Blizzard has no plans to change World of Warcraft's subscription rate
by Michael Zenke 
Nov 18th 2008 at 9:00AM
Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models
In another chat with MTV's Tracey John, this time held in an NYC Best Buy during the Wrath of the Lich King launch, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime had some interesting things to say about the economics behind World of Warcraft. Despite the game's towering success, 11 million players and a thriving community, the Blizzard folk have no plans to change the way they charge US customers. John ties this in with the recent announcement of plans for a subscription-based Guitar Hero series, something Morhaime says Blizzard had nothing to do with.He goes on to note something MMO players have long used as a talking point for their hobby: the extremely low rate of cost for content. "If you look at other choices that you can make - like going to a movie with a date - you've already over 15 dollars for two hours. I think that players really see that in terms of value for their entertainment, that this the best value that they can find right now." The CEO states that so far the company hasn't been affected by the country's economic downturn, and they have hopes they won't see any problems moving into the winter months. Click through to read the full interview, which touches on the company's enthusiasm for their new expansion and their plans for future content expansions to WoW.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nonny said on 10:53AM 11-18-2008
I can't say this bothers me too much, because he's right. Virtually any outside-the-house activity costs me a lot more than $15 for a couple hours' entertainment. $15 for whenever I want it? Pretty sweet deal, imo.
The people that are likely to be affected most are the ones paying for multiple accounts.
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Jack said on 10:46AM 11-18-2008
You can not fix what not is broken the subscription rate for WoW is ok like the game got lots of content and looks completed... on the other hand the many other games that brain dead copy the subscription rate of wow... like Age of Conan and Warhammer online need compare into content and user base with WoW and fall short on both. There subscription feeds are the same but way to high to what they offer....!!
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Bromnir said on 3:20PM 11-18-2008
When WoW originally launched, it had the same subscription rate that it has now. However, it did not have all the content and community that you are lauding. So was WoW wrong to charge that much back then?
What about when WoW launches an expansion and its competitors don't? Since WoW doesn't change its subscription fees, WoW will have more content at the same price. Should everyone else have to lower their fees to compensate for the fact that they didn't just launch an expansion?
Jack said on 7:02PM 11-18-2008
The answer to both questions is yes!
TwistedBishop said on 11:10AM 11-18-2008
It's both true and misleading. Yes, MMOs are absolutely fantastic values per minute of entertainment. However the alternative is not to go see the same movie repeatedly. Movies, music, books and other sources of entertainment give you new and different experiences each time. I'd be hard pressed to say even a new class does the same for an MMO.
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Hardy said on 11:41AM 11-18-2008
In Canada, a $15 subscription is actually around 19 bucks.....Fun.
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Tinious said on 11:52AM 11-18-2008
Yeah, but we have universal healthcare, so it all works out in the end.
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Uldon said on 12:31PM 11-18-2008
Hello to my $9.99 a month fee for playing LOTRO...that saves me that extra change from not paying Blizzards 14.99 a month and over time I could actually stay home and play OR go see a movie with a friend if I wanted too.
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Trippin Ninja said on 12:44PM 11-18-2008
I agree with Mike Morhaime, 15 bucks a month is a good deal in my opinion. It amazes me there are still people complaining they have to pay per month for a game of WoW's caliber. Although some veteran perks would be nice. I been paying per month since launch without ever missing a payment and it sure would be nice to get thrown a little discount every once in awhile or maybe an in game item.
On the topic of entertainment in our troubled economy, I don't think most companies will have to worry. The so called "golden age" of movies was during the great depression so I don't see anyone giving up their video games or movies any time soon. I think we will see people buying less big buck items while movies/cd's/video games/etc. will still be selling well.
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cian said on 1:32PM 11-18-2008
I love how he seems to try to persuade people not to go on dates.
There you have it, kids! From the Big Cheese! Don't find the love of your life, play WoW instead!
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dedmeet said on 7:06PM 3-19-2009
I agree. Kind of. I mean seriously what the hell? You can play Diablo1, Diablo 2, and it's expansion packs onliune for freee. You can also play Counter Strike source online for free. In fact most any game you play on Steam you can play online for free. And you don't have to keep paying for the game over and over again. Also from past experience I can tell you that those games a heck of a lot easier to step away from than WoW. I can count on my hand the number of people who are much happier now that they don't play world of warcraft anymore. Hell I was a beta tester for LOTOR and the developers of that game gave you the option to pay 200 dollars to never have to pay subscription for the game ever again and a bunch of bonus items.
KingJames said on 5:14PM 11-18-2008
I think they should offer lifetime subscriptions to people after a certain time period. I have played since launch and dumped close to $1000 dollars into subscriptions. LOTRO is a great deal because you can play til they shut the servers down for $200 bucks a month. LOTRO is the best game around for questing and storylines however the pve raiding is sub par of WoW's. I just think if an account is active for say 2 years they should qualify for a discount at least more than 2 bucks off a month for a 6 month sub.
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KingJames said on 5:15PM 11-18-2008
Lol make that $200 bucks for a lifetime not a month. Hell for $200 bucks a month the game better come with call girls and free pizza.
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Angel Rainn said on 9:17AM 11-20-2008
I tried once WOW, but I thought it's too time-consuming. Instead, I started playing Lineage 2, which is free to purchase and you can find some free servers. After a short while I found myself tied to that game. Now I don't play anymore I just like to find out about games news and reviews on http://www.PCDistrict.com.
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