World Of Warcraft: 9 Modern Complaints Real Fans Are Sick Of Hearing
2. The Complaining-Subscribing Paradox Conundrum
Here, we are introduced to the strange symptom of the complaints leveraged at WoW: a healthy subscriber-base fluctuating around the 10 million mark. Yet, for a game that is relatively expensive to play in comparison to its competitors, one would believe a natural consequence to the constant stream of disappointing expansions and content-droughts would be a plummet in subscriber numbers. Arguably, this happened; by the end of Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria, WoW experienced a phenomenal drop in subscriber numbers. But ask yourself this, as subscription-paying players: were the subscriber drops significant enough to incite the changes you would have liked to have seen in-game? The answer, unfortunately, is an unequivocal no. Cataclysm marked a journey into troubled waters for Blizzard, whilst the achievements of Mists of Pandaria were marred by its unavoidable short-comings, resulting in a post-Patch 5.4 subscriber-base of 7 million. There was hope, however, that Warlords of Draenor, aspirational and invigorating in its initial conception, would address many of the disappointments of recent years - yet failed to transpire completely. Piece-by-piece, the latest expansion has been chiselled away into nothingness, like trying to snip and trim your own hair until you end up shiny and bald. The execution of Warlords of Draenor has been nothing short of a shambles. Yet, the best way to incite change amongst the WoW big-wigs is to unsubscribe, and not simply for a month or two months; unsubscribe and move to a competitor, try the market and experience new games. Lets face it: money talks for these guys, and Blizzard wants all of yours. Whilst they are unlikely to respond to abstract arguments in forums and community-engagement, as successive exercises have illustrated, they are likely to respond to market shifts that threaten their position as leader. Blizzard arent willing to change a model that works so well for them. WoW is their cash cow, and they are milking your monthly subscription and pumping it into other sources; Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch. Ask yourself this: is your monthly subscription worth the content and experience you receive in return?
