Viewers don't care about Classic, they care about their streamers

[Thunderball]

WoW is one of those games that is better played rather than watched. The only reason why so many people are watching right now is because they dont have access to the beta.

[Hubbl3]

What's interesting to me is when these names are mentioned in retail you get a list of posts like "who is asmongold" but suddenly when him being a massive influencer can be spun to help the "classic is bad" bangwagon they are hugely known and make an impact. Which is it?

Do they really have an huge impact on people playing the game and not just people watching the game? I mean, some people like to watch a guy grind stuff for days without end or whatever but that doesn't mean those people will do the grind themselves. I watch DOTA2 from time to time, I haven't played it in years and I'm not planning on doing so. WCS is always nice to watch, but I'm not going to start SC2 any time soon. Watching Grubby playing WC3 is also entertaining, but I'm not going to install WC3 now. And so on.

[Donald Hellscream]

Thats not hard to figure out, that still doesn't mean that classic won't have a playerbase and possibly a relatively well sized one.

[Methodd]

It's been fascinating seeing the goalposts constantly being moved in regards to how to judge the success of classic. There has been a big shift, even in the past month or two in opinion.

[Vynestra]

watching classic gameplay literally made me want to play bfa.

[Whiskra]

Dunno about you but I've been watching like 7-8 different streamers playing this game, everything from Asmongold to old vanilla veterans to private server pros. They are all at different levels in the game, they all play differently, they all have vastly different viewership, and I watch them for different reasons. Although, that's kind of unrelated to the topic I suppose, OP just wants to confirm to himself that Classic will indeed not be successful and that streamer numbers are not enough to go by, that Classic is not what people are interested in but the streamers themselves. I frankly don't care about streamers personally, except the one I'm personally interested in, and I don't care about the number of viewers for any stream. I just know that Classic is coming and that I'm hyped for it.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

Do they really have an huge impact on people playing the game and not just people watching the game? I mean, some people like to watch a guy grind stuff for days without end or whatever but that doesn't mean those people will do the grind themselves. I watch DOTA2 from time to time, I haven't played it in years and I'm not planning on doing so. WCS is always nice to watch, but I'm not going to start SC2 any time soon. Watching Grubby playing WC3 is also entertaining, but I'm not going to install WC3 now. And so on.

They do. I doubt these people are watching from the sofa on the TV for the most part. Odds are higher they are playing the game with the streamer on a second monitor. Which means you are in a sense playing along side them. You choose to have that stream up along side you playing its likely your into simular things or trying to do simular activities. It isnt rocket science really. I mean are they directly controlling people? Of course not. But "influencing" yes, most certainly.

[lakylog]

Why are people so fixated on telling people that what they want isn't what they want and that they'll get bored of it?

[Khaza-R]

WoW is one of those games that is better played rather than watched. The only reason why so many people are watching right now is because they dont have access to the beta.

Exactly this.

There's very limited access into beta right now and a lot of curiousity so all eyes are on these streamers. The stress test will also be a good indicator tomorrow. Even if you can only get to level 5, I am sure most people interested in Classic will still try it

- - - Updated - - -

Why are people so fixated on telling people that what they want isn't what they want and that they'll get bored of it?

IRL control issues

[Gavll]

I don't usually watch any streamers. I have watched several play Classic. I would never watch them otherwise.

OP may have some merit but there's definitely a spike because of Classic

[Exeris]

Why are people so fixated on telling people that what they want isn't what they want and that they'll get bored of it?

It's a little funny though, they are so emotional.

[micwini]

I have never seen asmongold getting 100k viewers when he played BFA or Legion

[Blandalf]

Dunno about you but I've been watching like 7-8 different streamers playing this game, everything from Asmongold to old vanilla veterans to private server pros. They are all at different levels in the game, they all play differently, they all have vastly different viewership, and I watch them for different reasons. Although, that's kind of unrelated to the topic I suppose, OP just wants to confirm to himself that Classic will indeed not be successful and that streamer numbers are not enough to go by, that Classic is not what people are interested in but the streamers themselves. I frankly don't care about streamers personally, except the one I'm personally interested in, and I don't care about the number of viewers for any stream. I just know that Classic is coming and that I'm hyped for it.

Me too, never watched anyone play BFA other than Asmon. Why are people so obsessed with this shit. Just let us enjoy classic ffs.

[VTerpsichore]

The only reason why Classic has gotten any viewership traction is because famous streamers like Asmongold and Sodapoppin are streaming the game. Without these famous streamers, there's hardly anyone actually watching streams of Classic WoW. The numbers are back to where they traditionally have been.

When these famous streamers go back to streaming something other than Classic, their personal viewership will go with them whilst WoW's plummets. So the interest doesn't lie with Classic WoW itself, but with the streamer personalities behind the screen. So any sort of overall interest for Classic WoW based on stream viewerships should be taken with a grain of salt, as these people are there to watch their favourite streamers, not Classic.

People watch those streamers, because of the streamer, not because of the game.
No one is waiting for the next Hello Kitty Island Adventure because Soda is gonna play it.

Millions will play because they wanna play it and try it out. hundreds of thousands will stay because they enjoy it.

i understand you dont wanna hear about Classic anymore, but gonna have to wait a good year for that.
i dont wanna hear about how the next movie doesn't have enough LGBTQIA in it, but guess what, I'm gonna have to, aren't I?

so CHILL, or at least come up with some actual information that might support your claim.

[Canield]

These streamers rarely, if ever, get these viewer counts. Classic is enjoyable content to watch because it is truly enjoyable content to play. Streamers are enjoying their time, viewers are enjoying their time. That should speak volumes.

[ArenaDk]

Why are people so fixated on telling people that what they want isn't what they want and that they'll get bored of it?

Because classic player keep coming to the retail forum , hating on everyone who isn’t hyped or doesn’t think bfa is garbage.

[valky94]

The only reason why Classic has gotten any viewership traction is because famous streamers like Asmongold and Sodapoppin are streaming the game. Without these famous streamers, there's hardly anyone actually watching streams of Classic WoW. The numbers are back to where they traditionally have been.

When these famous streamers go back to streaming something other than Classic, their personal viewership will go with them whilst WoW's plummets. So the interest doesn't lie with Classic WoW itself, but with the streamer personalities behind the screen. So any sort of overall interest for Classic WoW based on stream viewerships should be taken with a grain of salt, as these people are there to watch their favourite streamers, not Classic.

i wouldnt say that they dont care about classic, sure the majority may not care about classic, but a few thousand of sodas and asmods sure do

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Asmongold already said that he will not stream anything but WoW.

thats cuz hes shit at every other game he touched

[Mullet Man]

The only reason why Classic has gotten any viewership traction is because famous streamers like Asmongold and Sodapoppin are streaming the game. Without these famous streamers, there's hardly anyone actually watching streams of Classic WoW. The numbers are back to where they traditionally have been.

When these famous streamers go back to streaming something other than Classic, their personal viewership will go with them whilst WoW's plummets. So the interest doesn't lie with Classic WoW itself, but with the streamer personalities behind the screen. So any sort of overall interest for Classic WoW based on stream viewerships should be taken with a grain of salt, as these people are there to watch their favourite streamers, not Classic.

If you haven't realized yet, Twitch is advertising.
If you are a game Dev, and have big time streamers play your game, you are going to sell more copies. Plain and Simple.

So while you might think that Classic getting these insane number of viewers means nothing, you are completely wrong.
WoW just got a shit-ton of advertising, directly to people who might play the game. Both Classic and BfA.
Blizzard could not have asked, or even paid, for better exposure.

Also remember that Blizzard only reports "active users" now.
So getting players back into any Blizzard game is a win for them.

Will some people dislike Classic after playing? Of course, but some will love it also and stick around for the long term.
Will some people dislike BfA after playing? Of course, and some will love it also.

I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard has reached out to Asmongold and Sodapoppin to thank them personally.

[valky94]

With the greatest respect to the game I love, when has WoW EVER been a good game to watch other people play. In any inception, any expansion pack. I couldn't think of something more dull to do.

So w/e really anyone who's watching a streamer play World of Warcraft instead of something ... worth watching ... is someone with tastes far removed from my own.

i agree, wow is one of the most boring games to watch on twitch, with the recent world first race events being an exception

[Jibjub]

Good? Who cares about streamers?

If you're trying to say that those streamers are the only reason Classic has any hype behind it, you are chicken-and-egging it. Asmon got more views doing a low level dungeon than he ever has while streaming. Do you think he just got extra charismatic suddenly?

The only reason these big streamers are streaming classic is because there are tons of people interested in watching it.