What are ACCEPTABLE cash shop items?

[Mashanerz]

There are those who enjoy the cash shop, and then there are those who don't.

If we were to break it down into what is acceptable and what isn't in a cash shop, what would be acceptable to you to be in a cash shop?

For me the list would be:

• The current mounts, pets, toys
• Transmog options
• Character Services
• Single level boosts (think 5-10$ each)
• Early access flying (think 20-30$ per character to unlock it before the patch its released in)

I would absolutely not want ANY power upgrades to be sold in the cash shop. None. If they were to introduce direct power upgrades (ie, selling raid gear or the like) I would unsub immediately.

So I guess we ignore the fact that you're clearly Bobby Kotick with your list of things to sell (are you suggesting $5-10 per level boosted?)


Interesting that you don't consider level boosts or flying to be a power upgrade. Not sure what "Character Services" means in comparison to everything else, I guess changing realms/gender/race/faction/whatever other arbitrary thing Blizz can think of to make people pay money.

[dope_danny]

Its not what a cash shop has but why it exists that effects my opinion. Like i don't like FFXIV's cash shop but at least the devs have been open that Square Enix funnels money out of the game and doesn't inject any in so the cash shop pays for fan fest and the opening and maintenance of new data centers like the EU ones way back and the Oceanic ones coming now.

They've said in shareholder calls they make more money on cash shop Whales in WoW than subscribers by a significant margin so where is that money going? every year the game seems to run a little buggier and crash more often so it aint software engineers. What does WoW's cash shop in a sub base game provide the customer with that income? or is it just a money void for Bobby or the Cosby Crews partys?

[epigramx]

Nothing that gives player power. Only cosmetics. That means: gold: out the window; battle pets that are unique in abilities: out the window; boosts: out the window.

[Huehuecoyotl]

In an MMO with a subscription AND a box price? Fucking nothing. Ever.

People accepting this helped lead Blizzard down the path they've followed. If I'm paying to play a game, I should get access to ALL of that game. Greedy developers selling extras for more money, and the moronic whales that encourage them, just lead to a "greed first, players second" approach. Which ends up being shit for most players.

[Arewn]

Your point?

You have to pay a sub to your local golf country club. But you seem to think that because you paid your monthly due to the country club, you are entitled to the new set of golf clubs, balls, tees, shirts and apparel that are in the OPTIONAL golf club store at the country club.

Your comparison is flawed. This would be akin to me expecting blizzard to pay for my computer, internet and electricity bills.

That said, there is a problem with these kinds of services offering increasingly ridiculous access passes as a way to nickle and dime consumers. Think amusement parts with their tiered ticketing systems.

The value of the subs to them is actually a lot less than you think. They have other sources of revenue in 2021 pertaining to WoW that people love to neglect. But hey don't let me remind you of the Twitch earnings leak and realize that Twitch bought the rights to steaming on most if not all of the Blizzard esports and get an idea of how much they paid for a 2 year contract. That's just one platform.

Who cares what twitch does to monetize viewership. The sub and box prices is incredibly lucrative on its' own. The fact that the cash shop and other revenue streams draw in even more then that is just an indicator of how disguistingly they over charge.

[NED funded]

My personal opinion is that nothing is acceptable in the cash shop items

This game costs 60$ plus subscription cost every month

I tolerate cosmetic items and some services cuz they arent THAT important.

[Kallisto]

The true answer is for the gaming community at least

What's OK: What Squenix puts on the store
What's not OK: What's on the Blizz store

What if it is the same type of thing? Bitch about it on the blizz store while cheering it on the FFXIV store.

(note this isn't an attack on either game which are great fun to play but the fickleness of the gaming community as a whole. If it is ok on one it is ok on the other.)

[Cosmic Janitor]

Its not what a cash shop has but why it exists that effects my opinion. Like i don't like FFXIV's cash shop but at least the devs have been open that Square Enix funnels money out of the game and doesn't inject any in so the cash shop pays for fan fest and the opening and maintenance of new data centers like the EU ones way back and the Oceanic ones coming now.

This. Wow also has lost too much of my goodwill to overlook it. I think even back in TES4:O I was not as much appalled by some of the "DLC"-proto-micro-transactions back then, simply because after 300 hours the game had garnered tons of goodwill from me and giving the devs a bit more was okay in my book (never bought the horse armor though :P). I can't say the same for WoW right now.

[Dejiko]

In a subscription based game, no items feel all that acceptable

[TheLucky1]

Jaylock ban button.

[|Dexter|]

I would say rewards of past events are impossible to earn in-game anymore, that is how FFXIV started the store, a large account of the items was part of events before.

But really it's a balancing act sure we're paying one sub but the cash shop clearly is here to stay, there is no coming back anymore... Every MMO got one it seems free to play or sub-base.

The major thing is really can I get awesome rewards in the game by just playing it or is everything that looks good, part of the cash shop... like if WoW add new mounts that are just recolored versions of stuff already in-game and add every real new skin to the cash shop it's a problem!

Same with FFXIV if they just put all that hairstyles and emotes and mounts locked behind the cash shop it's an issue, but having both lots of hairstyles, emotes, and mounts you can earn in-game make those cash shop items a lot less of a big deal.

sure it still suck to have one cash shop in the first place... especially in one monthly sub-game... but like I say that ship has clearly sailed it worked for the companys and those cash shops not going any where....

[Dejiko]

With a Sub and cash shop, character services shouldn't even be under paid services, it should be free.

I'd rather see them remove character services

[Toby451]

Anything beyond cosmetics is unacceptable to me. Instant quit the day they even attempt it and wont ever look back.


Yes I realize account services and level boosts exists. The level boosts made sense back when we were level 100+ and it took quite the effort to level up for returning players. I wish they would be removed now but it is what it is at this point. I absolutely hate the idea of getting rid of account services. I would have already quit the game many times over if I had to keep starting over every time I wanted to join a new guild, no thanks.


However, I do believe there should be some sort of "Loyalty" program for veteran accounts that give you the occasional free service.

[Acelius]

As long as you pay a sub, NO option is acceptable.

Anything beyond cosmetics is unacceptable to me. Instant quit the day they even attempt it and wont ever look back.


Yes I realize account services and level boosts exists. The level boosts made sense back when we were level 100+ and it took quite the effort to level up for returning players. I wish they would be removed now but it is what it is at this point. I absolutely hate the idea of getting rid of account services. I would have already quit the game many times over if I had to keep starting over every time I wanted to join a new guild, no thanks.


However, I do believe there should be some sort of "Loyalty" program for veteran accounts that give you the occasional free service.

This attitude is why Blizzard keep pumping out items for the store. If everyone just said "no", they'd put all the items in the game that you pay for WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. But no, you encourage Blizz, you keep buying, and they keep making it worse.

[epigramx]

In an MMO with a subscription AND a box price? Fucking nothing. Ever.

People accepting this helped lead Blizzard down the path they've followed. If I'm paying to play a game, I should get access to ALL of that game. Greedy developers selling extras for more money, and the moronic whales that encourage them, just lead to a "greed first, players second" approach. Which ends up being shit for most players.

Not only that but they made it even worse with more "premium" steps. Take e-Blizzcon for example. You get extremely rare mounts by paying at least 50 or 100 dollars in order to watch a glorified advertisement of their company.

[muto]

Nothing considering the sub cost is 15$ for content every 8 months.

[DingDongKing]

Only cosmetic items. Nothing else. No coins, no boosts. Nothing that affects the gameplay.

[Hastis]

cashshop in game with monlthy sub for me seems like joke already. I dont really understand why wow still has sub if other games are f2p and better developed than wow

[hecpercu]

Zero, niente, nada.
I haven't and never will buy anything from any shop, i already pay for the game, subscriptions, expansions...

Its so sad that cash shops are so normalized, thats why i dont buy games anymore, the industry is rigged for good.

I used to be "anti pirate stuff, give the developers the money, they deserve it"

Not anymore

Do you want to fck us? Anre you the paradigm of greed? Then I wont give you a single penny anymore.

And so it is. Now i dont buy any offline games with a cash shop of any sort, now i get it for free.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Why are people asking for a single level boost for $5-10? Are you that broken and hollow inside?

I saw somebody yesterday say it pretty well, "Imagine paying somebody to skip the game for you that you pay a monthly sub for"

It's like some of you like being taken a fool for and taken advantage of.

This would be an argument if there wasn't a clear distinction between leveling and endgame content and a massive focus on the later. You aren't paying someone to skip the MSQ of the Witcher 3 or have the game play itself like in various mobile games, you pay someone so that you don't have to waste time yourself on something you don't want to do, because the thing you want to do is gated behind it. And while I'm not a fan of it either, there can be any number of reasons for it. If I make a cost-benefit analysis, then I would also come to the conclusion that it'd be more efficient to buy a boost and work 1-2 hours more instead of wasting my time grinding dungeons or quests I'm sick and tired of for the next 5-6 hours.