Activision Blizzard Q3 2012 Earnings Call

[Black Rider]

Mike Morhaime was beating his chest that they are "happy more frequent content is being pushed"... but i'm not seeing it. No new raid in 5.1 and next tier will likely come with the next book around late April next year...

Dailies and the Brawler nonsense is not real content and they will figure that out when they hit 8 million subs in Q4.

I think 5.2 will arrive in January or February, April is too far away.
They're doing 1 minor patch, 1 major patch thing.

[Dasffion]

Don't know what changes that may come, but if I didn't earn my epic gear I don't use it. I busted my butt to get everything I wear, on a server that is lucky to get content down before another patch or expansion...purely in PuGs and PuRs.

No one carried me. I never bought any title. I never AFKed in a BG. I never took short cuts, period. I tradeskill gems/enchants/gear/inscriptions, too. Believe in self-sufficiency.

That guy knows nothing.

And I was wrong to call you entitled, was just throwing it back, but you know nothing about me either. I do all the same things as you. I have maxed every profession. I could go get those recipes, I have characters that are exalted with both factions, but I don't NEED to because they're outdated content and I don't want to sell out dated gear to twinks. It's not a necessity. That's my only problem here is that you're claiming that you needed to grind out Scryers and Aldor on one character when you didn't. It was a choice you made to get the most out of your character. I'm going to end this argument here because if you can't understand that I don't think I'm going to get through to you and it'd be pointless to try further.

[Haloswin]

As i said more than 2 months ago the real losses will show in February.

Once people get their chars decked in LFR and are too sick of dailies on Alts the fall will be huge. We can expect some Scroll promotion tied with 5.1 around Christmas to bloat the sub figures.

I imagine the daily grind will be reduced significantly after 5.1 hits, so it may not be as annoying an issue to people then. I know many of my guildies are perfectly fine working on their mains and in no rush to level their alts right now in hopes of sidestepping some of that "grind" with the incoming patch changes. It's different everywhere, but for my guild we are seeing an average of 40 people on at all times, many of them our BC raid core that grew to hate the game late in WoTLK. For me, MOP has been a pleasant surprise so far. Maybe more importantly... as a raid leader/GM, the dailies have proven to be useful to some extent. The guys that would have typically quit once things got remotely difficult or once something failed to go how they wanted aren't working their reps... so, its been easier to fill our out our three raid teams with people who are currently more inclined to do the extra things necessary to push progression. Two of our of three teams are racing against each other for faction side firsts, the third is 6 bosses in, we have been running 25s again -- it's been nice. The influx of older players returning to the game has really made for a lot of flexibility when filling out or raids and raid teams and the guys that are sitting on a particular night seem to enjoy being able to do dailies as opposed to sitting in SW or doing watered down heroics. The challenge modes have been really good filler for our guys too. Actually the challenge modes have been the biggest hits with the BC guys, as they do remind them of what the original ZA bear mount runs felt like etc etc.

I think a lack of new content could have a bigger impact on whether people are unsubbing than the dailies. I didn't particularly enjoy them but it wasn't hard to get them done and once I opened up the AC and SP dailies, it became really easy to choose which ones I wanted to complete. It's completely filler content for me at this point.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

That might be considered arrogance but not entitlement.

It's entitlement, as you assumed something you have no idea of knowing, in a way to try to belittle the work of others. I can probably sit here and judge you in how you were carried through WoW, but I'm a better person than you.

It's players like this that destroys games, as they think their world is absolutely correct and refuse to see anything else.

I was never the entitled one, and I never asked for something I didn't work to obtain (and most I did was soloed on top of it as a personal challenge), from the very day I started WoW.

So get off my back and go back to playing WoW your way and stop telling others how to play their way.

[Deleted]

Looking into the numbers it does illustrate just how much damage cataclysm did.

When they launched Cata in Q4 2010 Activ-B coined in $544 million, an increase of a 100million over WOTLKs release quarter

Look at MOP launch Q3 2012 and they coined in $345million

And WOTLKS numbers were $464 million,

its the worst performing Expansion release quarter by a fair distance $200 million down on cata, $120million down on Wotlk.

you can just see how much they're fudging their numbers by they have 10 million players, same as WOTLK yet are that down 25% ish in revenue in the quarter,

also on the numbers its interesting to see what the normal run rate would be without the expansion, if the expansion sold 2.7million in that first week like they say it did, at $60 a pop less that from the $343 million would bring their non MOP revenue to about 181 million for the quarter, which would be the lowest ever.

If you do the math on that it would mean they only have the revenue of in the region of 4 million actual paying subscribers per month, shows just how much their figures are massaged to get to the 10 million "subscriber" number to brag about.

[Moinaldo]

The pathetic thing is that blizzard counts people who do the trials... so if you did the MoP trial, but didn't buy, they count you towards that total... which is flat out stupid, mine ran out today and they'll still count me as a subscriber... Honestly, w/e the number is, I subtract atleast 200,000. I predict that it'll be close if not under 9 mil.

What the fuck are you talking about?? please do not state your opinion as a fact... doing that is flat out stupid.

[Dasffion]

It's entitlement, as you assumed something you have no idea of knowing, in a way to try to belittle the work of others. I can probably sit here and judge you in how you were carried through WoW, but I'm a better person than you.
.

You really need to go look up that word. Even if that's what I was doing, which I wasn't, that's not entitlement. Entitlement is the belief that I am owed something. That I have certain privileges. I didn't tell you to do something different. I didn't assume anything. I didn't belittle what you do. I just said it's not a necessity like you make it out to be.

You can judge how I was carried through WoW all you want but I wasn't. I'm not sure what that has to do with your belief that grinding out two factions that weren't really meant to be gotten to exalted on one character is a necessity though.

And just one more time to help it sink in. I'm not telling you how to play. I'm refuting your incorrect statement that playing that way is a necessity.

[Deleted]

A month or so after an expansion is normally when subscriptions peak. After that it's more or less a constant deflation with slight surges around big patches.

I doubt WoW will ever breach the 10 Mio. subscribers again once it has fallen significantly below it for a longer period of time.

[MoanaLisa]

No, you didn't need to max out your rep with factions and farm heroics to get into the raids in TBC.

For that matter you don't need to do this in MoP either.

---------- Post added 2012-11-08 at 09:15 AM ----------

For all:

Stay on topic. Less chatter calling one another entitled, please. You know who you are. It contributes nothing whatsoever to the conversation.

Your only warning.

[huth]

It's players like this that destroys games, as they think their world is absolutely correct and refuse to see anything else.

Are you done talking to yourself?

Mike Morhaime was beating his chest that they are "happy more frequent content is being pushed"... but i'm not seeing it. No new raid in 5.1 and next tier will likely come with the next book around late April next year...

Dailies and the Brawler nonsense is not real content and they will figure that out when they hit 8 million subs in Q4.

Content != raids. Dailies and Brawler's Club are very much "real" content. You're forgetting that the vast majority of players never raids.

[Huehuecoyotl]

Content != raids. Dailies and Brawler's Club are very much "real" content. You're forgetting that the vast majority of players never raids.

dailies are only "real" content in the very loosest gaming sense you can imagine. something that takes minutes to do, with no skill, that you need to repeat time after time after time, might count as content in a freeplay Zynga game. but in a subscription based game? its cheap, its nasty, and the longer people put up with it the longer companies like Blizzard will carry on doing it. content should be fun. or require skill. or preferably both. dailies have neither. they throw them out because they cost virtually nothing to produce, and produce an illusion of content. expect more, people.

[Deleted]

"Effort" is also a clever euphemism. I agree the heroics are faceroll but so what? I still gain so little out of them that the reward doesn't even match that. After 2 days I was done with them. They need to be more rewarding.

Effort comes either from
1) Time investments, or
2) Challenge

LFD spam doesn't involve any of those 2 aspects. So it's perfectly fine that rep rewards are better.
And btw when you reach revered with all the factions, you will probably be doing dungeons for VP instead of dailies, so that's their niche.

[Haloswin]

OR

People who quit are hoping WoW will improve so they can once again enjoy playing the game.

I loved playing in WotLK. Couldn't wait to login to raid. Couldn't wait to heal. Loved Northrend as it was.

Then came the destruction called, Cata. Not been pleased since.

So here's hoping for an expansion only realm.

It's interesting that what you consider the game's zenith (Wrath), I consider it's nadir. I got bored with DS very quickly but outside of Ulduar, I hated Wrath, although I actually did like Northrend.

[Deleted]

dailies are only "real" content in the very loosest gaming sense you can imagine. something that takes minutes to do, with no skill, that you need to repeat time after time after time, might count as content in a freeplay Zynga game. but in a subscription based game? its cheap, its nasty, and the longer people put up with it the longer companies like Blizzard will carry on doing it. content should be fun. or require skill. or preferably both. dailies have neither. they throw them out because they cost virtually nothing to produce, and produce an illusion of content. expect more, people.

That's you opinion. Since I'm not raiding anymore I could as well not consider it content? For me, dailies are content. Brawlers Guild (not with this horrible implementation, but I'm speaking about the concept) is content, Pet Battles are content, etc

[Kevyne-Shandris]

It's interesting that what you consider the game's zenith (Wrath), I consider it's nadir. I got bored with DS very quickly but outside of Ulduar, I hated Wrath, although I actually did like Northrend.

Because I don't jump on the bandwagon to "fit in" because XYZ thinks it's kewl. I'm not a kiddie that needs it.

I liked WotLK for many reasons beyond just raiding, especially like it being so much an environment for a paladin...zillions of undead and an evil antagonist that controls them to smite. Liked hearing the crunch of snow under the feet. Liked the cold breath. Liked the blue light filter (liked I liked the yellow/orange one in Sentinel Hill; like the red one in Firelands...sets a perfect mood). Most of all, to be that paladin to burn evil down.

So no bandwagons for me, I like the expansion for what it was for me, not others says it to be.

[Seranthor]

Casuals only do LFR and once they hit a "brickwall" they just quit.

I will keep playing until the game gets shut down and i will keep complaining and demanding a better service. This is the franchise i have loved since WC2. I want to see it improve, not turn in to an arcade game.



I seriously facepalmed after i read your email... You were writing tickets to complain about design decisions and they told you to go the forums... I have no words...

Actually, I was railing about repeatly having my passengers dismounted and falling to their fucking deaths while flying around Northrend... I was fucking railing about flying over WG and being dismounted myself and falling to my fucking death..... I was railing about a laundry list of shit that was fucking reported months ago in beta that never got fucking fixed and STILL isn't fucking FIXED on live....

And they fucking took offense about it.. it was NOT about a design decision...

Next.

[ZenX]

No you are absolutely entitled and have the entitlement mentality because you presume to tell him and others like him how they should play the game and what they need and they don't. I just can't wait for the changes to come to this game and come soon. The handful of you who will bitch and scream will reveal yourselves to be the true entitltement generation because you can brook no changes and accept nothing different because you have to have it your way. The rest of you will naturally just shift your positions along with Blizzards purely in line with the status quo.

Actually it is you and Kevyne as well as the likes of you who have entitlement issues. Right now you and him/her present "suggestions" t issues of your own which you also consider to be above the FoM "rendered" for such aspects.

Why else would you be posting here for such a long time now if you did not have an issue of entitlement.

A normal person would just let go if they had "this many" problems with the game...

Because I don't jump on the bandwagon to "fit in" because XYZ thinks it's kewl. I'm not a kiddie that needs it.

I liked WotLK for many reasons beyond just raiding, especially like it being so much an environment for a paladin...zillions of undead and an evil antagonist that controls them to smite. Liked hearing the crunch of snow under the feet. Liked the cold breath. Liked the blue light filter (liked I liked the yellow/orange one in Sentinel Hill; like the red one in Firelands...sets a perfect mood). Most of all, to be that paladin to burn evil down.

So no bandwagons for me, I like the expansion for what it was for me, not others says it to be.

Then why are you here, acting so immature?

Sorry to go over the line here but, your previous posts contradict you.
You are someone who went as far as to literally insult(not tease) someone you don't know because of a game that does not meet your expectations. So be it, not being able to play WoW is not the end of the world.


...and it is indeed pitiful of me to try to put some sense into the likes of you during my breaks that I normally take to chill between my cramped up schedule.

[Deleted]

IS the information out yet? i can't find it anywhere

[Haloswin]

Because I don't jump on the bandwagon to "fit in" because XYZ thinks it's kewl. I'm not a kiddie that needs it.

I liked WotLK for many reasons beyond just raiding, especially like it being so much an environment for a paladin...zillions of undead and an evil antagonist that controls them to smite. Liked hearing the crunch of snow under the feet. Liked the cold breath. Liked the blue light filter (liked I liked the yellow/orange one in Sentinel Hill; like the red one in Firelands...sets a perfect mood). Most of all, to be that paladin to burn evil down.

So no bandwagons for me, I like the expansion for what it was for me, not others says it to be.

So everyone that doesn't see things the way you do is on a "bandwagon" or incapable of making a choice for themselves? Are you really this full of yourself or have you just chosen to super glue a chip onto your shoulder and assume everyone that doesn't agree with you is automatically some kind of message board enemy?

I hated Wrath cause it was an AOE fest that required no effort at all and sorry but IMO healing in Wrath was faceroll -- that was my experience, my view of the state of the raiding game save for Ulduar heroic modes which I really enjoyed. To be perfectly frank I loved how you could trigger heroic modes in there, I wish they had kept that as the design instead of making us go back and do the same freaking thing all over again only now it hits harder and has a new ability. Like I said, I enjoyed Northrend itself -- I liked the look and feel and I liked the questing better there than in BC for instance.

I wasn't faulting you for liking Wrath, I was pointing out the difference in how people view things in hopes that people with some level of intelligence might actually understand that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

[ZenX]

IS the information out yet? i can't find it anywhere

http://files.shareholder.com/downloa...ase_Tables.pdf