly hating the game. Because people don't like to throw away all the effort spent in years.
    In fact, it took me more than 6 months for me to quit since when I was really, really hating the game.
    Your argument is invalid.
    What is happening now, is the consequence of what I just said. A lot are leaving for this reason. Because, yup, Cata is boring (not bad, just not innovative in any possible way - you can eat the most tasty food everyday for a month straight. After that, it won't be the same).
  1. mmoc1d4d978a7f's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kaeleena View Post
    Leaked product slate which has been all but confirmed at this point has Blizzard expecting to launch the next expansion during Q2 of next year. If they are still on track to make that release window, I wouldn't expect a 4.4 this expansion cycle. Not that I wouldn't love to see some new content but I expect 3.3 will likely be Deathwing for the holiday season to compete with other launching games and 6 months of that, just like we just went through 7 months Tier Fail.
    Well if you check how game was released: WoW Nov 2004, TBC January 2007 (app. 2 years), WotLK Novemeber 2008, Cata december 2010, so from statistics and unconfirmed graph, it should be at the end of 2012. But ofc, that's all arguable until they confirm it :P

    Though Blizzard confirmed War of the Ancient in this expansion - http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/06/13/ca...aid-confirmed/

    So I wouldn't be surprised if we see it in 4.3 and than Deathwing's Fall in 4.4 (or mabye 4.5, if 4.4 will be dungeon only).
  1. LethalAim's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nebthet View Post
    Wrong, trust me. It's hard to quit after you play for such a long time, even if you're truly hating the game. Because people don't like to throw away all the effort spent in years.
    In fact, it took me more than 6 months for me to quit since when I was really, really hating the game.
    Your argument is invalid.
    What is happening now, is the consequence of what I just said. A lot are leaving for this reason. Because, yup, Cata is boring (not bad, just not innovative in any possible way - you can eat the most tasty food everyday for a month straight. After that, it won't be the same).
    Pretty pathetic if you continue to play a GAME that you don't enjoy.

    On the topic of you saying Cataclysm is boring, how is Cataclysm boring and WotLK wasn't boring? Is it not casual enough for you?

    I enjoy Cataclysm A LOT more then I did WotLK, even though I am only 3/7 FL Normal modes I am still having more fun then I did at any point in WotLK. For me the only good thing about Wrath was the ability to have 5-6 current tier raid geared toons.
  1. mmoca642c3cf9a's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nebthet View Post
    Wrong, trust me. It's hard to quit after you play for such a long time, even if you're truly hating the game. Because people don't like to throw away all the effort spent in years.
    In fact, it took me more than 6 months for me to quit since when I was really, really hating the game.
    Your argument is invalid.
    What is happening now, is the consequence of what I just said. A lot are leaving for this reason. Because, yup, Cata is boring (not bad, just not innovative in any possible way - you can eat the most tasty food everyday for a month straight. After that, it won't be the same).
    Are you kidding? How can you play a game you don't enjoy? If I didn't enjoy WoW I'd quit it without hesitating.
  1. crsh1976's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by F-Minus View Post
    There is something wrong with it, and it's called "lack of content". They took all their time to refurbish old zones, which no-one past level 60 cares about, and even characters who level could live with they way the zones and quests were before Cataclysm. I have some alts, and yes it was nice to go through the new quests, but that's not why I play the game, I play the game with my main, which is at max level and likes to see new high level content - and in that regard they failed.

    You have no choice at all anymore in regards of progression. You are on a linear path that leads to boredom, both in leveling, raiding and gear. No options means people get bored and quit.
    Oh I agree man, I stopped playing back in February. By the end of December (ie. less than a month after Cata came out), my small F&F guild started falling apart; we all got at least two characters from lv80 to 85 in a matter of 2 weeks at most, then we were facing grinds as a mean of entertainment and my people gradually stopped logging in to the point where we couldn't even get a heroic 5-man team going.

    In January I figured I'd give the revamped 1-60 world a spin and started a Troll druid from scratch; the content is good, very linear but way better than the original game ever was; I got to 60 and headed over to Outlands, at which point I realized I wasn't looking forward to getting to 85 to face the same issue all over again and shelved my druid.

    It seems to me I paid for Cataclysm but got very little cap level content, as you say most of the effort was spent on revamping the original game; sadly, I will just say this: this is not what I bought Cataclysm for. Hence the disappointment, and apparently we're not alone feeling that way.
  1. verrda's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Snore View Post
    Are you kidding? How can you play a game you don't enjoy? If I didn't enjoy WoW I'd quit it without hesitating.
    because WoW has stagnated the market where nothign "new" really comes out and no one leaves WoW

    I don't play for the game, I play for the friends that play it as well

    Honestly, WoW is just a waiting game till something better comes out for many people
  1. Nebthet's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Snore View Post
    Are you kidding? How can you play a game you don't enjoy? If I didn't enjoy WoW I'd quit it without hesitating.
    Because the feeling of thinking about having "wasted" years on a game was kinda keeping me attached to it, while hoping it would have got better again.
    Kinda common feeling that's keeping lots of people if you didn't know.

    Quote Originally Posted by LethalAim View Post
    On the topic of you saying Cataclysm is boring, how is Cataclysm boring and WotLK wasn't boring?
    Because, you know, the longer it passes, the more boring something gets.

    I can eat a pizza for a week, it's still awesome.
    I'll eat it for another week, it's cool.
    I'll eat it for yet another week, it's ok.
    I'll eat it for yet another week, I don't stand it anymore.

    Clearer?

    Quote Originally Posted by LethalAim View Post
    Is it not casual enough for you?
    You're so cool bro! Have I whined about casuals or anything related? I said BORING, read it again. It says -> B O R I N G.
    Heroics might be harder and less accessible to casuals, makes the whole expansion any less boring? Care to explain?
  1. johnnyo032003's Avatar
    Yay wow lost more QQers. Thank god, if you hate the game so much quit playing and go somewhere else, theres plenty of other mmo's out there you can go QQ about. I would rather wow lost a bunch of baddies than have them all sit and troll the forums about how much wow sucks and x game is better than wow. Hopefully these new subscribers will understand that wow isn't a game your supposed to "beat" or get to level 85 in a week and then complain about the lack of things to do while they sit there with an empty "Cataclysm Raid" achievement tab.
  1. Ginseng's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Beyond2 View Post
    It makes me happy to see more people leaving the game. As sick and twisted as that sounds, maybe blizzard will wake the fuck up and make tier accessible to non-raiders like it was in WotLK. Or at least give casuals something to do with rewards that aren't recolored rehashed shit, while raiders get all the new shinies. The new quest zone was a joke; I saw the rewards, I saw how little they value their casual players. "Just give em recolored rares, they'll eat it up. toss in a recolored mount too for kicks" No thank you blizzard, my money will go elsewhere. Make your game casual friendly like it was in WotLK and we'll talk about me re-subbing. If it takes another 1,100,000 people to leave to make a round two million, I hope blizzard it will get blizzard to fix their shit. I want to play WoW, but not in an environment where I have no hope for obtaining an armor set unless I'm a hardcore raider.
    What the fucking shit are you on about? The game is more accessible, more casual and easier than it ever has been before to pick up any class/spec and get 3 pieces t12 from heroics or t11 content. People like you, with opinions like that, destroyed the game and sadly your opinions are now viable due to the business game - weight in numbers and all that. My guess is your terrible at the game, can't push 9k dps, cba to spend 5 mins on EJ or a respective website to pick up a class and develop that character? Cause thats 99% of what I see everywhere/anywhere in this game now. Baddies who want everything for absolutely nothing. I don't just mean baddies either, some of these baddies actually believe they are good. Sad times.
  1. johnnyo032003's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Beyond2 View Post
    It makes me happy to see more people leaving the game. As sick and twisted as that sounds, maybe blizzard will wake the fuck up and make tier accessible to non-raiders like it was in WotLK. Or at least give casuals something to do with rewards that aren't recolored rehashed shit, while raiders get all the new shinies. The new quest zone was a joke; I saw the rewards, I saw how little they value their casual players. "Just give em recolored rares, they'll eat it up. toss in a recolored mount too for kicks" No thank you blizzard, my money will go elsewhere. Make your game casual friendly like it was in WotLK and we'll talk about me re-subbing. If it takes another 1,100,000 people to leave to make a round two million, I hope blizzard it will get blizzard to fix their shit. I want to play WoW, but not in an environment where I have no hope for obtaining an armor set unless I'm a hardcore raider.
    No, you just need to find a raid guild, spend a little time researching your spec and class and spend a couple hours in some raids. They already made it casual friendly, the first tier raid gear is purchasable with jp's and the non set pieces are cheaper than the blues. People like you are what caused the first million subs to go, baddies who want to be handed everything on a silver platter. WoW clearly isn't for you, go play Hello Kitty Online Adventure you terribad baddie. I'm not hardcore and my main is sitting around in all purples its really not that hard at all.
  1. LethalAim's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nebthet View Post
    Because the feeling of thinking about having "wasted" years on a game was kinda keeping me attached to it, while hoping it would have got better again.
    Kinda common feeling that's keeping lots of people if you didn't know.
    Sounds more like you have an addiction and you don't want to give it up.
  1. therayeffect's Avatar
    Of course there would be a ton of comments on how WoW is bad and etc. What I personally think is that because Wotlk was so easy everyone got to raid, casuals, hardcores, the average joe. The problem now is that there just isn't enough room for everyone. You could chain pull almost everything in Wotlk and be done in a few hours. Now because you actually have to try at things, there just isn't enough time to run 5 or 6 raids for most guilds. Since all of us "extras" can't raid, we quickly realize how boring this game is. I'll admit a lot of those that left are probably bads who I won't miss but quite a few are probably just those extras who are good but got behind in gear and didn't get to raid. It seems to me that blizz artificially extended this tier by lowering the VP cap. Hopefully with all this new raids and shit they promised, those of us who are extras but still play will be able to catch up in gear. The Old God raid that's coming out sometime better be fucking awesome too.
  1. Exauras's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Rensyk View Post
    Biggest content patch ever aye? I expect 2+ Raids from that personally.
    Biggest content update since cata launch. Not biggest content patch ever. Expect to see content redone (the obvious meaning behind content update). You might see something happen in Silithus or maybe they'll re-release another raid as a 5 man . Who knows what we'll see. I'd expect a typical number of raids (1-2, maybe 3 if they do it like T11) and then a significant update in content. You may see something to reference those Pandaren mists.
  1. Nebthet's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by LethalAim View Post
    Sounds more like you have an addiction and you don't want to give it up.
    That's what I've said in other words myself.
    The other quotes were directed to you, not that anyway.
  1. crsh1976's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by johnnyo032003 View Post
    No, you just need to find a raid guild, spend a little time researching your spec and class and spend a couple hours in some raids. They already made it casual friendly, the first tier raid gear is purchasable with jp's and the non set pieces are cheaper than the blues. People like you are what caused the first million subs to go, baddies who want to be handed everything on a silver platter. WoW clearly isn't for you, go play Hello Kitty Online Adventure you terribad baddie. I'm not hardcore and my main is sitting around in all purples its really not that hard at all.
    Perhaps you can wrap your head around the concept that not everybody wants to raid, I'm definitely one of them. I quit out of boredom, but I suppose that makes me a "bad", right?
  1. Dembai's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by LethalAim View Post
    Pretty pathetic if you continue to play a GAME that you don't enjoy.

    On the topic of you saying Cataclysm is boring, how is Cataclysm boring and WotLK wasn't boring? Is it not casual enough for you?

    I enjoy Cataclysm A LOT more then I did WotLK, even though I am only 3/7 FL Normal modes I am still having more fun then I did at any point in WotLK. For me the only good thing about Wrath was the ability to have 5-6 current tier raid geared toons.
    Many people play because of friendships made, rather than because the game itself is still important to them.

    I was still logging in once a week to wipe on raids even though I wasn't playing it AT ALL otherwise since the first month of Cata.

    Cata is boring (and WOTLK was entertaining) for me for several reasons:

    1. My guild can barely raid. We were stuck in a holding pattern for 3 months having downed just 3 bosses in easy mode. Maloriak required way more gear than we could get until 4.1 - and by then half the guild had quit. (and having 4 of the guild members lag during Atremedes made HIM impossible, and terrible setups for Halfus made HIM impossible) Blizzard's response was that my guild (which downed the Lich King in Easy mode at 30%) was not worthy of their time - we didn't deserve to see that content until after Firelands came out - which took way too long and had the guild disappear in the mean time.

    2. Quests from 1-60 seem pretty cool...until you're doing them. The motivation for the original 1-60 quests was "hey peon, you're nothing special yet. Go kill me some boars" - which gave you this idea that further along, you'd be something special. The new quests are a rollarcoaster ride of "OMG YOU'RE HERE. WE NEED YOUR HELP. THERE IS NO ONE ELSE WHO CAN SAVE US!" which gets very dry, and very boring after the tenth time it happens. It gives you a false sense of accomplishment, and makes you stop playing, because well..."I've saved the day - I deserve a rest!" - it completely corrupts the obsessive feeling that the original quests gave you. So yeah, they're "awesome" new quests. They're also boring.

    3. I stopped PVPing a long time ago, it's impossible to keep up with people who do it hardcore unless you also do it hardcore.

    So what the hell else am I supposed to do? Dailies? Boy that's not boring at all.
  1. mikencarly's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Mithsploit View Post
    If you're not a raider then what the F do you need bigger shinier gear for?

    Join the 300k and gtfo. Maybe if all that's left are hardcore raiders then we might get some really good raiding content instead of patches with more worthless 5 man heroics.
    raiding is the past heroics are the future 5 bucks says they will have 2 diff paths 1 day 1 for raiders 1 for people that like doing heroics only.
  1. Raunchy's Avatar
    People wouldn't be quitting if blizzard didn't put out the bare minimum, they need to make every content patch a "wow omg" event, lord knows they have the money to do it...
  1. Winfernal's Avatar
    So, people are getting to their senses, good. This number will do nothing else but rising...

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