"100% of the cost of the Cinder Kitten was donated to the ARC."

To Blizzards wording, 100% of the cost went to the victims.  Not 100% of the profits.

profits might be 10 million for all I know, but it cost Blizzard 2.3 million to hire / train / market / sell the pet.

Did Blizzard just make money again?

This may not be the game for me, but I certainly applaud their philanthropic endeavors.

Sure, it's a tax write-off and all that good stuff.. But the point is that they are putting their large sub-base to good use by providing so much money to good causes.

So, again (in case anyone got confused), I applaud ActiBlizz for doing this.

Its a win-win for everybody.  Great cause,great people, nice pet.  Kudos to Blizzard for continuing to set the standard for gaming companies.

On a side note: Haters gonna hate.

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Originally posted by Karteli
"100% of the cost of the Cinder Kitten was donated to the ARC."

 

To Blizzards wording, 100% of the cost went to the victims.  Not 100% of the profits.

---

Also, it was not "Blizzard's wording" it was the wording of the MMORPG.com article writer.

If you want to check out Blizzard's wording you could have gone to the website linked in the article.

Originally posted by Karteli

"100% of the cost of the Cinder Kitten was donated to the ARC."

 

To Blizzards wording, 100% of the cost went to the victims.  Not 100% of the profits.

 

profits might be 10 million for all I know, but it cost Blizzard 2.3 million to hire / train / market / sell the pet.

 

Did Blizzard just make money again?

no lol, it's 100% of the cost to players, $10 per player

They do this every once in awhile when something happens.  Blizz benefits cuz they get to write it down as a charitable donation at the end of the year :)

Great, everyone's cheering on Blizzard for donating 2.3mio (of which they'll probably get a good amount back via taxes or something)

Still in the bigger scope of things this is an ridiculously low amount for a company as huge as Blizzard and in perspective that the overall damage was something around $50 billion. They should be ashamed. I bet their expenses on coffee and tacos each year are bigger. This was nothing but a PR stunt, and a cheap one on top of that.

Originally posted by Volgore

Great, everyone's cheering on Blizzard for donating 2.3mio (of which they'll probably get a good amount back via taxes or something)

Still in the bigger scope of things this is an ridiculously low amount for a company as huge as Blizzard and in perspective that the overall damage was something around $50 billion. They should be ashamed. I bet their expenses on coffee and tacos each year are bigger. This was nothing but a PR stunt, and a cheap one on top of that.

Someone should feel ashamed alright.  Though it isn't Blizzard and their using company time, manpower and resources they could've sold for profit just to encourage more people to donate.  

Tell me, friend, when was the last time you were at a homeless shelter helping the less fortunate?  Volunteering at an animal shelter or even pass a few bills to a good cause other than something for you or your relatives?

Encouraging others to donate and donating your own manpower is respectable; it is one's own perogative if they think it's a waste of time to do charitable things and there's nothing wrong with their beliefs.  But actively striking out a company or people for doing charitable things is the same as trying to steal money away from people who need it.  In making such less than socially acceptible remarks you may discourage people from partaking in a charitable event -- no matter the reason of it or the amount that is ultimately raised -- in the future, and thus you become an evil entity bent on making people suffer.

Bringing people together is more valuable than just tossing a few bucks at a problem and then ignoring it; those who get to others to actively contribute in a community process brings people together and may encourage them to do so in the future.  That is not to mention that each empoyee individually possibly helped in their own way to encourage people.  But no, here we have a select few condemning such actions, trying to find the worst in things, and painting a shady picture of the world.  I certainly don't think I help as often as I should, but things like this remind me that I should, and I don't endeaver to disrupt their good will when they happen as you have.

Go out and make the world a better place to live instead of partaking in a community (this one, for instance) where you have thus acted like nothing but a complete and total jerk where this issue is concerned.

Originally posted by Muppetier
greedy money grabbing evil mega corporation bstds.

Haha excatly my thought, this is just one of those brand/name awareness projects, hoping people will love Blizzard and look at their products, aka a cheezy markerting technique to get more revenue. 

Yes of course it's great the got 2,3M (FROM PLAYERS) to help others out, but do remember Blizzard didn't do anything themselves, so why love them for the selflessness of their players? They make millions and millions of dollars monthly for christ sake they could've spent that right? but they would much prefer having a fancy car or a big house themselves. To bad Blizzard I'm still not buying your products. ;)

Originally posted by FARGIN_WAR

While I really should just say good job helping people in need and move on, I just can't help myself but to point something out.

First, great job in getting yourself some good press donating other people's money Blizzard, its not something a poor multibillion company could have done on their own.

And kudos to all the cinder kitten buyers who are happy to selflessly help people, provided they get something for it in return.

True charity doesn't need fanfair. True charity isn't give and take.

Now I'll leave you all to bask in the warm fuzzy feelings that self centered charity brings.

 

But that not in Blizzards marketing intents.

The point of these short lived donation phases are to introduce even items at higher rate to their cashshop. Everytime they do it without any charity, they receive larger negative backlash because player already wasting 15$ to play WoW expect these things to come for free. Exploiting the donations to advertise the new items is just secondary. It all about silencing any critisicm against the expansion of their cashshop with these fake moral act held up.  Perfect bait for WoW fanbois to attack anyone pointing out the immoral marketing ploy if Blizzard, a poor exploitation of good will and charitiy just to milk a game just a bit more. "If you are against or dare to point out Blizzard cashop milking you are an immoral human because its a charity project (if you put a blind eye on their expansion of a revenue stream that will make much more than they ever donated)" Then again their target audience seems to be gullible enough to suck this farce up anyway.

As for the cost. Introducing items like these do not even range into costs of more than several ten thousands. Anyone claiming it ranges into the hundredthousand or millions has no clue or is just lying. Only if they hype the sales it in the media and run a PR campaign for it, it will cost more, but that got nothing to do with being generous or doing anyone a favour, its just selfinterest. Plus tax breaks for donations makes the sratch not even hurt anymore.

Win-Win for Blizzard. Extra cash for Blizzard and people even hold them high up for it instead of complaining about new cashshop items.

Congrats to Blizzard for getting a 2.3 Million dollar tax break on the backs of their players.

Way to go!

Originally posted by Volgore

Great, everyone's cheering on Blizzard for donating 2.3mio (of which they'll probably get a good amount back via taxes or something)

Still in the bigger scope of things this is an ridiculously low amount for a company as huge as Blizzard and in perspective that the overall damage was something around $50 billion. They should be ashamed. I bet their expenses on coffee and tacos each year are bigger. This was nothing but a PR stunt, and a cheap one on top of that.

Why should they be ashamed? They didn't have to do a thing.

Posts like this are tiresome. Put aside this childish hate for a minute, sit back and just be glad someone, who didn't have to do a THING, raised 2.3 million dollars to help people in need.

Originally posted by Howry

Congrats to Blizzard for getting a 2.3 Million dollar tax break on the backs of their players.

 

Way to go!

When you donate and write it off on your taxes, should you be villified?

All you people complaining about Blizzard raising this money should stop and take a lok at yourselves. Look at what you are complaining about, money being raised for people who desperately need it.

And the only reason you all are doing this shit is because you don't like a video game... Time to grow up a bit, just a little...

Blizzard's new sloggan should be "damned if we do damned if we don't"

Originally posted by Cranktrain

I love this use of microtransactions. Everyone wins, people in need get resources, players get a cute kitten, and Blizzard gets loads of goodwill.

Fuzzy feelings all round. I'd love to do this kind of stuff for my game.

 I like it too!

Originally posted by Karteli

"100% of the cost of the Cinder Kitten was donated to the ARC."

 

To Blizzards wording, 100% of the cost went to the victims.  Not 100% of the profits.

 

profits might be 10 million for all I know, but it cost Blizzard 2.3 million to hire / train / market / sell the pet.

 

Did Blizzard just make money again?

You're thinking about it too much. Also, the official wording was "100% of the adoption fee would be going to assist victims of this disaster" (link: http://eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/news/?d=2013-1#110215 )

You really reached there. Way out there.

Well if the players were truly that "charitable" they would have clicked on a donate $10 button without promise of a in-game pet.  

The reality is, without the pet, few would have done so... they were buying the pet to add to their collection for yet another pointless achievement... the fact that the money went to helpless victims or Blizzard really never entered into 90% of the purchasers minds.

Most charity raisers such as this have a "for every blah sold or earned, we'll add X to the pot of our own"... Blizzard doesn't do that.  And yet, they have more money than you or I to give.

I say kudos to the players that bought the pet... I don't see Blizzard as doing all that much in this situation.  Hell, the PR alone that they milk out of this more than enough pays for their time and effort promoting it... and they know it.

Originally posted by NL-Rikkert

Originally posted by Muppetier
greedy money grabbing evil mega corporation bstds.

Haha excatly my thought, this is just one of those brand/name awareness projects, hoping people will love Blizzard and look at their products, aka a cheezy markerting technique to get more revenue. 

Yes of course it's great the got 2,3M (FROM PLAYERS) to help others out, but do remember Blizzard didn't do anything themselves, so why love them for the selflessness of their players? They make millions and millions of dollars monthly for christ sake they could've spent that right? but they would much prefer having a fancy car or a big house themselves. To bad Blizzard I'm still not buying your products. ;)

[mod edit] you realize it's not free to develope those assets right? And the players probably would not have donated that 2.3 million without the purchase. I don't see other MMO devs doing anything like this. SoE did it once with a Bear pet for Katrina I think or one of the disasters. Other than that, no one.

Originally posted by Seelinnikoi

Would be funny if they gave the money in BNET balance... lol

This made me laugh!

As to the charity, it is fantastic job by Blizzard.

Originally posted by pmiles

Well if the players were truly that "charitable" they would have clicked on a donate $10 button without promise of a in-game pet.  

The reality is, without the pet, few would have done so... they were buying the pet to add to their collection for yet another pointless achievement... the fact that the money went to helpless victims or Blizzard really never entered into 90% of the purchasers minds.

Most charity raisers such as this have a "for every blah sold or earned, we'll add X to the pot of our own"... Blizzard doesn't do that.  And yet, they have more money than you or I to give.

I say kudos to the players that bought the pet... I don't see Blizzard as doing all that much in this situation.  Hell, the PR alone that they milk out of this more than enough pays for their time and effort promoting it... and they know it.

Actually, most of them say "For ever item bought a PORTION of the proceeds will go to charity." Or we'll donate $1 for every $5 sandwich purcahsed in June.

Giving 100% of the cost, not even the profits after expense. But the cost is quite generous for a company. I know they can afford it. But as I pointed out before, what other MMO devs were doing this at all?