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Why World of Warcraft Needs to Become Free-to-Play to Survive
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Why World of Warcraft Needs to Become Free-to-Play to Survive
While Shadowlands has been encouraging so far, I’ve tempered my hopes and expectations. I’ve been disappointed multiple times by Blizzard in the past. I usually burn out in every expansion and Battle for Azeroth, the prior expansion before Shadowlands, was no exception. And I’m sure I’m not alone.To get more news about Buy WoW WLK EU Gold, you can visit lootwowgold official website.
There’s always been a rigorous debate amongst the players on the many reasons why people quit World of Warcraft. I honestly can’t claim to know what the reasons are. But I do know how to grow a brand and that’s exactly what World of Warcraft is — a brand.
Despite the fact that the game has changed, it hasn’t changed fast enough in the past few years. The gaming industry has changed much faster than World of Warcraft has been able to keep up with. And for the game to survive and reverse its decline, World of Warcraft needs to switch to a free-to-play business model.By day, I’m a market & consumer insights researcher. My job involves analyzing data to study consumer trends and behaviors. Afterward, I translate data into insights to help the business unit develop marketing strategies to grow sales.
In the 13 years that I’ve played World of Warcraft, there’s been a massive shift in the gaming industry, especially with consumer preferences. More recent games have dwarfed the popularity of World of Warcraft, such as Fortnite and League of Legends.Most free-to-play games make money off in-game purchases such as custom skins, loot boxes, and battle passes. And believe me, gamers love to spend money on digital loot.
According to SuperData, “free-to-play games generated $87.1 billion in revenue worldwide” in 2019, accounting for “80% of digital games revenue.” Additionally, “free-to-play games accounted for 4 out of every 5 dollars spent on digital games.” Crazy!
In 2019, Fortnite “brought in revenues of $1.8 billion.” Super impressive for a game that’s only been around since 2017. Meanwhile, another popular free-to-play game, League of Legends, “generated nearly $1.5 billion in revenue.” Both of these games easily surpass World of Warcraft in both player count and revenue. Did I mention they’re also free-to-play?
It‘s baffling to me that Blizzard hasn’t adopted the free-to-play model for World of Warcraft yet. While not fully developed out, the game has tons of opportunities to provide customizable options for players that have no impact on gameplay progression. This represents a huge market opportunity for Blizzard.
I could be wrong! The executives at Blizzard could have had this discussion time-and-time again in their offices already and have their reasons on why the current model works. But I personally feel Blizzard could make much more revenue moving away from the subscription model while providing a superior consumer experience at the same time. Let me explain.When World of Warcraft was first launched, it was considered revolutionary for its time. Although the concept of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) was not new, World of Warcraft became the biggest and most successful MMORPG in gaming history. At its peak, the game “had 12 million subscribers” in October 2010.
While monthly payments for products, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, are all the rage now for consumers, Blizzard pioneered the unheard-of subscription model when it first introduced World of Warcraft back in 2004. At the time, most video games (and other products, for that matter) were a one-time purchase. After the game was purchased, the developers usually moved onto the next project, leaving the original project to eventually fizzle out after gamers got bored of it.
The subscription model that Blizzard introduced generated a steady but robust revenue stream for the company, allowing its developers to continue to work on and invest in World of Warcraft and its subsequent expansions. As a result, the game grew in popularity over the years. In 2016, “it was estimated that World of Warcraft earned more than $9.23 billion in revenue since its debut in November 2004.”
The storyline, gameplay, ease of learning, challenging yet fun endgame content, and strong social community all contributed to the game’s success. Many newcomers found the environment welcoming and inclusive in all aspects, which contributed to its success. Many other MMORPGs came and went throughout the years, unable to dethrone World of Warcraft. No “WoW killer” could compete.