What is it with China?

[Byniri]

So on the front page it says that most of the 300k subs lost in the last quarter were in China.

It feels like every time that a new quarter comes around, Chinese subs are the ones that drop the most. I find it interesting. Why is this?

[Deleted]

maybe people buy less gold nowdays?

[Otimus]

So on the front page it says that most of the 300k subs lost in the last quarter were in China.

It feels like every time that a new quarter comes around, Chinese subs are the ones that drop the most. I find it interesting. Why is this?

I'm not entirely sure, but I do think they got Cataclysm much later than us, and are still on Cataclysm. So they could be experiencing the same problems everyone else had, but later? I dunno. I'm just guessing!

[OriginZero]

I'm not entirely sure, but I do think they got Cataclysm much later than us, and are still on Cataclysm. So they could be experiencing the same problems everyone else had, but later? I dunno. I'm just guessing!

They actually caught up with us in Cataclysm. They're on MOP right now. MOP launched in all regions at once.

[Byniri]

I'm not entirely sure, but I do think they got Cataclysm much later than us, and are still on Cataclysm. So they could be experiencing the same problems everyone else had, but later? I dunno. I'm just guessing!

That would make sense, but this seems to happen every quarter.

[LazarusLong]

Just a wild guess, but China has passed harsh new restrictions on Internet cafes, banning minors and demanding operators register users and keep records of what information they access on line in November.

Oh, and MoP launched in China on October 2nd.

[Pann]

WOW China has more accounts than NA/EU so both could suffer the same percentage loss but China would lose more accounts. Plus a Western account brings in roughly eight times more money than a Chinese one so Blizzard will always be keen to let investors know the losses are in the less lucrative market. Also I would not too much weight on the statement on the front page as it can mean so many possible outcomes; it could mean that 399k of the 400K accounts were lost in China, 201k were Chinese and 199k were Western subs or it could even mean that overall WOW gained 1 million subs and then lost 900k in China and 500k in the West and would still be factually accurate.

maybe people buy less gold nowdays?

Apart from being a rather racist stereotype Chinese and Western subs are completely separate and why would Chinese players be buying gold when they pay by the hour which makes farming gold an expensive exercise and they have an extensive cash shop? The main market for gold in the West and gold farmers use NA/EU accounts any that have left the game would show up in the Western figures regardless of whether they came from China or not.

[Deleted]

Maybe the Chinese burnout faster?

[corebit]

Plus a Western account brings in roughly eight times more money than a Chinese one so Blizzard will always be keen to let investors know the losses are in the less lucrative market.

Got a basis for this statement?

[Zogarth]

Maybe they just also got bored with the game?

[Xeraxis]

Got a basis for this statement?

Yes, it's based in common sense. If most of your subscription losses were in an area that paid differently/less per subscription why would you not point that out to the people who invest in your company.

[Deleted]

Could be aftershocks of the Diablo 3 release... because they claim many people are still playing that. I sort of understand because I know tons of people still playing that game.

[Deleted]

maybe people buy less gold nowdays?

Slightly racist and stereotypical. Just because they're Chinese doesn't mean they're automatically gold sellers.
Same way being American doesn't make you fat.
Same way being British doesn't mean you love tea.

[Mawnix]

Yes, it's based in common sense. If most of your subscription losses were in an area that paid differently/less per subscription why would you not point that out to the people who invest in your company.

I just find it funny that everyone assumed Mists would be an expansion catered toward the Chinese Subscribers because there's a good chunk of them, and yet those are the subscribers that are leaving and the Western Subscribers are the ones staying.

[Deleted]

Slightly racist and stereotypical. Just because they're Chinese doesn't mean they're automatically gold sellers.
Same way being American doesn't make you fat.
Same way being British doesn't mean you love tea.

calm down, that suppose to be a joke (yeah i know bad one). Like someone said yesterday on chat: "I'm not a racis , I hate all people equally"

[kingriku]

Slightly racist and stereotypical. Just because they're Chinese doesn't mean they're automatically gold sellers.
Same way being American doesn't make you fat.
Same way being British doesn't mean you love tea.

Except the British love tea and us Americans have alot of fat people and Chinese sell the majority of the gold but other than that yeah.

[Pann]

Got a basis for this statement?

Chinese authorities would not allow Blizzard to operate WOW China so it is operated by Netease who pay Blizzard royalties which works out at around $2 per month for each account.

Also I forgot to mention in my first post that as in China players do not pay for the game or expansions it is much easier for them to leave and pick up a new game, whereas a Western sub might give the game more chances and end up playing for longer as they had spent so much on buying the game.

[Deleted]

Except the British love tea and us Americans have alot of fat people and Chinese sell the majority of the gold but other than that yeah.

I'm British and I hate tea.

[spaace]

Do they even have subs, technically? I thought it was pay per hour..

[corebit]

Yes, it's based in common sense. If most of your subscription losses were in an area that paid differently/less per subscription why would you not point that out to the people who invest in your company.

A prepaid time card costs about 30 RMB in China, it lasts for about 4000 minutes, or a little more than 2 days. If you extend it to a month then it's about close to 300 RMB, which is about 48 dollars. But then you say it's less per subscription. Why?

Do they even have subs, technically? I thought it was pay per hour..

More or less yes, it's actually pay per minute. There are only time cards available for purchase which you charge up to your battle.net account.