Realm selection page showing no low pop servers

[Pann]

Actually they don't count subs that have been cancelled, even if they're still active. Their full definition is listed on their press releases, let me dig one up real quick...

World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.

(Bolded for emphasis.)

It does not say that they do not count cancelled but active accounts at all. Expired or cancelled subscriptions refers to accounts that people no longer have access to because they have not paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card. This is to differentiate between their definition, which for simplicity's sake is anyone that has paid for access to the servers, and those games that count subs as total accounts created.

[Count Zero]

Not screw people, just inflate numbers. As far as the "active" number of subs on their quarterly they can get away with it based on a 1 month sub during that quarter so if you sub then quit guess what you're counted as "active" for the quarter.

No, although I guess jumping to a related topic ("misleading" sub numbers -> nefarious scheme -> deliberately evil practices) in this thread is probably what caused the confusion, but I meant exactly what I said -- I've interacted with several folks who, just as I said, truly believe Blizz is some sort of sadistic entity that takes pleasure in screwing people over.

[Snakehead]

Whether or not the money has to be reported has nothing to do with whether or not they're considered a subscriber. When Blizzard says "This is how many subscribers we have", that's the definition they use. Those 1.3 million subs that were lost? Anyone who cancelled but was still active at the time was counted among them. There's no shadiness about it.

Ugh. No it doesn't work that way. They can't count people that subbed during the quarter as losses because they already show as "gains". It would negate the account holder entirely as if they never existed and then the IRS would wonder where the money came from if the source never existed. It would be insane to operate under that logic. Listen I don't know many things in this world but I know accounting. It cannot be done. I know you have a wonderful opinion on how you think blizzard could account for things but it's not the reality of the situation. If you earn money you report it. In a sub based game a 1 month sub is revenue earned and has to reflect as income. They don't look as that same now unsubbed account holder and say well we now have a loss because we won't get the remaining month or two of income they would've given us. Unrealized losses which I think is what you're trying to suggest doesn't work in this scenario because that principal typically applies to stocks and bonds.

[Count Zero]

The better question is why does everyone think Blizzard is some warm, fuzzy friendly entity.

If I told you Exxon or Microsoft was up to shady stuff you'd believe it, but Blizzard, oh no they are good guys!

Blizzard is a publicly traded company, they aren't your friend, you aren't their buddy, you are their customer. You are merely a few bucks on a spreadsheet to them. Every decision they make is how to increase revenue and profit. They are every bit as soul-less as Exxon, AT&T, or any other big corporation.

Just because their production is fun games and they push this "Oh we're your buddy!" PR spin doesn't mean you should blindly trust them.

Where did I say I think Blizz is some warm, fuzzy, friendly entity, or that I blindly trust them ?

You're right -- they are a business, and profit is their ultimate motivation. But you're portraying this as inherently malicious.

[Darsithis]

I am agreeing with that. In fact I have never said otherwise. However, just as you said subbed and active are not the same thing so by them inflating a low pop server when in actuality less people are actively playing is wrong

Except you are assuming that based on no real evidence. I don't think anyone here, including myself, know how realm pop statuses work. We are not qualified to say they're lying.

[Exeris]

Whether or not the money has to be reported has nothing to do with whether or not they're considered a subscriber. When Blizzard says "This is how many subscribers we have", that's the definition they use. Those 1.3 million subs that were lost? Anyone who cancelled but was still active at the time was counted among them. There's no shadiness about it.

Imagine if we all agree on cancelling our accounts about 3weeks before the next quarter report is released and then resub again after. Should turn some heads. :P

[Gimlix]

It's probably Blizzard trying to make the realms appear fuller than they are, this is a very minor and typical business practice though.

As others have pointed out ... WoW might have the most subscribers but other MMO games feel much more populated and lively, not as deserted and empty as most WoW realms.

No sh!t when other games have 3 to max 10 servers when WoW has 250 servers.

On topic:
This is a bug that has happened before, after a hour it's fixed. So don't star QQing please.