The future of WoW Shop items for sale: What's on the horizon

[Deleted]

Eh idk in the FAR FAR future when their subs are like ~1-2m I can see last tier LFR/Flex armor with shitty trinkets to catch up.

Relevant gear? Never.

[d0e1ow]

Oh God, it's one of these shop threads again.

Between the people who think that trend prediction is ALWAYS a slippery slope. Between the people who think "EVERYTHING IS LIKE... AN OPINION!". Between the people who must be majoring in Business and corporate apologetics...

Nothing makes me angrier. Do you guys who think Blizzard is a kind benevolent leader who "would never put such and such item into the shop" while simultaneously defending the "right of a business" to make money any way possible attend the Ayn Rand Institute or something?

Once you start getting out of video game world and into the real world businesses, in fact, CANNOT just make money however they want willy nilly.

This person, whoever they are, clearly sees the forest for the trees:

It's difficult to say for sure. The game has gone from the stance of considering micro-transactions to be a 'betrayal' of players to offering paid character related services to adding exclusive pets and mounts to the ability to instantly boost a character to level ninety. In other words some of the stuff that people said would never happen has in fact happened. I predict that they'll probably try and add as much as they can and that there isn't much limit to what could be done in that regard.

[Deleted]

They earnt almost half a billion dollars less last year than the year before and over $100 million less than 2011.

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Uhm, yeah, that is not happening in Blizzard's case and attempting to gain more money from a shrinking customer base is not a realistic or viable situation.

http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Activ...ss_Profit/2012

[Pann]

http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Activ...ss_Profit/2012

What is that supposed to mean?

[crakerjack]

As far as I'm concerned, they haven't done anything wrong yet. Offering a level 90 boost isn't equal to selling a tier set... you're getting a boost that saves you time, nothing more. Anyone who thinks leveling requires skill is a noob, sorry, but you're a noob if you think it's hard. Blizzard sees it this way and that's why they justified it... blizzard doesn't want to cross the line where they start selling stuff that requires hard work to obtain such as achievements, armor or weapons. Unlike raiding heroic difficulty, leveling can be done with ease in a weeks amount of time, but obtaining a full set of tier armor w/ BiS weapons takes a couple months.

[Pann]

...the next step will be shooting babies in the face, because we know who sells pets and mounts will definitely sell HM raid armour and then it is only a small step to shooting babies. Anger leads tofear, fear leads to hate, hate leads to the Blizzard shop, the blizzard shop leads to...

Oh wow, there are no depths you will not stoop to in order to defend Blizzard!

[saucywench]

1. Special Armor Sets
2. Housing Items - if wow follows in footsteps of Everquest
3. Dye/Transmog items
4. Fun in game use items
5. Rep/bonus items

[Druidjezus]

Hi guys! I'm a complete moron and I like to state my speculations as though it is irrefutable fact =D

^^^^
There is no point in talking to these people, so I'm just going to advise people on here to leave it be. Don't argue with those who like to trust in their slippery slope, who think that THEY truly understand how Blizzard works, or that, in their (expert, I'm sure) opinion, X is sure to happen in the future.

A. None of us know, including those I agree with are more likely correct, and anyone on here who likes to purport themselves like they know what's going to happen is a fricken idiot.
B. Most of the 'evidence' on here is based on either the slippery slope argument (a logical fallacy, and only retards use fallacies as evidence) or things Blizzard has said in the past about their stance on X, which even they admit they pretty much change whenever it is convenient.
C. We can all worry about what Blizzard will do with their game in the future, and if worrying about changes that may happen 6-60 months in the future in a game is really enjoyable, I suppose have at it, but frankly, getting all worked up about something you THINK (because you don't know, if you think you do you're an idiot as already stated) MIGHT happen at some point in the future is like being one of those mouth breathers on December 12th? (I think) 2012 sitting in their bomb shelter that they blew their life savings on waiting for the world to end, because frankly 'the mayan calendar ends on this day!' is about as much evidence as any of you have.

[Sturmbringe]

Hi guys! I'm a complete moron and I like to state my speculations as though it is irrefutable fact =D

^^^^

I see.

/10 char

[Jester Joe]

The following items are also sold in Private WoW servers:

a. Raid Tier Armor
b. Raid Weapons
c. PvP armor
d. PvP weapons
e. Cosmetic Armor Sets (past tiers and popular xmogs)

What the...
People pay for private servers? I thought the point was to play for free on most of them, why not just play the actual game at that point?

Also, in my opinion, I heavily disagree. Gear is one of the major points that keep people playing, Blizzard could ruin their own game by removing that.

[Daetur]

This "slippery slope" argument needs to stop.

Yes, more things will be added to the cash shop. Certainly.

No, it's not going to be non-cosmetic raid-level gear.

It has been years since the shop started, and pets, mounts, transmog items, and the level 90 boost have been added. None of those things are pay-to-win, and every single one of them is totally optional. Every time a new thing is added to the shop, people freak out about the "next step" being raid tier armor and gems, etc. It never happens. It's been what, six years since the shop opened? Not a single pay-to-win item has been added in over half a decade.

[ringpriest]

My prediction: The next Pay to Win (i.e. pay real money for in-game power, for those who have trouble following modern gaming jargon) item in the Cash Shop, after Guardian Cub and Level 90 Boost will be Bonus Roll Tokens, likely mid-way through WoD.

[Pann]

My prediction: The next Pay to Win (i.e. pay real money for in-game power, for those who have trouble following modern gaming jargon) item in the Cash Shop, after Guardian Cub and Level 90 Boost will be Bonus Roll Tokens, likely mid-way through WoD.

Do they not already do something similar in Asia where you can buy the charms? Or was that just something they were testing?

[adorich]

The slippery slope argument is irrational. Come back with evidence and I'll listen, because the moment current tier gear is for sale on the shop I'm out of this game forever.

Blizzard once said no to race changes, faction changes and instant end level characters. Blizzard offering gear in the store in the near future is absolutely possible. It might not happen, but thinking Blizzard might do it isn't irrational at all.

[Druidjezus]

Blizzard once said no to race changes, faction changes and instant end level characters. Blizzard offering gear in the store in the near future is absolutely possible. It might not happen, but thinking Blizzard might do it isn't irrational at all.

That is correct, but using the fact that they added other things in the past as evidence that it will happen is logically inconsistent.

Also, they're not putting 'instant end level characters' on the shop, my understanding is they are not putting that live until WoD or until 6.0, at which point 90 is no longer the max level. Yes, it will be the maximum attainable level from 6.0 til 6.0.1 or w/e WoD launch patch is, but fact is that really we'll just be stuck at level 90 and the max will be 100. Call that rationalization if you like, because I agree it sort of is, but in every pre-expac patch you were no longer at the 'max level' from a system standpoint. Once 6.0 hits you won't even get level cap achievement credit anymore for hitting 90 (dynamic duo, terrific trio, double agent, etc.)

[Thetruth1400]

I really doubt they'll start selling gear. The thing I'm afraid of is that they will add tattoos, but only via the cash shop. Because that'd be the first thing in the shop that I genuinely want.

Edit: And other character cosmetic stuff, other hairstyles, other skin colors etc..

I agree with you. I don't think it will ever get as bad as current tier items on the cash shop, but I can definitely see the alt skins and more hairstyles being added as cash shop exclusives. I think that's what we're most likely to see next added to the shop, then as the customer base slides even lower, more and more added in the future.

I think cosmetics of old tier and dungeon sets are highly likely as they really have no relevance anymore in today's game and can easily be farmed, but that's the nature of micro transactions. Sure, you can farm all day, or you can just pay us $15 - $25 and the whole set is yours to transmog with as you please.

I seriously think we will start seeing stuff like that by the end of WoD, or the expansion after. I honestly think once WoW is down to 2.5 million subs, a ton of changes are coming, most of them designed to give easy access to everything this game offered, but at a price. On an unrelated note, I'd gladly play a one time price for old, locked in realms which never advance to the next expansion. Vanilla or TBC servers only? Yes please.

[dusselldorf]

I recall a couple of years ago when a developer was saying in an interview he sympathized with the problem some people had of being burned out on leveling. He talked about making the new content as engaging as possible, but he wasn't sure what he could do about people who couldn't bear to head into outland *again." The paid level boosts are addressing a problem the developers recognized a long time ago. It's not some off the cuff idea that they hastily input because they're "greedy." If you would just recognize there *was* a problem, then I'd be more inclined to listen to your argument.

[adorich]

That is correct, but using the fact that they added other things in the past as evidence that it will happen is logically inconsistent.

Past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. I gave you 3 examples of things Blizzard said never would happen, yet are currently in the game. 'Gear in the store' could most certainly be another feature Blizzard once said "never" to, yet changes their mind about.

[Druidjezus]

Past behavior is a predictor of future behavior. I gave you 3 examples of things Blizzard said never would happen, yet are currently in the game. 'Gear in the store' could most certainly be another feature Blizzard once said "never" to, yet changes their mind about.

That is true, but you're looking at it the wrong way. That's, to the best of my knowledge, a psychological tool and also a criminology tool used to predict behavior. The thing is, it's typically used for matching behavior. If you classify it all as 'Blizzard doing things they said they would not do' then you are correct, but using it to say 'They put cosmetic stuff in the cash shop, that's an indicator that they'll one day but raid gear in the cash shop' would be akin to a detective saying 'this person robbed three liquor stores, they probably will commit arson.'

All that past behavior, currently, predicts is that Blizzard will probably put MORE mounts, pets and cosmetic stuff on the cash shop. I do understand what you're getting at, I really do, but it's still stretching what that concept is used for and pushing it into the slippery slope area.

[adorich]

This "slippery slope" argument needs to stop.

Yes, more things will be added to the cash shop. Certainly.

No, it's not going to be non-cosmetic raid-level gear.

It has been years since the shop started, and pets, mounts, transmog items, and the level 90 boost have been added. None of those things are pay-to-win, and every single one of them is totally optional. Every time a new thing is added to the shop, people freak out about the "next step" being raid tier armor and gems, etc. It never happens. It's been what, six years since the shop opened? Not a single pay-to-win item has been added in over half a decade.

Lil Rag and Blooming Ancient pets have unique ability sets only available in the shop. Blooming Ancient was a top pet in 5.3 and Lil Rag is still really powerful. I know most people don't care about pet battles, but the people who enjoy pet battles do. Pvp Pet battlers face strong pets only obtainable with cash everyday.

There are several examples where Blizzard has said "never" and changed their mind. Fearing Blizzard may put 'gear in the shop' isn't a slippery slop argument at all. Saying, "I fear Blizzard will put gear in the shop, because they'd make a lot of money" is completely different than saying, "when Blizzard puts gear in the shop, millions will quit, Wow will die and Blizzard will go bankrupt."