Classic and Live wow under the same subscription. Is it a good idea?

[Mushkins]

1. Why I don't want it.
There are a lot of people who didn't play Vanilla WoW and who are used to "convenience" of modern wow.
My biggest fear about bundling Classic into the same subscription as Live wow is that when Classic comes out those people will decide to take a look at it and after some time go like:
"What is this sh..t, Blizz? Why am I out of mana after 2 mobs?" Or "C'mon Blizz, why is finding a group taking so long?"
And knowing Blizzard, they might give in.
Of course, some will argue that bundling Classic into the same subscription as Live will mutually benefit both games. Really, though? Will people go beyond "taking a look" to recall why he/she quit the game (or to recall how "inconvenient" game was back in old days in case of retail players). Don't think so.

2. Why Blizzard don't want it.
Answer - cash shop. They constantly report that the amount of money they make from an average player is constantly growing. To sell mounts, tokens, server transfers etc. is impossible on Classic servers, otherwise it would ruin them. So it's in Blizzard's interest to do everything possible to prevent moving the player base from Live to Classic, but encourage them to move from Classic to Live.
Simplest solution to this would be to make Live Wow players to pay on top of their subscription in order to play Classic, but at the same time to make it free for Classic wow players to play Live wow.

[Sky High]

If it’s not bundled in then LOLOLOLOLOL, pass.

[Soon-TM]

I think that it's the only, or at least the simplest way for Blizz to make monies out of this venture.

[Mushkins]

I highly doubt Blizzard would give in to such things. They've said that they want to recreate the game experience. Sure they might change things like graphics, addon APIs, character models, debuff slots, interface options and stuff like that but they'll never mess with the game experience and the community aspect of the game.

My point is that Blizzard will be obliged to react to such complains cause they are also "customers".

[Mushkins]

Then they can kindly point them in the direction of the nearest retail server where they won't have to deal with such annoyances.

I doubt it. I mean, already most of the change requests (at least on this forum) are coming from retail players (this poll kind of prove it http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...Classic-Server). What is it gonna be after the Release?

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I think that it's the only, or at least the simplest way for Blizz to make monies out of this venture.

How can Blizzard make more money out of existing subscribers by giving them a free game?

[Coconut]

Of course they should be bundled. For Live players, it will feel like something extra they can try in their spare time. For Classic players, implicit access to live servers might persuade them to buy a new expansion and try it out. Only Vanilla fanatics who think mere optional access to Live servers taints their pure experience want a separate subscription (so they can later claim it should be cheaper, among other reasons ).

Let me dispel any illusions you might have: Blizzard doesn't have anything to gain from separating the subscriptions. Both versions of the game will be time consuming if BFA is anything close to Legion. Very few people will have time to play both simultaneously, and even if there are a few who plan to, you can bet your blurry dragon avatar that they will rage like there is no tomorrow about paying double. They are just as likely to produce a toxic shit storm and quit over it as they are to stay silent and pay.

Other than that, if people play either/or, a separate subscription is pointless. There is zero gain for Blizzard when one player swaps from Classic to Live and vice-versa. Why would they complicate themselves? If they keep one sub, they can say you get more for the same money, if they don't, they will have to pay customer service to deal with retard events like "Omg, I wanted to play Live but I bought Classic time by mistake!" or "I wanted to try out Classic, but I hate it and I have 28 days left. Can I transfer my game time to my Live account? If not you are stealing my money Blizzard!" or "I bought the Classic + Live double bundle instead of the 90 days special offer, Blizzard help!". I'm not going to forget how a ton of people bought the wrong packs when Hearthstone launched its first expansion.

[MoanaLisa]

My point is that Blizzard will be obliged to react to such complains cause they are also "customers".

Bundling the two under one thing makes sense for current subscribers with a relatively inexpensive option for the vanilla only player.

This whole "Oh my God, Blizzard might listen to their customers" after years of "Those assholes don't listen to feedback from anyone" is pretty startling.

They're customers anyway. This is a distinction without a difference.

Seems like we're scraping the bottom of the pile of topics to think up and discuss.

[Florena]

Classic is a new project with its own team to pay and its own servers to maintain. I'd be surprised if it didn't get its own, though i could see a discount for subing to both at once, and I could see its fee being less than 15 dollars since Classic probably won't get new content, at leat not for a long time.

[Altariaz]

It doesn't bother me which funding model Blizzard decide to use. I'll play Classic.

[zlygork]

either shared sub or classic is b2p, they can't make you pay monthly for the development of a 20ish year old game that may or may not ever get new content.

[Schattenlied]

This whole "Oh my God, Blizzard might listen to their customers" after years of "Those assholes don't listen to feedback from anyone" is pretty startling.

Wish they would take the same stance for retail, to be honest... Some things they do are hated by almost everyone of a given class or spec and still make it into the live game... Holy Wrath, for instance, don't know anyone who thinks that talent is a good idea. It requires cancerous, suicidal gameplay to even function, and we told them as much during Beta, they took the "we're right because we're the devs" stance... In BfA they are finally admitting it was a horrible idea and removing it, but, like Blessing of Might(which also took a solid a year of us yelling at them to get fixed), it never should have made it out of Beta.

[Very Tired]

Charging people a sub to play a decade old game that'll get no new content when there's plenty of private servers out there offering the same thing for free? Yeah, that's not going to fly.

[Saffa]

My point is that Blizzard will be obliged to react to such complains cause they are also "customers".

No necessarily. It would be like complaining that you could not play FF in WoW.
Classic is different, and should be a different subscription so the rest of us are not paying for Vanilla players to pretend they are 13 again.

[Mushkins]

Charging people a sub to play a decade old game that'll get no new content when there's plenty of private servers out there offering the same thing for free? Yeah, that's not going to fly.

How can Blizzard make more money out of existing subscribers by giving them a free game?

[Schattenlied]

How can Blizzard make more money out of existing subscribers by giving them a free game?

1. the goal is to make money off people who arent currently subbed.

2. it gives people who normally only play live an excuse to keep their sub active during content droughts to the main game. They can hop over to vanilla, level their character there, run UBRS, do some old AV, etc.

[Yuyuli]

How can Blizzard make more money out of existing subscribers by giving them a free game?

By keeping them subscribed.

[Mushkins]

By keeping them subscribed.

I doubt it.

[Azerate]

Any "fun mode" in any game, should be bundled with the main game and should not require additional fees. And whether you like it or not, that's what it will be. Nothing more, nothing less.

Yes, there should be one subscription for both. The question is whether the people who would want, for some reason, to play Classic without purchasing also BfA, be allowed to do so, and for what additional entry fee.

Honestly I would never think this is even a question had I not seen people questioning it here on the forum.

[Schattenlied]

No necessarily. It would be like complaining that you could not play FF in WoW.
Classic is different, and should be a different subscription so the rest of us are not paying for Vanilla players to pretend they are 13 again.

You wouldn't be anyways, their subs would cover them, yours aren't going to be going to vanilla if you aren't playing it. The people playing vanilla are more than paying for it, in fact the vast majority of their sub fee would be going towards the retail game, since a game like classic WoW, with no content development, would require almost no upkeep per player... If they were paying the same 15/mo sub you are, most of their sub fee would be going to the live game's development resources, since all vanilla requires is keeping the server running and a few GMs.

so the rest of us are not paying for Vanilla players to pretend they are 13 again.

And you are acting like you're 13 right now.

People play old games every day and no one bats an eye, someone wants to play old WoW and everyone loses their minds. Tell me where the logic is in that? I see none.

Someone wants to play an old game, let them. It's not coming out of your sub, to assume it is when nothing supports that assumption, except your nonsensical prejudice against people who want to play something different than you, is illogical.

[Vineri]

If retail isn't included with Vanilla, then Blizzard just cut me off from even trying BfA, because I'm not paying $40 - $60 for that too. (+ sub fee etc). The ball is in their court.