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What does 8 million active accounts equal to in dollars?
Bacchuss
Member Posts: 15
Just wondering if someone has done the math on what 8 million active accounts comes to in dollar$?
How much money does it cost to develope a MMORPG?
How much money went into development on WoW?
Comments
As for costs to develop, 30 million on the low end and 70 million on the high end. Basically 30 million to make something like vanguard and 70 million to make a potential WoW killer.
Why people are so determined to find out how much money Blizzard makes is beyond me. It's impossible to calculate at this point due to several factors, the largest of which is the presence of Asian Gamer-Cafes where (for example) the Chinese don't pay a monthly fee, and instead pay by the hour.
I believe I read somewhere that WoW cost 80+ million dollars to develop, but I could be wrong.
After reading a pile of statistics, I figured if Blizzard was to convert the money into...:
US Dollars - $120, 000, 000. 00 + Money Made Through Server Transfers - Upkeep of Company
Canadian Dollars - $134, 690, 400. 00 + Money Made Through Server Transfers - Upkeep of Company
UK Pounds - £60, 019, 200. 00 + Money Made Through Server Transfers - Upkeep of Company
Euros - €88, 346, 400. 00 + Money Made Through Server Transfers - Upkeep of Company
Yen - ¥14, 230, 200, 000. 00 + Money Made Through Server Transfers - Upkeep of Company
Wow... the things you could do with that money...
Out of every 100 men, 10 should not be there,
80 are nothing but targets, 9 are the real fighters.
Ah, but one, ONE of them is a warrior,
and he will bring the others home.
-Heraclitus 500BC
I know nothing of business but I thought companies have to publish earnings to stock holders and others. Am I wrong?
8 million accounts does not mean 8 million actual players.
Are you insane? There aren't any 8 million ACTIVE accounts!!!
Yeah, right. There are 8 million players currently playing WOW.. Wake up!! There aren't enough servers to hold a quarter of that let alone 8 million.
This figure of 8 million Blizzard loves to brag about daily (Very doubtful to begin with) if true are accounts that were opened at one time or other and not 8 million all at one time. These accounts are all counted together even if many players have more then one account which many do.
I once had an account as did many others who no longer play this crap...er..game. These accounts are counted in those glorified 8 million Blizzard spews out every minute of the day. O'yeah, that's the one thing you can be definitely sure of and that's Blizzard telling the world about the magic number they have.
This game has a very long reach meaning it's played in many countries unlike most other games on-line. So, naturally, many people have had access to it, hence the accounts.
But to even think there's 8 million active accounts is kinda far fetched not to mentioned stupid. Get a clue before stating something like this.
Yeah, right, 8 million players all in their servers, lol.
*sigh*
Yes, it IS 8.5 millions ACTIVE subscribers, why it is so hard to believe? oh! you did not notice the game is active across the whole world and the servers you see (that are hundreds anyhow, more than any other game around there) are JUST A PART OF THE WHOLE? America has hundreds of server, EU has 260 servers. Asia? I do not know how many they have there, do you?
So, as you know nothing of this, maybe next time you can shut your mouth yes? thanks.
Here is the official Blizzard definition of a customer:
World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.
So YOU are NOT counted! Trials are NOT counted!
Wake. Up.
To the OP: keep in mind Blizzard potentially is profiting 0 from WoW. they are part of Vivendi and there is where all the profit goes, then Vivendi send back some money (to their own discretion) to fund new projects and pay all the expenses.
The only figure we have as of Profit, not revenue, is a reaaaaaally old interview of Lord British stating that the profit for UO's subs was around or over 50%.
Things have changed a lot so and that was a different game, so take that with a ton of salt.
"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime"
I want blizzard to plough their hard-earned ( they worked just as hard if no harder that other MMO developers) and deserved profits into a new starcraft game.... its been 9 friggin years.
"I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said..Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?...No, but i served in a company of heroes"
Sgt. Mike Ranney E-company 506PIR 101'st airborn
That's a pretty bold statement, dont you think? Considering third party datas CONFIRM Blizzard numbers (Burning crusade sold 3.5 mils copies across NA and EU and that is exactly the number of subs Blizzard said to have in the NA/EU territories and the expansion is not available in asian territories yet)?
Maybe they ARE telling the truth? after all they have well over 400 servers between Na and EU with good amount of them being full...?
Again... why the disbelief? why you all think the mass media world noticed WoW and there are several famous people admitting openly they play the game?
"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime"
blizzards press release as of march 7th 2007: www.blizzard.com/press/070307.shtml
Their sub nuumbers only count active accounts, do not count banned, in-active or trial accounts.
All that needs to be known is. They have the money. Meaning, they have the money to take a loss in order to beat another company. Like, spending 40million just to better their game to beat a game to be released in a couple months. Just as an example. Say they know a game is to be released in 5months. It's going to be a HUGE release, a game that could take a couple mil of their subscribers. They have the money to higher 1000 programmers to designer an expansion pack to release in 3-4months. While the game to be released, may not have any money other than what they can dish out to make the game.
They have the money to feel comfortable, and actively release updates, and release new games and further expand WoW. That's all that needs to be said. Like they have 1,600 employers roughly. But only 20 employees might actually benefit from the company making so much cash. The designers and customer support ppl still make the same salary and dont increase based on sales. The lead designer and CEO might get a heft bonus check. But I doubt it. So who cares what the company makes. Vivendi takes most of it, and blizzard gets the same wages every year.
Playing: WoW,
Played: Aion, AoC, Eve, EQ, EQ2, LOTRO, Runescape, Guild Wars, DAoC, Planetside, SWG, WAR, Darkfall
Wanting to try: DCU Online
Waiting For: Star Wars The Old Republic, Guild Wars 2.
Why people are so determined to find out how much money Blizzard makes is beyond me. It's impossible to calculate at this point due to several factors, the largest of which is the presence of Asian Gamer-Cafes where (for example) the Chinese don't pay a monthly fee, and instead pay by the hour.
I believe I read somewhere that WoW cost 80+ million dollars to develop, but I could be wrong.
It equals FILTHY RICH gamecompany as opposed to previously moderately rich.
A sheet load of money.
What North American and Europe pays per subscriber is not (my guess) what someone in China pays. $15 per month is a lot of month to some people; might be a month's wages working in some agricultural job in some nations.
Actually we do. Blizzard has told us outright what the formula is for their counting. See the above posted criteria. To be counted accounts must be paid and active or accessed within 30 days. No free trial accounts, no expired accounts, no dormant internet cafe accounts. Blizzard is actually the only MMORPG operator that does tell us where they get the numbers from.
Thart criteria was included as part of their investor related press releases, so it does carry alot of weight. The safe and correct assumption is that that is in fact the formula they are using. Otherwise they would be deliberately lying to their investors, which is generally viewed as a very bad thing.