78
Alternate Sources:
Sams: No Free WoW (kotaku.com)

report bad alt source

WoW unlikely to ever be cost-free, says Blizzard

chautemoc | July 02, 2008 | News | PC 
Paul Sams, the chief operating officer at Blizzard Entertainment recently spoke on behalf the company, stating World of Warcraft isn't likely to ever be free. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, it seems.
Have you been considering free-to-play for World of Warcraft, and if you did, what would the Blizzard way of free-to-play look like?

PS: I don’t envision us changing the business model for World of Warcraft. It’s been working really well in each of the markets.

The game has been designed in such a way to where we determined the business model to wrap that around what the game experience was. Given that we’re not looking to significantly modify the overall gameplay experience, which is I think is something you’d need in order to do item-based stuff, what that says to me is the business model’s going to remain the same for WoW, and then as new products come about for Blizzard, we’ll look at what the business model is that’s right for each of those games.

If we make a game that’s right for an item-based game, then we would do that – if it’s the right business model. But really, the game drives what the business model is. And WoW has been built in such a way where I don’t think that would be the way we’d go.

News Story attached to:
4 comments | go to source (www.gamasutra.com) | Add to favorites! favourite this article | send to friend
Related Articles
78 WoW players exhaust Blizzard (11)comments September 3, 2008
43 GDN GC Aftermath Free Realms Free Roaming Childsafe Fun from SOE (3)comments August 27, 2008
155 GTAIV DLC rumored - to cost 1600 MS points (19)comments August 23, 2008
69 The Evolution of Blizzard (1)comments July 15, 2008
91 How Blizzard Screwed D3 (5)comments July 17, 2008
Register as a member to subscribe comments.

Comments with -10 or lower "thumbs" are removed from display.

  • 0 thumbs!
    Jaw7765 | July 03, 2008
    well, MMO's now are mostly business except for Guild Wars, but i think with all the people who have been with them from the start should have 1 year Free
  • 1 thumbs!
    Ameer | July 03, 2008
    Why would anyone even think this was a possibility at present time?
  • 0 thumbs!
    Silver Mirror | July 03, 2008
    Indeed were people actually expecting it to be free?

    I wonder if the new Diablio will be free?
    • 0 thumbs!
      AznLiquid | July 03, 2008
      D3 will most likely be free-to-play, it's not an MMO and it's played on Battle.net.

This news story is archived and is closed to comments now.

Submit Newshelp

Top Contributors

This Month
Twisted 236 pts
Tyranitar24 209 pts
Gothic Girl 176 pts
Cruxis Mana 175 pts
chautemoc 170 pts
Akira_EX 155 pts
Deathsythe 115 pts
SuperGuido 98 pts
All-Time
Gothic Girl 18408 pts
Krunal 12307 pts
Linkin Par.. 10338 pts
chautemoc 9701 pts
Final Blade 9183 pts
Silver Mir.. 8824 pts
xsynergyx 7909 pts
Akira_EX 7796 pts
mistermostyn 7668 pts
Tyranitar24 7002 pts

Stats

Today
Published News: 36
Comments: 166
Points Given: 384
Users Registered: 2
This Month
Published News: 104
Comments: 634
Points Given: 1356
Users Registered: 5
All Time
Published News: 11111
Comments: 75961
Points Given: 179642
Users Registered: 575

Conventions / Trade Shows

(0.3123/d/aeon)