But look, guys, you asked for this by saying you want us to pay staff better. We will, but first we need to increase some prices heavily because I only took this CEO job because of the juicy bonus and I’m definitely not giving that up. Would you? And don’t forget the board we’re so lucky to have who need their stipends and stock grants etc, lest they find other companies willing to bow to their demands. We wouldn’t be who we are if we didn’t keep paying the top dogs top dollar.
It’s already too late. The time for us to shut this shit down was Diablo 4. Now that Blizzard knows their fanbase of rubes will pay extra for a headstart, expect to see this as the norm for all future releases.
It started long before. I remember boycotting d3 when the auction house came out and i stopped wow a decade ago because you are paying monthly for a savegame plus microtransactions.
I can buy way better indie games for that price or keep playing guild wars 2 which has no sub.
I mean this sort of thing in general started way before Diablo 4. Gamers have been licking the boots of publishers for a dozen years now. They tolerate DRM that kneecaps performance, they tolerate subscription fees, they tolerate microtransactions, they tolerate always-online games, they tolerate games that require 3rd-party accounts and EULAs, and they tolerate unnecessary bullshit launchers that are jam-packed full of spyware and ads. They would have tolerated the Unity bullshit too but Ricky boy boiled the frog too quickly.
I’m at Disneyland with my family RN and we mainly came because this week was insanely cheap for hotels. My hotel basically touches the convention center and there is almost no one here for blizzcon. It’s dying.
The conversations I’ve overheard are so sad. They all justify simping for blizzard like addicts. So much random misogyny too.
I used to love blizzard games but just the people I’ve listened to concern me.
This is stupid, but that’s an awful title. It’s not $90 for early access.
Base edition ($50.00USD):
-the expansions
-a level 70 character
-500 “trader’s tender”
Epic edition ($90.00 USD):
-the expansions
-a level 70 character
-1000 “trader’s tender”
-a flying mount
-a transmorg/cosmetic set
-beta for the war within (does not save progress on the real servers)
-3 days early access to release of War within
-30 days of game time
-an in-game pet
-an in-game toy
-a hearthstone effect.
So it does cost $40 more for the bundle that contains those three days, but it also includes $15.00 worth of subscription-time, and a lot of other micro-transactions. Those microtransactions could be considered either completely worthless, or they could be considered to be worth more than $25.00 USD
Correct. if I’m not mistaken (and i could be) its just an incentive to re-roll your class for the xpac without having to do monotonous work. so for awhile now xpacs come with a character boost. it’s also a way to get your friend into it by them being able to play with your main if you didn’t want to level a brand new character.
Welp, that’s going to be the new way that games raise prices. Game upfront costs have never been keeping pace with inflation, while game development costs constantly rise, so they’re always inventing new ways to raise the price. Going forwards, every game will use this strategy of “oh look, our game is still under $90US, but if you want to get into the “pre-release beta” you have to pay for the $120 PreRelease Deluxe Premium Launch” which effectively will mean “game launch date is a lie, launch date is really just price-cut-to-old-price date”.
I 100% understand the need to charge for these services, but how much profit this IP has generated should have secured all funding for future expansions and more economical pricing.
Subs should drop to $5mo with expansions starting off at $20ea. Hell make the “Classic” servers F2P.
I’m gonna make my own mmo, with a TCG and Furries.
I’m almost disgusted by the people insisting ‘it’s expensive, they need the money.’
They’ve made ten bucks a month, per player, for twenty straight years. Plus the price of a whole new game for every incremental expansion. How much more money does another expansion need?
It’s not about reinvesting into the quality of future games, it’s about getting a good financial quarter to please the shareholders. Welcome to infinite growth.
When something you desire, or that you are invested in, is thrown around like hot garbage, you can and should complain. One should always call out shitty company practices what they are: shitty practices looking for a quick buck. It might not change anything in the end, but at least it can’t be said that “nobody cared”
I’m not defending it, or blizzard, and reading the title sounded yucky
But my quick understanding:
Expansion costs $50
Next level is $70 which comes with digital stuff, mounts, etc
Top tier expansion is $90, which comes with even more stuff
So a $40 difference from base or $20 from mid tier
It also comes with 30 days of game time, so that’s $15
Now we’re looking at $25 difference between base game. Or $5 difference between mid and top tier.
So it’s really like $5 for more digital stuff and early access, right?
It would have been better to just make two tiers. Charge $75 for everything including early access and don’t include game time. Cause subscribers are going to pay for that anyway. I guess because a month of access is hardly worth $15 operationally, it’s a nice way to up charge
I haven’t bought anything wow related in like 8 years. So I don’t have a horse in this fight. The title is just a little click bait (I don’t think anyone thought it’s $90 for only early access, and assume it’s part of a $90 game cost)
I think the point they are making is a game like wow, if you start days later then everyone else then you are behind them. It’s not like a single player game, if you’re friends are doing end game and your stuck leveling, it sucks. Therefore everyone feels foreced to get early access.
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