The Guardian Cub Heading into the Blizzard Archive

Some of the players buying it up for gold in-game are players who would never have bought it for real money.
It certainly did prompt cash sales which simply would not have happened with a traditional store purchase.
Therefore them retiring it is not some money grab, but just the opposite.

Sure, retiring it can have the effect of a burst of sales, but long-term I think it could have done more if kept on or even expanded.
More of a range would have watered down the excessive supply of just one, and imo would have been far better for driving sales.

@rorcanna would be easier in every way to just discontinue the ability to buy it on the store. Better for customer service and the economy. It's just a silly pet, you've had time to get it. Why do you still want it to be available on the store?

Imagine the problems when people go to buy one on the AH and find out they can't sell it for example.

Originally Posted by finskee

@rorcanna would be easier in every way to just discontinue the ability to buy it on the store. Better for customer service and the economy. It's just a silly pet, you've had time to get it. Why do you still want it to be available on the store?

Didn't say I want it to still be available now, did I? But "silly" to you doesn't mean silly to others.

Simply discussing how they could go about it in other ways than just removing it.

I think you might be confused then, they aren't removing it from the game, only from the store.

Originally Posted by finskee

I think you might be confused then, they aren't removing it from the game, only from the store.

Not at all, quite clear they're just removing it from the store. Wouldn't have been fine with them removing it if they meant the in-game one ;d

I have no opinion one way or the other on its removal, but at least it is a gold making opportunity...already flipped one for 100% profit about 30 minutes after it was announced.

Edit: make that 2 @ 100%, too bad no more were up on my servers

Originally Posted by Rorcanna

Not at all, quite clear they're just removing it from the store.

Ok then, no offense, but what is your point? This was an experiment that fortunately for all of us failed. They decided they don't need the money they could get from items that you can sell in game. Unfortunately, the loss is a little pet from the store. What we have gained by the removal of this item far outweighs the small loss. Besides that, they have given fair warning, so no one who really wants that pet should not have it at this point. Why are you so bummed about this? I don't get it?

And pardon me for calling it silly, I meant no offense, I call all pets silly but I have over 200 level 25s.

Originally Posted by Blitzo

Inb4 these pets are worth 50k a year from now.

Nah, it is not really a desirable pet - and while no more will be "created" once it is removed from the store - they are NEVER consumed as they are always tradeable, suppressing the potential maximum value.

Originally Posted by azurrei

Nah, it is not really a desirable pet - and while no more will be "created" once it is removed from the store - they are NEVER consumed as they are always tradeable, suppressing the potential maximum value.

That really does not make a difference IMO, something no longer obtainable increases in value, regardless. Any collectors wanting to get into the game once this is discontinued will only have the option to pay an inflated price in-game to anybody willing to part with a no longer obtainable pet.

Blizzard made this store pet tradeable as part of an experiment to curb the cases of people buying gold with realm money and then getting scammed out of their real money. Even though allowing the purchase of gold though real money (directly, or indirectly) could be considered unhealthy to the game's fair playing field, having gold farmers out there providing a similar service is worse.

Blizzard has moved the focus on accumulating gold, and instead on getting gear though skillful play and dedication, to the point where gold farmers don't find it as profitable to do what they do. This is being discontinued for the same reason that D3's real money AH was removed, the tradeoff isn't worth it anymore.

I am fairly sure that we will see this guy popping up in the Black Market AH soon(ish).

Originally Posted by Soulzar

That really does not make a difference IMO, something no longer obtainable increases in value, regardless. Any collectors wanting to get into the game once this is discontinued will only have the option to pay an inflated price in-game to anybody willing to part with a no longer obtainable pet.

oh it will be worth more than it is now, just not the stated 50k I was replying to...

Originally Posted by Soulzar

That really does not make a difference IMO, something no longer obtainable increases in value, regardless. Any collectors wanting to get into the game once this is discontinued will only have the option to pay an inflated price in-game to anybody willing to part with a no longer obtainable pet.

Honestly, I just feel like I can not even predict this. I'm inclined to agree with you except for 2 factors, this pet is not rare at all atm, and hardly anyone ever really wanted it to start with. In the past I've seen lots of rare items go up in value, but also lots of rare items just get forgotten and lost in the vault. I suppose this experiment is not really over yet.

Originally Posted by finskee

and hardly anyone ever really wanted it to start with. t.

Did they release a graph or something showing the sales of this pet? People keep saying "no one wanted it"...it's not like most of the other pets on the store have been requested by the playerbase. Or do people refer to the buy for real cash sell in-game feature? Because that I haven't seen anyone ask for at all.

Originally Posted by Rorcanna

Did they release a graph or something showing the sales of this pet? People keep saying "no one wanted it"...it's not like most of the other pets on the store have been requested by the playerbase. Or do people refer to the buy for real cash sell in-game feature? Because that I haven't seen anyone ask for at all.

Sorry I think you're taking what I said too literal so I'll rephrase it. "It seemed like to me that everyone I talked to didn't think it was really worth paying for, except for people who really like cuddly little kitties, omg I guess that's everyone lol." Or simply this: "It's not like we're talking about lil'rag".

Hmm... could give them the benefit of the doubt, and guess that this is to help curb 3rd party RMTs, like the stealth changes they made to transferable mounts and pets back around February that caused this.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/11836003488

But they could just as well address that by making the cub account bound and non-transferable. So, yeah, going to call this a Disney-esque money grab.

WTF lol. Who comes with such brilliant ideas? Bobby Jr. or something?

Originally Posted by Saucerian

Hmm... could give them the benefit of the doubt, and guess that this is to help curb 3rd party RMTs, like the stealth changes they made to transferable mounts and pets back around February that caused this.

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/11836003488

But they could just as well address that by making the cub account bound and non-transferable. So, yeah, going to call this a Disney-esque money grab.

I seriously doubt that you're giving anyone the benefit of a doubt. We are currently discussing another possibility, actually. If you care enough you can join us.

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Originally Posted by ascensyon

This isn't Reboot (the show) where you got lil' sprites "digital beings" sucking off the internet juice in limbo. It's a 3d model stored on a hard-drive of practically infinite space and on top of it the people that do own it already still have to access it (i think since i don't if it's all stored on the client then only authorized for us by bnet).

So no this is clearly just a money making scheme.

Putting it up on the store: a money-making scheme. Removing it from the store is the end of that money making scheme. And we should be very happy to have this particular scheme gone from the game.

Buy buy this useless pet now!!! Or else you will never able to get it.... so buy buy buy!! Not lose your change!! Blizzard is hungry for more of your money and too lazy to create a another pet/mount!

Originally Posted by Durandro

Bizare. Wonder why they are removing it. Maybe they don't want the store to get too big?

It's like Blizzard has turned into Bizzarrd. I wonder if at least someone up there thought this idea ridiculous.

Originally Posted by |Dexter|

Buy buy this useless pet now!!! Or else you will never able to get it.... so buy buy buy!! Not lose your change!! Blizzard is hungry for more of your money and too lazy to create a another pet/mount!

Wow, this is amazing. Did you just say Blizzard is too lazy to make another pet/mount? I feel like I live in a whole different universe than you.

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@grizzlebar: As I said word for word last page: This was an experiment that fortunately for all of us failed. They decided they don't need the money they could get from items that you can sell in game. Unfortunately, the loss is a little pet from the store. What we have gained by the removal of this item far outweighs the small loss. Besides that, they have given fair warning, so no one who really wants that pet should not have it at this point. Why are you so bummed about this? I don't get it?