How much should a WoW sub cost now?

[Relapses]

Then why did you ever start playing WoW?

I'd imagine the same reason most people start playing WoW: To play with my friends.

Just because I dislike the concept of video game subscriptions doesn't mean I don't see the value of the game itself. I'd simply prefer if it wasn't a thing because imo "{insert blank here} as service" is the type of peak capitalism that we should generally avoid as a society.

[rhorle]

Just because I dislike the concept of video game subscriptions doesn't mean I don't see the value of the game itself. I'd simply prefer if it wasn't a thing because imo "{insert blank here} as service" is the type of peak capitalism that we should generally avoid as a society.

Okay. I was thinking it was a hard rule and not one of those principles that means zero because it is ignored any time you like something that does it.

[Soon-TM]

Just because YOU dont think its good, doesn't mean I cant think it is. You're getting far more then 15$ a month worth of content. You pay 60$ for a game that has 8-15 hours of play. I play 8-15 hours a week some weeks in wow. So the hours played per $ is quite insane.

You must be buying some really overpriced #$&% if all you are getting is just 8-15 hours of gameplay. Please do name those games so I can avoid them like the plague.

To put the current sub fee into perspective just compare it to game pass which is priced similarly IIRC.

Yes, Game Pass is priced similarly. Now tell me how many games Game Pass gives you access to, and how many does WoW sub.

[Relapses]

Okay. I was thinking it was a hard rule and not one of those principles that means zero because it is ignored any time you like something that does it.

Trying not to get too "we live in a society" here but a lot of WoW's issues are rooted in the original sin of having a subscription cost. In part, I think it explains why so many people have difficulty letting go of the game even after they've quit.

[tacoloco]

Why do people insist on starting these kinds of threads?

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I'd imagine the same reason most people start playing WoW: To play with my friends.

Just because I dislike the concept of video game subscriptions doesn't mean I don't see the value of the game itself. I'd simply prefer if it wasn't a thing because imo "{insert blank here} as service" is the type of peak capitalism that we should generally avoid as a society.

As a service isn't going anywhere, so we all may as well get used to it.

[Relapses]

Why do people insist on starting these kinds of threads?

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As a service isn't going anywhere, so we all may as well get used to it.

I mean we're going on 2 decades of the same sub cost. I think the "getting used to it" ship sailed long ago. I'd honestly argue that we should be happy Blizzard hasn't further monetized the subscription but with their recent acquisition by Microsoft I can see a world where WoW's sub fee starts getting tiers similar to how cable companies currently package their channels.

[rhorle]

...but with their recent acquisition by Microsoft I can see a world where WoW's sub fee starts getting tiers similar to how cable companies currently package their channels.

Microsoft hasn't done anything similar with past acquisitions of MMO's. So really all you are doing is inventing something that would be bad just so you can spread doom on the subject.

[VMSmith]

Trying not to get too "we live in a society" here but a lot of WoW's issues are rooted in the original sin of having a subscription cost. In part, I think it explains why so many people have difficulty letting go of the game even after they've quit.

That's a very interesting idea. I think it has merit.

That small subscription is just another investment into the game and not many people like feeling that their money has been wasted.

[Relapses]

Microsoft hasn't done anything similar with past acquisitions of MMO's. So really all you are doing is inventing something that would be bad just so you can spread doom on the subject.

If you honestly think that Microsoft paid $60+ billion to acquire WoW just to keep the statquo then I truly envy your naivety.

[rhorle]

If you honestly think that Microsoft paid $60+ billion to acquire WoW just to keep the statquo then I truly envy your naivety.

Why would they mess with a proven system just because? They didn't change much with the other subscription games they acquired. Stop throwing around insults just because your made up claim about the future gets labeled as exactly that.

[Le Conceptuel]

Well, you'd be wrong.

Rather than just speculate, how about we look at some actual numbers.

Blizzard's segment revenue of $1.83 billion for 2021 (which includes all their game sales, service fees, micro-transactions, licensing, and the WoW sub tucked in there) comprises only 23% of ATVI's total revenue, yet could almost cover the $1.86 billion of ATVI's total product, operations, and distribution costs. The WoW sub is a drop in the bucket, and far exceeds any server maintenance costs. Hell, ATVI's game sales alone are almost double the operating and distribution costs.

ATVI's net income for 2021 was $2.7 billion after tax. Just to throw out a number here, and lets say the WoW sub accounts for 50% of Blizzard's total revenue (it's obviously a lot less). ATVI would still net almost $2 billion in income if they for some reason got rid of the WoW sub. We know that WoW was profitable enough in 2006 for Kotick to begin seeking out the merger, and at the time it only had about 6 million subs and no expansions, in-game shop, or tokens. With all the additional revenue streams that have been added since then you'd have to be pretty gullible to think that at this point the subscription is necessary for keeping the game going.

Remember, the $15/month sub cost was determined back at the start of WoW when there were a lot of initial investments to cover and Blizzard had no idea how popular the game would be. At this point, even with 20 years worth of inflation, the structure in place that keeps WoW going is far more efficient than it was when the game launched.

I concede the point. I apologize, I didn't have access to those numbers and I didn't know we had access to them. I still do maintain that it's not wrong at all for WoW to maximize its profits, but I do suppose that if it wouldn't make WoW itself, and not just the company, turn a profit, which it seems like it would, it could be wise enough to lower the subscription price at least insofar as it maximizes the equilibrium between price and demand.

[Relapses]

Why would they mess with a proven system just because? They didn't change much with the other subscription games they acquired. Stop throwing around insults just because your made up claim about the future gets labeled as exactly that.

Pardon me for speculating about WoW's future subscription costs in a thread topic about ::checks notes:: speculating about subscription costs. Also, accusing you of naivety isn't an insult... you seem to have a doe-eyed interpretation of Microsoft's Blizzard acquisition. My position is slightly less ambivalent and quite a bit more cynical, based mostly on my own experience working for a number of cable companies and my firsthand knowledge of how the sausage is made. As somebody who frequently calls out unwarranted cynicism in this community, you'll again have to excuse me for having my own views on this subject.

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When the status quo is getting money, um yes, they very much did lmao. You projecting m8

...you do realize I was implying that Microsoft's intention is to make even more money, right? Their current subscription model is already insanely profitable. A tiered subscription model would be even more so.

[Mysterymask]

If you honestly think that Microsoft paid $60+ billion to acquire WoW just to keep the statquo then I truly envy your naivety.

Let's be real...Microsoft didn't buy Actiblizz for World of Warcraft
Wow is a nice bonus with their purchase of Candy Crush, Call of Duty, and maybe cash in on Hearthstone

[Relapses]

Let's be real...Microsoft didn't buy Actiblizz for World of Warcraft
Wow is a nice bonus with their purchase of Candy Crush, Call of Duty, and maybe cash in on Hearthstone

Eh, we really don't have any idea what Activision's revenue breakdown looks like. I'd say of all of the titles in the catalog, only one has guaranteed monthly cyclical revenue quite like WoW (CC is probably close but that's a different ball game) so it's a bit dismissive to refer to WoW as a consolation prize.

[Flintston]

I'm not sure...10.99$ could be ok.

[Soon-TM]

Wow is a nice bonus with their purchase of Candy Crush, Call of Duty, and maybe cash in on Hearthstone

All the more reasons for MS to bring WoW "up to snuff" revenue-wise... Or to at least attempt it.

[Adamas102]

Eh, we really don't have any idea what Activision's revenue breakdown looks like. I'd say of all of the titles in the catalog, only one has guaranteed monthly cyclical revenue quite like WoW (CC is probably close but that's a different ball game) so it's a bit dismissive to refer to WoW as a consolation prize.

Actually, we do at least know the segmented breakdown between Activision, Blizzard, and King. Blizzard only makes up about 25% of ATVI’s revenue (WoW being a fraction of that). Blizzard also has the lowest MAU’s of the bunch (6-7% of ATVI’s total), so while it makes more per customer it also has the lowest reach of the group. WoW is absolutely NOT the big draw in the acquisition.

[tacoloco]

I mean we're going on 2 decades of the same sub cost. I think the "getting used to it" ship sailed long ago. I'd honestly argue that we should be happy Blizzard hasn't further monetized the subscription but with their recent acquisition by Microsoft I can see a world where WoW's sub fee starts getting tiers similar to how cable companies currently package their channels.

I was making a more generalized comment. Software as a service isn't going away.

[kenn9530]

And yet you still waste your time posting on a WoW fansite, lmao.



No matter how you cut it, 15 pissy dollars a month is nothing for the amount of fun you can get from WoW. Sure you can go buy some 1 dollar steam games or play some "freemium" games and pay nothing and get a better dollar value. Except I dont want to play those games, nor do I evaluate games based on "entertainment to dollar value" ratio. If I am enjoying a service, I will pay for it. When I stop enjoying the service, I stop paying for it (WoD for example).



Lost Ark is the perfect example of why I hope WoW never goes free to play model. Instant uninstall and never looking back if they ever announce that.

Lost ark is a game with a ton of different content, the current content in a WoW expansion is not very much and usually finished within 1 month, so what exactly is wrong with a free to play game that offers a ton of content for nothing where WoW just bleeds you for whatever it can and barely gives the playerbase anything meaningfull.

[gingerbread]

For anyone asking for free to play, can you imagine the shit show that the in-game store would be? The mythic tints are gonna be in the store. STFU