Classic has given Blizzard it largest quarterly increase in WoW subscriptions in 15 years.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/353605/CoD_and_WoW_push_Activision_Blizzard_to_betterthanexpected_Q3.phphttps://investor.activision.com/news-releases/news-release-details/activision-blizzard-announces-second-quarter-2019-financialJust think this subscription increase beat Wrath of the Lich King expansion. The number of people who subscribed for classic beat all the previous expansions. Makes one think. Take into account that retail subs can be paid for with tokens and classic does not allow that.
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So its great for the guys enjoying classic in their MMO of choice, but it means nothing for new MMOs down the line unfortunately. I could be wrong, you hear them talking about how it is making them look again, but not one example of how the modern iteration of any MMO that has a classic version has/will be changed.
The "largest quarterly increase in subs" isn't as big a deal as it might appear.
This is how MOP presented the news and I recommend reading their entire article. The outlook for the 4th quarter is bleak in light of the HK fiasco. Apparently Blizzard knew what they were doing when they laid off 800 at the start of the year.
"Blizzard’s MAUs (monthly active units) added another 1M players in the quarter, increasing from 32M to 33M. That’s thanks to WoW Classic, which the company says “drove the biggest quarterly increase to subscription plans in franchise history, in both the West and East.”
The news becomes more sobering when one realizes 33M represents a huge loss in MAUs since the first quarter of 2018.
"While World of Warcraft subs were up ahead of the launch of WoW Classic as expected, montly active users (MAUs) for Blizz were down from 38M in Q1 of 2018 to 32M in Q2 of 2019."
https://massivelyop.com/2019/11/07/activision-blizzards-q3-2019-revenues-sink-for-the-third-quarter-in-a-row/
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Their MAU is down from 38 million to 32 million. Don't forget this is a 15 year old game. Can any new MMORPG boast that many subs? Even if you want to scoff at that figure we are still talking about 32 million monthly active units.
Not even sure MAU = subs, might just represent players who login at least once on any of their titles including games like COD.
Can't be sure without understanding how they define an active unit.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Sorry I realised it could not only be WoW because 32 million subs was never a figure for WoW even at it's height it never went above 20 million.