Game of Thrones, 2022 version.
I think this buyout is a good thing. Microsoft isn't the best of companies either, but they did make some good games (Halo, Age of Empires 2 DE, Age of Empires 4). It already gives hope for a possible Warcraft IV.
Regarding F2P, obviously this buyout will have consequences. We'll have to see if WoW will be added to the gamepass (or not). I personally think there will be major changes to the free trial. Either more restrictive changes or less restrictive changes.
WoW free to play only became a reality in 2011, from the time WoW experienced a drop in subscribers due to the arrival of Cataclysm and the fall of WotLK.
Their goal has always been to welcome new players to encourage them to subscribe later on. That's why they put so many limits on the free trial. The exasperation created forced players to subscribe.
Then they lowered these limits from Shadowlands onwards. We never knew the exact reason, but it's probably because they suffered another major loss of players. The competition with FFXIV probably made them want to keep as many old players as possible, so they wouldn't have to go feed the competition.
If WoW is added to the gamepass, there will undoubtedly be new players. Perhaps gamepass will be the new form of a WoW subscription. If you don't have gamepass, you are limited to the core content of the game - with several limitations. WoW Starter Edition, basically, version 2.0.
It's really the deal of the century, this buyout by Microsoft. I never thought I would see this. Welcome to Game of Thrones, video game version.
The beauty of the story is that we saw these WoW limits as a way to have fun since 2011. A daily challenge to be the best in PvP or PvE. We'll see if that's still the case for 2023.
I think this buyout is a good thing. Microsoft isn't the best of companies either, but they did make some good games (Halo, Age of Empires 2 DE, Age of Empires 4). It already gives hope for a possible Warcraft IV.
Regarding F2P, obviously this buyout will have consequences. We'll have to see if WoW will be added to the gamepass (or not). I personally think there will be major changes to the free trial. Either more restrictive changes or less restrictive changes.
WoW free to play only became a reality in 2011, from the time WoW experienced a drop in subscribers due to the arrival of Cataclysm and the fall of WotLK.
Their goal has always been to welcome new players to encourage them to subscribe later on. That's why they put so many limits on the free trial. The exasperation created forced players to subscribe.
Then they lowered these limits from Shadowlands onwards. We never knew the exact reason, but it's probably because they suffered another major loss of players. The competition with FFXIV probably made them want to keep as many old players as possible, so they wouldn't have to go feed the competition.
If WoW is added to the gamepass, there will undoubtedly be new players. Perhaps gamepass will be the new form of a WoW subscription. If you don't have gamepass, you are limited to the core content of the game - with several limitations. WoW Starter Edition, basically, version 2.0.
It's really the deal of the century, this buyout by Microsoft. I never thought I would see this. Welcome to Game of Thrones, video game version.
The beauty of the story is that we saw these WoW limits as a way to have fun since 2011. A daily challenge to be the best in PvP or PvE. We'll see if that's still the case for 2023.
