You forgot to figure in the cost to run the game, which includes any Server Farm rent, Wages, HQ upkeep, marketing, and those tournaments they do...all cost money. I believe in the end they make about 50mill A QUARTER in profit.
i highly doubt they lose that much, cause if they do theyre wasting money left n right when smaller games can afford to do all the same stuff. except most mmo's market on the web, blizz takes it to the Tv...but even then.
I don't play WoW much anymore and I hate the community, but you can't be silly and say things like "WoW is dead" with millions upon millions of players. This is also before a major expansion and that always has lower numbers. They will rocket a bit once it's released and then the cycle continues.
Lets face it had to happen at some point, 7 years of the same play model, and if you ad eq for which wow is cloned off of, people have been playing this play model for along time, and just getting bored, I think thats why alllot of new games do not do well, the wow play model is getting old. I wonder if that is why BlizzardActivicion is for sale, the powers to be figure we have reached our peak time to sell while we can. There is still allot of folks playing, MOP will birng back some players, I read allot of folks seem to have no intrest in MOP, and make fun of it.
Next stop for WOW is free to play in the next couple of years, the blizz suits have already said that once going f2p makes the more money tha subs they will make the switch. They had a great run made loads of money opened up the gaming world to the casual market, can't be number one for ever.. /shrug
I think Blizzard is ignoring the overall trend here. Most of those WoW players that are playing Diablo 3 have a year-long commitment to pay for a WoW subscription (at least in part so they could get D3 for free), so how are they accounting for so may WoW players dropping their subs to play D3?
I suppose how much the player base increases once MoP, and comparing that to past Xpacks, will give us a better picture, but frankly I think their looking at a steady decline that's here to stay. Doesn't look to me like it will ever be in trouble - it will always bring on money - but they need to base their business commitments counting on a lower player base and profit.
I also believe they don't care much; they are pretty much done with putting a lot of effort into WoW. They don't want their old players to stick around, they want new players with lower expectations. They want the game to be good enough with minimal effort. I believe that's the real reason behind everything in WoW being simplified.
Have played: Everquest, Asheron's Call, Horizons, Everquest2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, Darkfall
Blizzard was my favorite gaming company a decade ago. Not any more. First, I never liked WoW. They seem to have focused on the desires of loud-mouthed 12 year old twitch gamers ("twitchies") when designing the game. It lacks the depth and complexity of games which were released many yeears before WoW. Most long-time gamer adults I know play other games. When a twitchie shows up in those other games, we always say he must be a WoW player. It has become standard in all other games to assume that the witless "twitchies" all come from WoW. I think the rest of the PC gaming world will be happier when WoW is gone and the millions of twitchies go back to simple-minded console gaming.
It was even more depressing to see that Blizzard took all the depth and complexity out of D3. It was/is a massive disappointment after over a decade of waiting. Real crafting (horadric cube) was removed and replaced with a random stat generator similar to the "Gamble" function in D2LoD. There are no jewels, runes, or rune-words. Only a few items can have sockets and there are only 4 choices to put in the socket. Companions can't equip armor. The entire game can be played through in normal mode in a long afternoon. Removing all of the complex item crafting possibilities eliminated a lot of the replay value of trying to find specific runes for rune words. It is really difficult to make a truly unique build because your armor can't be customized significantly. Everything after Act 1 goes so quickly that you feel cheated. Even the cut scenes were half-baked, with only a couple that are up to the standards set by previous Diablo releases. The only reason to keep running it after your first run through is the hope that you can sell a drop or two in the gold or real money auction houses.
Blizzard is a dim shadow of the company it once was. The true game design talent obviously moved elsewhere.
They removed the journey and shortened the lifespan of an endgame so that active players can clear all content within few weeks. Even if you loved this new style of a gameplay, you'll get bored very soon even if you spent time doing PvP and those minigames they'll implement in MoP.
There's simply not enough longevity in the game to keep all these people subbed for a longer period of time.
just out of curiosity, if the game actually drops in subscription numbers after the expansion pack is released, will they own up to it?
Blizzard spin their sub numbers, but I will bet you with GW2 launching just before Panda it may indeed fall further. You get more bang for your buck with GW2 since it is a new game, and it is high fantasy mmo that will be very accessible to average Joe and Jane Warcraft.
The profits are based on the hype of Diablo 3 which was designed with the hope of being persistent, but isn't very, and firing a large number of staff earlier this year and making other streamlines to the company. Net income is actually down. So the outlook for next year isn't great as no new games.
im sure ill be around on and off in the game as long as its around. but never like i was. still a fun game, just not my only game. not close to the top of the list either. the game is still awesome though. just no more panda bs. bring back some LK style.
But a uniquely large population would logically equate to a uniquely large inertia as well.
I agree. The inertia is both their biggest strength - they get solid monthly revenue - but also their biggest weakness - it will be difficult to do anything else.
Blizzard is still doing well by nearly any measure - any measure, that is, except long-term growth. They have a solid game with a huge subscription base, but it is a steadily declining base. The big news of the drop in subscriptions has shown what some people have long suspected: that the boost from expansions is temporary and masks a long-term decline.
Blizzard will do fine for the next five or so years, although there likely will be more layoffs. But beyond that, they have only one real option: build another, better MMORPG. But they can't do that, because the second they start work in earnest, subscriptions at WoW will tank. Players remain invested in WoW because there is a wide-spread belief that it will be around forever (one thing that kills Blizzard's competition is the widespread belief - often confirmed - that its competitors won't be around for long, so there's no sense in investing time in them). As soon as it becomes clear that Blizzard will be phasing out WoW, its subscriptions will fall off a cliff. And as such, the executives are not going to seriously consider that option.
Blizzard is stuck. They have a game that has been hugely successful, but no real way to even try to replace it without taking a huge chance and forgoing a huge amount of revenue. And if the Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 designs have shown anything, it's that the current design staff are not interested in taking big chances; it's all about playing it safe. All that points to a long-term decline for Blizzard and World of Warcraft in particular.
I do not think Blizzard is seriously considering a replacement to World of Warcraft, and the expansions have clearly failed to boost its long-term growth. They are going to live or die on it, and based on the subscription numbers, sooner or later it will be the latter.
They are working on "titan". All the best talent is on that project. I guess it will be released 2015. Next WoW expansion 2014 probably. So I think they have a plan...
I dont know if Titan will be a better MMO. Personally I dont like Blizzard games anymore. But I can also understand why they are mainstream popular and very successful from a business POV. Blizzard probably think Titan will be the new "king"...
The games are very mainstream and they try to satisfie people in general and not to offend anyone. This is good for profits. But not good for true gamers that are hardcore or nerds. Blizzard is not trying to make games for them anymore. Because it would be bad for profits.
Why do I get multi-quote when I don't choose it?
Yep to Hurvart.
Blizzard became popular because it let people make mods when other games would not. The same reason Sims did well.
Originally posted by halflife25 So at this rate game will be dead in another 10 years? i feel sorry for Blizzard.
LOL!
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Originally posted by Praetalus Bottom line... There is still a shit load of players. Never understood why some of you care so much about blizzards financials. Wait til mop hits and everyone goes back lol. Happens every time.
Not everyone. Since WOW maxed out at 12 million subs, they've only been going down. I can't speak for others, I myself do not care much for Blizzard's finances, but as a company who's game (wow) I played for several years, i guess I do like to stay in touch.
As for MoP, you are right, it will be interesting how WOW does with it's newest expansion. Some call for feast or famine, I call for me of a continual steady decline; having said that, I do believe that MoP will be the worst selling wow expansion since Vanila.
/agree I bought MOP but doubt if I will stay long. The talent changes since WOLK are what turn me away. I am interested in Blizzard's financials as I like to know that they are still doing "ok". I don't think Titan will be the next second coming but it will give them a big shot in the arm (a la Diablo 3) but that surge, like D3 will fade in time.
I've never cared about what WoWs numbers are overall....What I like to know is how many are playing in US/EU??......They count anyone and everyone that plays for 10 minutes in a internet cafe in china as a sub so to me that taints the numbers.....Last number I heard for US/EU was just under 4 million which is till alot more than anyone else but not where they claim it is.
Comments
i highly doubt they lose that much, cause if they do theyre wasting money left n right when smaller games can afford to do all the same stuff. except most mmo's market on the web, blizz takes it to the Tv...but even then.
Haha.
Hilarious.
10 million players means dead?
With that analogy, every other MMO never existed.
I don't play WoW much anymore and I hate the community, but you can't be silly and say things like "WoW is dead" with millions upon millions of players. This is also before a major expansion and that always has lower numbers. They will rocket a bit once it's released and then the cycle continues.
And then the pandas arrive and it goes back over 10 million. Theres usually a dip before an expansion.
9 million is still way way more than any other subbed mmo, whether you love or hate this game it was a massive success and still is.
Lets face it had to happen at some point, 7 years of the same play model, and if you ad eq for which wow is cloned off of, people have been playing this play model for along time, and just getting bored, I think thats why alllot of new games do not do well, the wow play model is getting old. I wonder if that is why BlizzardActivicion is for sale, the powers to be figure we have reached our peak time to sell while we can. There is still allot of folks playing, MOP will birng back some players, I read allot of folks seem to have no intrest in MOP, and make fun of it.
Next stop for WOW is free to play in the next couple of years, the blizz suits have already said that once going f2p makes the more money tha subs they will make the switch. They had a great run made loads of money opened up the gaming world to the casual market, can't be number one for ever.. /shrug
just out of curiosity, if the game actually drops in subscription numbers after the expansion pack is released, will they own up to it?
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
I don't hate much, but I hate Apple© with a passion. If Steve Jobs was alive, I would punch him in the face.
I suppose how much the player base increases once MoP, and comparing that to past Xpacks, will give us a better picture, but frankly I think their looking at a steady decline that's here to stay. Doesn't look to me like it will ever be in trouble - it will always bring on money - but they need to base their business commitments counting on a lower player base and profit.
I also believe they don't care much; they are pretty much done with putting a lot of effort into WoW. They don't want their old players to stick around, they want new players with lower expectations. They want the game to be good enough with minimal effort. I believe that's the real reason behind everything in WoW being simplified.
Have played: Everquest, Asheron's Call, Horizons, Everquest2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, Darkfall
Blizzard was my favorite gaming company a decade ago. Not any more. First, I never liked WoW. They seem to have focused on the desires of loud-mouthed 12 year old twitch gamers ("twitchies") when designing the game. It lacks the depth and complexity of games which were released many yeears before WoW. Most long-time gamer adults I know play other games. When a twitchie shows up in those other games, we always say he must be a WoW player. It has become standard in all other games to assume that the witless "twitchies" all come from WoW. I think the rest of the PC gaming world will be happier when WoW is gone and the millions of twitchies go back to simple-minded console gaming.
It was even more depressing to see that Blizzard took all the depth and complexity out of D3. It was/is a massive disappointment after over a decade of waiting. Real crafting (horadric cube) was removed and replaced with a random stat generator similar to the "Gamble" function in D2LoD. There are no jewels, runes, or rune-words. Only a few items can have sockets and there are only 4 choices to put in the socket. Companions can't equip armor. The entire game can be played through in normal mode in a long afternoon. Removing all of the complex item crafting possibilities eliminated a lot of the replay value of trying to find specific runes for rune words. It is really difficult to make a truly unique build because your armor can't be customized significantly. Everything after Act 1 goes so quickly that you feel cheated. Even the cut scenes were half-baked, with only a couple that are up to the standards set by previous Diablo releases. The only reason to keep running it after your first run through is the hope that you can sell a drop or two in the gold or real money auction houses.
Blizzard is a dim shadow of the company it once was. The true game design talent obviously moved elsewhere.
/two cents
WoW is not their only producet this means nothing with regards to WoW.
They removed the journey and shortened the lifespan of an endgame so that active players can clear all content within few weeks. Even if you loved this new style of a gameplay, you'll get bored very soon even if you spent time doing PvP and those minigames they'll implement in MoP.
There's simply not enough longevity in the game to keep all these people subbed for a longer period of time.
Blizzard spin their sub numbers, but I will bet you with GW2 launching just before Panda it may indeed fall further. You get more bang for your buck with GW2 since it is a new game, and it is high fantasy mmo that will be very accessible to average Joe and Jane Warcraft.
Well yeah, Blizzard only had WoW last year, no new releases.
Their operating profit is more this year than it was in 2010 when they had the release of the new Starcraft and Cataclysm.
So yeah, they're doing exceptionally well for themselves. And continuously making more money.
Why do I get multi-quote when I don't choose it?
Yep to Hurvart.
Blizzard became popular because it let people make mods when other games would not. The same reason Sims did well.
EQ2 fan sites
LOL!
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
/agree I bought MOP but doubt if I will stay long. The talent changes since WOLK are what turn me away. I am interested in Blizzard's financials as I like to know that they are still doing "ok". I don't think Titan will be the next second coming but it will give them a big shot in the arm (a la Diablo 3) but that surge, like D3 will fade in time.