It's startling how fast game activity is falling

[BeastmasterGuardian]

So instead you are going to support the arbitrary subscription number that Blizzard shows to the public a couple times a year?

No. Instead I am going to wait for an impartial, unbiased, professional statistical source to provide data. The information provided by Xfire is probably just as shoddy as the numbers provided by Blizzard. Until some unbiased and FULLY informed professional 3rd party service delivers numbers, the data being provided here by non-professional topic makers is just as unreliable as the quarterly data spit out by Blizzard. Both parties are using their own "methods" to arrive at their own "conclusions". It would be like asking the guy on the bus to explain quantum physics from a newspaper article instead of getting facts from a quantum physicist.

---------- Post added 2012-12-12 at 02:47 PM ----------

It's a mistake to think that sale prices at Christmas are some sort of harbinger of doom for the game or a sign of desperation. Of course they're trying hard to find new/returning players.

That's where the real money is. I'm surprised that more people don't realize this. WoW makes much more from the monthly subscriptions in US/EU than anything related to the price to get in the game. For Blizzard, at this point in time, that's negligible if the entire transaction is done as a d/l.

I agree. But you might not want to disagree with the OP or any of the other "fact finders" in the thread. They will pronounce you a heretic and dig up some XFire stats about people who buy games at half price

[Osmeric]

No. Instead I am going to wait for an impartial, unbiased, professional statistical source to provide data. The information provided by Xfire is probably just as shoddy as the numbers provided by Blizzard.

In other words, you're going to wait for something you don't have any real chance of getting.

How convenient.

[Nalfeinn]

I know exactly what you mean playing over 2 servers and they have both totally died over the past 2/3 weeks...busy periods like evening and weekends are now back to the few people sat around...it reminds me of pre MoP Orgrimmar

[BeastmasterGuardian]

In other words, you're going to wait for something you don't have any real chance of getting.

How convenient.

I'd rather wait for fact than continue to read fiction. I'm sure if it were of any extreme urgency to anyone other than the doomsayers, there would already be fact based reports made available by one of Blizz's investors. Since Blizz investors are not concerned, I am not certain we should really be either.

[ShimmerSwirl]

It's a mistake to think that sale prices at Christmas are some sort of harbinger of doom for the game or a sign of desperation. Of course they're trying hard to find new/returning players.

That's where the real money is. I'm surprised that more people don't realize this. WoW makes much more from the monthly subscriptions in US/EU than anything related to the price to get in the game. For Blizzard, at this point in time, that's negligible if the entire transaction is done as a d/l. They probably make more profit from $45 for all of it as a download than they ever did figuring in the costs of everything required to get a retail box into a store.

I would argue the opposite, in order for a subscriptions to be more profitable than the box sale the customer has to subscribe for 5 months. That requires at least 3-4 months of new content that Blizzard will have to produce on top of what came in the box.

[Huehuecoyotl]

Why does any of that matter?

Worry when they start saying they are losing money. Until then things will stay pretty much the same.

ridiculous. they could lose 75% of their subscriptions and they wouldnt be losing money. but i guarantee you if that happened, things would very much NOT be the same.

[Osmeric]

I'd rather wait for fact than continue to read fiction.

You're just engaging in a moderately cloaked form of LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU. Turn up the bar on the quality of evidence far enough that you don't actually need to acknowledge any of it.

As for your claim of not wanting to read what you identify as fiction, that is obviously a lie, since you are continuing to read this thread. No, you have no problem with reading what you call fiction. What you are objecting to is dissemination of information that you don't like.

[BeastmasterGuardian]

You're just engaging in a moderately cloaked form of LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU. Turn up the bar on the quality of evidence far enough that you don't actually need to acknowledge any of it.

As for your claim of not wanting to read what you identify as fiction, that is obviously a lie, since you are continuing to read this thread. No, you have no problem with reading what you call fiction. What you are objecting to is dissemination of information that you don't like.

Well, it would just so happen I only read the last page for the highlights. Doesn't matter much anyway. The topic is deceased and it is now more of a "Tastes Great" "Less Filling" argument back and forth between the Blizz fan boys and the XFire fan boys. They should just lock the thread since all of this actually serves zero purpose and has zero bearing on the game play itself... but I'm not worried. I am sure you have some backhanded way of telling me my opinion is wrong, and that I am argumentative and some sort of lurker and if it bothers me so much why do I keep posting. Truth is, it was fun to read all the fiction and I am out. Good luck to all of you in your future careers as fictional authors

[Deleted]

ridiculous. they could lose 75% of their subscriptions and they wouldnt be losing money. but i guarantee you if that happened, things would very much NOT be the same.

Depends do you mean whole playerbase as subscribers or only the actual subscribers in EU/NA. If 75% of players quit (all EU and half asia) and the rest 25% of Asian "subs" would only spend 1 whatevercurrency they have in 3 months period, as they count subs, Blizz would definitely lose money.

[Leonard McCoy]

It's a mistake to think that sale prices at Christmas are some sort of harbinger of doom for the game or a sign of desperation. Of course they're trying hard to find new/returning players.

That's where the real money is. I'm surprised that more people don't realize this. WoW makes much more from the monthly subscriptions in US/EU than anything related to the price to get in the game. For Blizzard, at this point in time, that's negligible if the entire transaction is done as a d/l. They probably make more profit from $45 for all of it as a download than they ever did figuring in the costs of everything required to get a retail box into a store.

Why is that a mistake? In and of itself it doesn't say anything but taken with a larger body of evidence it points to one thing. Hell it took them a year before they started giving cataclysm away for free. 2 months in and mists is half off. Not only is that a sign that they are trying to drive mists sales (which were poor) but it's also a real good way to show your customer base how valuable that software is on day one release.

Look at some point you have to stop, take a look at the evidence available to you and make a judgment. It's okay to ultimately reserve judgement but by the same token just because we don't have EVERY thing we need to say yay or nay doesn't mean we can't say yay or nay but with a reservation of course. Otherwise your basically just burying your head in the sand.

[Faroth]

Why is that a mistake? In and of itself it doesn't say anything but taken with a larger body of evidence it points to one thing. Hell it took them a year before they started giving cataclysm away for free. 2 months in and mists is half off. Not only is that a sign that they are trying to drive mists sales (which were poor) but it's also a real good way to show your customer base how valuable that software is on day one release.

I bought Dishonored for $30 and saw Assassin's Creed III for $33 yesterday. Obviously, those games are bad if they're marked down during limited window holiday sales where the sale itself is the primary form of income, despite the stellar reviews and positive word of mouth, yeah? They've been out the same time or less than Mists of Pandaria.

[Leonard McCoy]

I bought Dishonored for $30 and saw Assassin's Creed III for $33 yesterday. Obviously, those games are bad if they're marked down during limited window holiday sales, despite the stellar reviews and positive word of mouth, yeah? They've been out the same time or less than Mists of Pandaria.

I actually would ( I didn't particularly like either game) but that isn't the point and you conveniently missed the point where I said in and of itself. Mists unfortunately hasn't had positive word of mouth and compared to what the previous expansions have sold it's not selling that well either. Again it took them a YEAR before they started to give cata away for free. Activity didn't nose dive like it has now either. Pissed off fans. All signs point to one thing. Or bury your heads in the sand. I could care less.

[Deleted]

I'm sure if it were of any extreme urgency to anyone other than the doomsayers, there would already be fact based reports made available by one of Blizz's investors. Since Blizz investors are not concerned, I am not certain we should really be either.

I sense some flaw in this argument.

I got it. It makes no sense at all.

Why would an investor of all put up the effort to reveal, that the product of a company, he invested into, is not doing so well in first place? Even if they knew, without all the effort, why would they expose it rather than hide it when it is not doing well? If anything common sense dictates, concern would make the investor hide the negative information even if he had it and he would only expose it if it where positive.

Your conclusion is completely contradicting.

And why all the effort by an investor anyway, if all he cares are profits he can just look up. If Blizzard had four times or a quarter of the current WoW player left, they wouldn't bother about it, if they made not a penny less or more.

[Orange Joe]

ridiculous. they could lose 75% of their subscriptions and they wouldnt be losing money. but i guarantee you if that happened, things would very much NOT be the same.

Not the same how? What would they change? You think they would release less content and lose what they have left?

[Deleted]

The few people i know that bought MoP just did out of curiousity and didn't extrend their sub.
Pretty sure they are heading for some sort of decline, don't need numbers for that, but blizzard is smart and they will find a nifty way to pull people back in so they buy a gamecard to check stuff out.

[Huehuecoyotl]

Not the same how? What would they change? You think they would release less content and lose what they have left?

you think they would lose 75% of their subscribers and not change anything? i have no idea what they would do, but i guarantee you they would do something.

[Hexian]

Why does any of that matter?

Worry when they start saying they are losing money. Until then things will stay pretty much the same.

Are you serious?

If the NA/EU subs tank then anybody playing those realms is also affected via loss of substantial profit, lack of realm activity, etc. You want the NA/EU numbers to stay the same or increase. To a stockholder hearing about an increase in the Asian markets might be nice, but to a player in the NA/EU markets they dont mean a damn thing.

[Orange Joe]

you think they would lose 75% of their subscribers and not change anything? i have no idea what they would do, but i guarantee you they would do something.

Are you serious?

If the NA/EU subs tank then anybody playing those realms is also affected via loss of substantial profit, lack of realm activity, etc. You want the NA/EU numbers to stay the same or increase. To a stockholder hearing about an increase in the Asian markets might be nice, but to a player in the NA/EU markets they dont mean a damn thing.

Please inform me what would change if this happens.
How does less subs effect what they do overall?

Do they produce less content?
Do they make worse content?
Do they stop making content?


If it is none of those three how does it effect the game as you play it?

if it is one of those three, do you honestly think they are going to risk everything they have left and do that?

[Leonard McCoy]

Please inform me what would change if this happens.
How does less subs effect what they do overall?

Do they produce less content?
Do they make worse content?
Do they stop making content?


If it is none of those three how does it effect the game as you play it?

if it is one of those three, do you honestly think they are going to risk everything they have left and do that?

Really? Are those the only three outcomes you could think of if subs dropped? Potentially alot of other shit could happen that would have a massive impact on the game as you play it.

[Orange Joe]

Really? Are those the only three outcomes you could think of if subs dropped? Potentially alot of other shit could happen that would have a massive impact on the game as you play it.

Like what?