With the sale--do you think WoW is moving into maintenance mode after 9.2?

[Djaye]

I think WoW will get a reboot. and its subscription integrated into Xbox Games Pass.

i also see the battlenet app going away and everything going onto gamepass.
the RPG known as wow will be a thing of the past as it morphs into a console/mobile friendly iteration.

if FFiv can do it, wow can too... will be the thought process

[Makabreska]

Funny how millions billions of dollars can change people's opinions, eh?

I mean, you could spin it this way: they bought Acti/Blizz and will clean the house. Money is always a prime directive, but scandals like we had are bad for business, so I hope this is the angle they will use.

[melodramocracy]

You'll start seeing even more microtransactions working their way into the game in 11.0 most likely (if not a bit sooner). Worst case would be the game moving to a F2P model.

[T-34]

WoW is a tiny fraction of Activision Blizzard's earnings.

Candy Crush is going into maintenance mode?

Blizzard's revenue for the first 3 quarters of 2021 was 1,409 billion US$
King's revenue for the first 3 quarters of 2021 was 1,806 billion US$
Activision's revenue in the same period was 2,321 billion US$
https://investor.activision.com/news...2021-financial

King makes plenty of games, Candy Crush is just one of them. So if you think that WoW should go in to "maintenance mode" because it is a "fraction" of the total earnings then your question makes perfect sense, because Candy Crush just makes out a fraction of Activision-Blizzard's earnings...

We don't know how big part of King's revenue is Candy Crush, just as we don't know how big part of Blizzard's revenue is made by WoW.
People should really read the investor report...
I would recommend people to divide Acti-Blizz's revenue in each of it's 3 parts with the MAU for each part and people might understand why those that play Blizzard games are much more interesting than the 2 other segments...

[Schizoide]

If they replace Kotick as news suggest.
Then person from that position can replace people under him, and those under him ... etc etc.

It's extremely obvious that Mike Ybarra is going to be running this group after the acquisition. Remember, he comes from Microsoft, left there 2 years ago, and reported to Phil Spencer. And so he will again.

[Mojo03]

No, but I'd imagine Xbox will want a new MMO from Blizzard for a new generation.

Especially since the metaverse seems to be such a big factor in this deal. It seems to be a focus for Xbox and Activision going forward.

My guess is they'll slowly start shifting people on the WoW team towards that new project, after the merger (June 2023)

But I'd imagine 10.0 + 10.x patches will go "normally".

After that, if 10.0 series doesn't revitalize WoW, I'd imagine WoW will go in maintenance mode.

More easily now after the merger.

- - - Updated - - -

You'll start seeing even more microtransactions working their way into the game in 11.0 most likely (if not a bit sooner). Worst case would be the game moving to a F2P model.

I highly doubt it, unless they switch to F2P or another business model, which is possible now.

[Sondrelk]

Everything will keep going as usual and eventually everyone will forget that Microsoft is kinda good to third part studio.
When Mojang was bought up by Microsoft everyone was so sure it was the end of Minecraft, but it kept trucking along just as well as before, with hardly any indication that it's in any way worse than before.

[Asrialol]

Blizzard's revenue for the first 3 quarters of 2021 was 1,409 billion US$
King's revenue for the first 3 quarters of 2021 was 1,806 billion US$
Activision's revenue in the same period was 2,321 billion US$
https://investor.activision.com/news...2021-financial

King makes plenty of games, Candy Crush is just one of them. So if you think that WoW should go in to "maintenance mode" because it is a "fraction" of the total earnings then your question makes perfect sense, because Candy Crush just makes out a fraction of Activision-Blizzard's earnings...

We don't know how big part of King's revenue is Candy Crush, just as we don't know how big part of Blizzard's revenue is made by WoW.
People should really read the investor report...
I would recommend people to divide Acti-Blizz's revenue in each of it's 3 parts with the MAU for each part and people might understand why those that play Blizzard games are much more interesting than the 2 other segments...

Oh I didn't think WoW was going into maintenance mode.

Not sure how much changes this purchase will make for wow.

[Mojo03]

i also see the battlenet app going away and everything going onto gamepass.
the RPG known as wow will be a thing of the past as it morphs into a console/mobile friendly iteration.

if FFiv can do it, wow can too... will be the thought process

It could very easily go to consoles. The UI is far simpler than FF14 and FF14 makes it work surprisingly well.

But, I doubt it will.

Chances are better they'll make a new metaverse MMO with consoles in mind.

[Katsutomai]

Microsoft just bought them for 70 BILLION dollars. There is no way in hell they are going to put shit in to maintenance mode after that type of cash expenditure.

[TheEaterofSouls]

No, but I'd imagine Xbox will want a new MMO from Blizzard for a new generation.

Especially since the metaverse seems to be such a big factor in this deal. It seems to be a focus for Xbox and Activision going forward.

My guess is they'll slowly start shifting people on the WoW team towards that new project, after the merger (June 2023)

But I'd imagine 10.0 + 10.x patches will go "normally".

After that, if 10.0 series doesn't revitalize WoW, I'd imagine WoW will go in maintenance mode.

More easily now after the merger.
.

Umm... You do realized they're still actively supporting ESO and WoW is more profitable than that game. WoW will be fine. It's not going into maintenance mode. That Metaverse mmo is for a different audience.

[kranur]

Maintenance what? WoW is the most played MMO and is bringing in tens of millions per month and hundreds of millions with each expansion launch. Putting it down would be beyond retarded, would be just throwing money away.
While it may be just a fraction, those fractions add up lol.

If anything we may even see the franchise properly budgeted and expanded.

[Biomega]

Threads like this really make me chuckle.

"They just spent $70bn to buy this, do you think THEY'LL SHUT IT DOWN NOW?!"

[Razorice]

God I hope so.

just so I can see the sweet tears of this forum.

[Kharnath]

Not uncommon in business for competitors to buy out the competition solely to shut the competition down and for multiple reasons.

Nobody here can even pretend to know what Microsoft's plans are.

[hulkgor]

Silly thread after silly thread today.

70 billion dollar operation.
One of the most profitable franchises in existence.

Maintenance mode.

lol

[Alanar]

The ink won't be dried until at least mid 2023.

There's no way they'd do that. That's a year and a half away, minimum.

You know look it at this way.. will this provide more resources for wow in not to much time?

[RobertMugabe]

Imagine buying up a company for a never seen before price and then put its biggest money maker into maintenance mode.

MMOC 200 IQ

[Zero Wing]

Lotta buttsore nerds in this thread wishcasting about WoW getting its comeuppance.

[Kharnath]

About WoW getting its comeuppance.

For what!?!

I only been back a few months after a 10yr hiatus.