No more subscriptions

[Fewane]

So you would prefer limitation to what gear you can equip (SWTOR Literally put epic gear behind an unlock), much gold you can hold, how big your inventory is and how fast you can level? No sorry, I very much prefer to decide myself how much I want to grind.

SWTOR put actual extra *toolbars* behind the paywall. It is nigh unplayable without subscription. ESO, which I like, is also practically playable only in extra casual mode without ESO Gold membership (i.e. subscription).

Locked behind subscription and/or micratransactions in ESO (some come with subscription, some with gold, some with either):
* Some skill lines
* Many dungeons
* Expansion features (actual expansions are purchased separately, but many launch starter things are behind shop / subscription)
* Materials bank (all crafting materials are in your bags unless you get subscription)
* Most mounts / pets
* Thieves & Assassin's guild features
* Alt catchup mechanics (skyshard collections for alts)

[Blackmist]

So you would prefer limitation to what gear you can equip (SWTOR Literally put epic gear behind an unlock), much gold you can hold, how big your inventory is and how fast you can level? No sorry, I very much prefer to decide myself how much I want to grind.

So because bad games exist, you don't think it's possible to do it right? Like say Fortnite, which makes more money than WoW ever will under a subscription model.

Fun fact: WoW actually had a penalty for levelling too much. It made you level at half speed. It proved incredibly unpopular, so they halved the normal speed, and added rested XP instead, which was met with universal approval. Which means we still have that penalty, it's just called "normal levelling".

And honestly, I can think of lots of things they could sell that people would snap up. Flying, so new players don't have to go through the pathfinder bullshit. Old mounts that still exist but on a really low droprate. Plenty of players would drop £20 on Invincible if it meant they never had to see the inside of ICC again.

[FelPlague]

Examples provided above (well, at least GW2...I haven't played SWTOR since it went F2P) don't even have a P2W mechanic. Arguably, WoW has a P2W mechanic (gold via token) that GW2 doesn't have....

uhhh you know you can buy ingame currency with irl money in GW2 right?

- - - Updated - - -

SWTOR put actual extra *toolbars* behind the paywall. It is nigh unplayable without subscription. ESO, which I like, is also practically playable only in extra casual mode without ESO Gold membership (i.e. subscription).

Locked behind subscription and/or micratransactions in ESO (some come with subscription, some with gold, some with either):
* Some skill lines
* Many dungeons
* Expansion features (actual expansions are purchased separately, but many launch starter things are behind shop / subscription)
* Materials bank (all crafting materials are in your bags unless you get subscription)
* Most mounts / pets
* Thieves & Assassin's guild features
* Alt catchup mechanics (skyshard collections for alts)

god i fucking forgot about that, the action bars, and being able to customize your Ui ARE LOCKED BEHIND IRL PAY
"Hey have too many abilities for 2 bars? well suck it up, or pay us!"

[Laughingjack]

uhhh you know you can buy ingame currency with irl money in GW2 right?

You can but currency has a lot less value in that game then you assume it does. It is extremely easy to play guild wars without a dime if anything I would argue its currency doesn't have enough uses.

Gold in wow though it requires massive quantities gives you far more power at least for this patch with corruptions (granted its been years since i logged onto gw2 it could be possible things changed I know im at least one expansion behind)

[Itori]

Have you noticed all the "f2p" games aren't free? Rng loot boxes for special items, features that still have to be bought, to do more than a few dungeons a day you have to buy tokens, hell swtor you have to pay to have more action bars. So no, ill gladly pay 15$ a month so my fav mmos feel like full games and not a pay to win shit hole.

[crusadernero]

It gets increasingly difficult to support the subscription model. Blizz continues to put less and less effort into the game, and charges a hefty price for mediocre expansions. We are paying subscriptions for what? It takes much longer for them to respond to tickets. Heck, there are bugs that are many years old now that they still haven't addressed.

I laugh at some of the responses about P2W when the examples provided above (well, at least GW2...I haven't played SWTOR since it went F2P) don't even have a P2W mechanic. Arguably, WoW has a P2W mechanic (gold via token) that GW2 doesn't have...and WoW is still charging a subscription fee on top of it.

Blizz has been enveloped by greed. Why they have become this way is irrelevant...you merely need to acknowledge the obvious to understand that they really don't provide the subscription fee benefit that their PR department tries to claim.

Well thats your personal opinion, that its not worth buying a xpac in wow or pay a sub. So far theres enough people out there willing to pay for xpac+sub.
If wow went f2p EVERYTHING in the game is up for grabs. Want to experience the dungeons? Pay for it. want to see raids? pay for it. Want to have full access to pvp? Pay for it. Want xp increase? Pay for it. Want full access to proffesions? Pay for it. Want to buy new xpac? Still gotta pay for it. Want to play with your friends in certain aspects of the game? Pay for that content. One friends dont want to? Well now you cant play together.

The good thing with Blizzards system is that you can buy a xpac(not really that high cost) and sub for however long you want. The moment you are bored of it, unsub. Want to play 4 months later? Well sub for 1 month and have som fun. Most(if not all) xpacs in wow has been worth playing for atleast a few months.

Its easy, dont cost much(compared to the hours and content you get out of it) and you dont get overwhelmed with microtransactions. The wow sub gives you access to everything in the game.

[dope_danny]

The moment it does the cash shop will go into overdrive and the prices of services will triple. A free to play activision published title is not something anyone should want.

[crusadernero]

Have you noticed all the "f2p" games aren't free? Rng loot boxes for special items, features that still have to be bought, to do more than a few dungeons a day you have to buy tokens, hell swtor you have to pay to have more action bars. So no, ill gladly pay 15$ a month so my fav mmos feel like full games and not a pay to win shit hole.

Yeah pretty much. If the sub were removed anything is up for grabs. Bag space, actionbars and so much more can be put behind a paywall. I've been playing wow since launch and bought every xpac. I have unsubbed many times, but always got my moneys worth out of each xpac.

[Blupparen]

I rather pay a monthly fee (or every 6 months in my case) than having the game being funded by a ever growing p2w shop.

[Jamie081]

Have you ever think if the subscription model just gone away?

It's a old system, new MMOs don't need this mercenary model. We have gw2, same generation, never have subscription (many others: BDO, ESO, SWTOR). The new generation is buy-to-play or free-to-play.

In my opinion, blizzard must remove the pay-to-play (we already buy the game, is it reallly needs pay a "rent"?)

Yeah sure use GW2 as an example when their profits have been declining year after year. They've always monetised basic features e.g. bag slots, bank slots, and more recently character build templates.

The new generation of MMOs is not buy-to-play or free-to-play at all. Maybe if it was 2012 again when everyone and their mother wanted a slice of the MMO money pie. I don't understand this rhetoric of subscriptions being outdated when it's obvious the MMOs without a steady monthly income are the ones that are struggling to get by.

[vincink]

It gets increasingly difficult to support the subscription model. Blizz continues to put less and less effort into the game, and charges a hefty price for mediocre expansions. We are paying subscriptions for what? It takes much longer for them to respond to tickets. Heck, there are bugs that are many years old now that they still haven't addressed.

I laugh at some of the responses about P2W when the examples provided above (well, at least GW2...I haven't played SWTOR since it went F2P) don't even have a P2W mechanic. Arguably, WoW has a P2W mechanic (gold via token) that GW2 doesn't have...and WoW is still charging a subscription fee on top of it.

Blizz has been enveloped by greed. Why they have become this way is irrelevant...you merely need to acknowledge the obvious to understand that they really don't provide the subscription fee benefit that their PR department tries to claim.

Where other games are gating access to gameplay by pay to play or pay to win models, Blizzard is being greedy for keeping a subscription + expansion model? Are you saying that a hotel that charges a flat nightly fee for the room you are staying in (with additional amenities for no extra charge, like a morning meal, and so forth) is greedier than a hotel that charges you for sleeping on the bed, turning on the TV, taking a bath, using the internet, eating a meal, and every other small facet of staying at a hotel?

[CalamityHeart]

Just throwing my hat in with the general consensus.

I have no issue with the subscription model. At this point, I play the game almost entirely through tokens that I get with the gold I farm. Yesterday was the first time I'd dropped $15 on game time in almost a year. I even pre-ordered Shadowlands, and eventually upgraded to its tier three edition entirely through tokens that I used to give me Blizzard balance, which I thought was absolutely insane. Far as I'm concerned, Blizzard's model is leagues more generous for far more bang than other similar games that I've tried and found inferior. I feel zero compulsion to pay for anything on the store, and I've only used the character services twice in the eight years I've been playing, and I don't feel at all hampered for not doing so.

But I've seen what freemium or F2P games have to do to keep the lights on, and they make Blizzard's cosmetic store look like a child's lemonade stand in comparison. Is Blizzard's model a good model? Is any model where you have to give them money a good model? Probably not. But between the current model and the alternative, I'd rather this game "suffer" under a minor evil than get sent straight to hell.

[FelPlague]

You can but currency has a lot less value in that game then you assume it does. It is extremely easy to play guild wars without a dime if anything I would argue its currency doesn't have enough uses.

Gold in wow though it requires massive quantities gives you far more power at least for this patch with corruptions (granted its been years since i logged onto gw2 it could be possible things changed I know im at least one expansion behind)

Lol. "Guild wars 2 does not have this issue"
"Ok guild wars 2 does have this issue but it is so minor"
Yeaaah no.

[Luxeley]

When is the last time you just decided not collecting $50,000,000 per month? I genuinely hate defending Blizzard, but let's be real here.

[Neuroticaine]

Have you ever think if the subscription model just gone away?

It's a old system, new MMOs don't need this mercenary model. We have gw2, same generation, never have subscription (many others: BDO, ESO, SWTOR). The new generation is buy-to-play or free-to-play.

In my opinion, blizzard must remove the pay-to-play (we already buy the game, is it reallly needs pay a "rent"?)

Can't speak for SWTOR because I haven't played it in years, but ESO is extremely restrictive (nigh unplayable for me) without a subscription, and it's very easy to spend more than $15 a month when playing BDO super seriously.

[talmar]

I don’t mind paying for a subscription but I do think that the game is overloaded with to many payment methodes already. You still have to buy the base game, they started to lock new features behind pre-orders, the store keeps expanding rapidly (BFA alone probably had the most new store mounts due to the 6 month thing)... and that all while still paying a sub. This is also part of what keeps new people from trying out the game. I don’t need to see the sub being removed but they do need to lessen on all these triple dipping and to stop exploiting their loyal playerbase. Classic-WotLK did great with just needing the base game and a sub after all.

Ok, a couple points I’d like to highlight.

You still have to buy the base game. Yes you are correct, I bought my daughter’s for $5 during a sale. Also, keep in mind that today the base game includes all the content from every expansion through Legion. I’m sure that not too long after Shadowlands is released they will roll BfA into the base game as well.

New features are not locked behind pre-orders, they are simply made available at time of purchase. This is not the same thing as locked. Locked indicates that they are not and will not be available unless you preorder. Everything available to people that preorder will also be available to everyone else when they buy the game. Nothing to my knowledge has ever been locked behind a preorder.

The store expanding is part and parcel to running any online based game in 2020. As many others have shown, Blizzards store is very small compared to other games, even other sub based games. And technically, there is nothing on the store you can’t get by playing the game. AFAIK you can buy anything on the store with gold earned in game.

The store has been around since Classic as well. It may not have had all the shiny mounts and pets and such but you still have to pay for services even in Classic.

One would think theyd stick to one model of payment for their product.

Instead they have 4.

1. You pay for the game
2. you pay for access to the game on a monthly basis.
3. you pay for cosmetics
4. you pay for ingame services like swapping server or altering your characters gender etc.

Makes me wonder if Bezos designed their mdoel of payment...

1. Yup, you pay for the game. Can’t argue with that one.

2. Not necessarily, there are members of my guild who pay for their game time with gold and haven’t spent a penny on the sub since the token has been released.

3. Optional, the store cosmetic items add nothing to player power and are completely an optional component. Also, You can purchase any cosmetic item, pet or mount on the store using in game gold as well.

4. Also Optional, the in game services you mention have been around since Classic. These are nothing new and again, are all completely optional.
So of the 4 items you have listed, only 1 is required to play World of Warcraft and experience ALL of it’s content.

[oldgeezer]

The sub is fine. What is it? Far less than a round on a night out (remember those?). The game without it would be an absolute shambles.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Nothing would change for the better. Blizzard is already quadruple dipping into our pockets, with ludicrously overpriced offers on top of that. It would only give them an excuse to milk is us even more.

[Viikkis]

No. I love sub based mmorpgs though I hate the fact that Blizzard sneaked in game purchases to WoW ages ago since they don't belong in a sub based model. However, the current model is still better than F2P would be.

[kugarm]

No. I love sub based mmorpgs though I hate the fact that Blizzard sneaked in game purchases to WoW ages ago since they don't belong in a sub based model. However, the current model is still better than F2P would be.

The buy-to-play model is the perfect scenario. You bought the game, so, just play it without a sub.