World of Warcraft's lead designer, Tom Chilton, spent some time with PC Gamer talking about the thought that World of Warcraft might go free to play. Chilton, raising eyebrows and blood pressures, indicated that "at some point, it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee."

Here are a couple of Chilton's thoughts on the WoW free to play future:

"I can definitely imagine that being the case with World of Warcraft. If another game comes along and blows us away it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee. Or even further down the line, when we have another MMO out.”

“We’re not spending a lot of time thinking about it. It’s not something that’s a reality for us in the near future.” 

Via PC Gamer.

What are your thoughts about WoW and a free to play model? Let us know!

Well we all know a game turns ftp when it's becoming/is crap .... so we will know what the majority thinks of wow at that stage.

Depends how they do it. If it turns out I can buy items that affect in-game stats then I will likely lose interest. But if they keep the fluff up and keep pumping out sparkle ponies and pets...

In other words, as long as we're making millions why would we even think about it? 

If the upcoming mmos cause wow to drop to 1 - 2 million subs it would still be highly profitable. If however the new mmo of blizz will be a big success they will move all their best developers to the new game. Turn wow f2p and throw some shiny ponies from time to time. 

I personally like the F2P and B2P models. What I like is I am in control of when I spend money on the game and I don't feel required to play everyday in order to get my money's worth. 

As much as I would like WoW to go F2P, or even B2P...I just don't see it happening anytime soon. As long as they are still making money from the sub model, it will stay P2P. I mean, from a business standpoint can you blame them?

Well, he has certanly put a bunch of IFs beforethat would be the case -

he can imagine that IF sometimes the game comes out that blows wow away or perhaps if blizzard puts out the new MMO out that outdoes wow.

Seemed to me, that he said something in line - "As far as I can see it at this time, no - and very unlikely in the near future"

I highly doubt that the F2P model has become some financial promised land all of the sudden since D&D switched to it. It worked fabulously for a game with a very little playerbase and still remains to be seen how it works for LOTRO,  probably will.

There is probably no single smart reason why a multi-milion subscriber game earning loads should switch to a F2P model, and probably the only reason he didn't decisively say no, it from the "never say never" perspective.

It's not whether or not Blizzard-Activision is making money from WoW with subscriptions. The question is whether Blizzard-Activision will make MORE money running it F2P or a hybrid model (ala DDO, soon to be LOTRO). Believe me, the minute they have some solid market reports saying they'll make more money by doing a change-over, they'll do it. I've not seen a more profit driven company than Activision.

Originally posted by Seffren

Well we all know a game turns ftp when it's becoming/is crap .... so we will know what the majority thinks of wow at that stage.

 

Not entirely true. LotRO is going ftp not because it's "becoming/is crap", but because going ftp turned DDO from a failing game into a smashing success. No subscription fee + microtransactions ( "Free to play" or "f2p" is a bit of a misnomer, but simpler ) is becoming more and more viable these days, and even looking more profitable than the traditional subscription fee format. Why do you think so many f2p games have cropped up these days? Because the system WORKS. And extremely well.

It would be smart if they tie it in with their next mmo somehow.  Sub to one and get access to the other or something like that.

By the time they consider making the game free to play there will be just to much content to mess around with to make it functional. 

Originally posted by TygerTrax

Originally posted by Seffren

Well we all know a game turns ftp when it's becoming/is crap .... so we will know what the majority thinks of wow at that stage.

 

Not entirely true. LotRO is going ftp not because it's "becoming/is crap", but because going ftp turned DDO from a failing game into a smashing success. No subscription fee + microtransactions ( "Free to play" or "f2p" is a bit of a misnomer, but simpler ) is becoming more and more viable these days, and even looking more profitable than the traditional subscription fee format. Why do you think so many f2p games have cropped up these days? Because the system WORKS. And extremely well.

DDO is F2P + Subscription and/or Microtransactions. LoTR looks to be the same.

I think WoW would do well as F2P + Subscription (Like Runescape). I dont see Microtransactions working well unless the game had a major redesign.

The only F2P game I was interested in was not free to play, so I'm sour on the whole concept. Everything else I've heard is hearsay, but if it is true that you can do things like buy items that effect your abilities in-game with real cash and don't have to earn them, then I want no part of it.

Cataclysm is, for me, going to be not just an expansion pack but a statement from Blizzard about their commitment to WoW. If it isn't a major step forward, I will know they have lost interest and just want to maintain the game to keep the cash coming in. F2P would be a sign that Blizzard no longer cared about the product, and I would stop playing (and paying for anything at all), if I hadn't already.

;)

It may be much sooner than you think. ;)

Not even worth discussing.  It was one and a half sentences pulled from an entire interview to try to shock people.  There's been nothing that's come anywhere close to having even a fourth of the people that WoW pulls in.  This won't happen in anytime worth talking about.

Originally posted by Smokeysong

The only F2P game I was interested in was not free to play, so I'm sour on the whole concept. Everything else I've heard is hearsay, but if it is true that you can do things like buy items that effect your abilities in-game with real cash and don't have to earn them, then I want no part of it.

Cataclysm is, for me, going to be not just an expansion pack but a statement from Blizzard about their commitment to WoW. If it isn't a major step forward, I will know they have lost interest and just want to maintain the game to keep the cash coming in. F2P would be a sign that Blizzard no longer cared about the product, and I would stop playing (and paying for anything at all), if I hadn't already.

;)

I agree 100%.  They are taking the base of their product and (instead of adding more and more and forgetting about it) bringing it up to date, completely upgrading it to keep it fresh.  It's brilliant and will also bring back so many that've burnt out.

As long as it isn't the classic 'free, as long as you don't want the new and the good stuff' model, I won't have a problem with it.

I have clicked this button at least ten times already regarding this 'possible situation'.

Existing P2P games that go F2P usually do so because they have to. Without a draw of new players, there are less possibilities of subscriptions and/or cash shop purchases, not to mention less players to enjoy the game with (you need players to be 'massively multiplayer' and experience group/raid content).

WoW is a cash cow. At least, it is today. At some point in the future it will wane, and I can see Blizzard being saavy enough to slowly reduce subscription rates to entice people to keep their subs "just a little longer." This will then lead to the introduction of a F2P WoW, with a fully functional cash shop, modular zone purchases (a la LOTRO and others) and a premium (subscription) model. Want to raid a certain dungeon as a F2P player? It only costs a one-time fee of $4.99.

The article title: "Blizzard discuss making World of Warcraft free", seems a bit misleading.

After reading it, I get the impression it is more like:

PC: "Hey Blizzard guy, is your game gonna go F2P?"

BG: "Not as long as my toilets are plated in gold."

PC: "Ok, well can you at least speculate on it so I can write up an attention grabbing article?"

BG: "Sure thing!"

I find this funny, only because I'm pretty sure I read somewhere WoW was originally planned to be a F2P game at the start.  I guess Blizz decided to sell mounts because they weren't making enough money. All those servers, and bandwidth, GM's and all sorts of other customer support can rack up the bucks for sure.  Its either that or they are just greedy as hell which wouldn't surprise me one bit. 

I wonder when it will go F2P though, and why? They obviously still own the majority of the MMO players out there so they don't need to go F2P to get more subs.  Maybe they aren't making  enough money and they think they can make more buy doing an item shop only.  Or it could be to keep people playing WoW while playing there new MMO that comes out and can make good money off both. 

Honestly it's always irked me in some ways, simply that you first have to pay for the game at retail (($50-$60)) when it first comes out and then have to continue paying for the duration of the time you play.  This was back when MMOs were first breaking the scene though, it was something that was gotten over fast.  Most of you priobably have no clue or bearing on this time.  They usually give you a month free for buying the game but after that, they release expansions that you again have to buy but then offer no free playtime for it.  So needless to say, any MMO makes a killing off of you since all you end up doing is just steadily handing money over to the company that made it.

Despite this I would rather Blizzard just give us the expansions for free and keep the sbu, because honetly when you lose the sub, two things happen.

1. The company will stop doing anything for the game what-so-ever.  Why would they? there's no profit in it.

2. Because it's F2P, every cretin on the internet will be on the game, and it's not like there isn't enough cretins in WoW already.

In short the game will go to hell in a hand basket in less than a day.

To the guy above me: They're just greedy as hell. Overhead for a MMO isn't THAT much, I found it surprising though that Blizzard actually RENTS it's servers for WoW tho, they do not own them.