Originally posted by expresso
It also says the majority of the losses are in Asia - I thought we consider those players not real players cus they dont pay a sub... make up your minds guys.  Either we count them or we dont?!

WOW most certainly counts them, only difference is that they enjoy a different sub model than we do here in NA (and our friends accross the pond in EU). Some count them, others don't; but for the purposes of counting their number of subs, WOW does indeed count them.

Originally posted by Aerowyn
feels more ready than most any other MMO i beta tested and Iv'e beta tested pretty much them all.. almost heh

Agreed. Compared to many games (noteworthy: WAR, AoC, SWTOR, Aion), GW2 is much more polished. I'm not saying it will be perfect and without a single bug upon release and a few weeks afterwards, but it certainly is very well put together. I think people should have high expectations yet realize that GW2 still has much more to grow.

Originally posted by MikeB

Hey guys,

I'd like to do a forum experiment on some of our most trafficked forums. This will be simple and straightforward. Below, you'll find a set of basic questions that I'd like you to answer (copy and paste the questions as is into your reply, retain all formatting, do not add anything). This isn't a discussion thread, so responding to other users' responses is not allowed. These posts will be removed.

Were you interested in this game before it came out? Why? Why not?:

 

Yes. I played GW1 and have been following the development of GW2 since it was first announced.

 

Do you currently play this game?:

I played in the beta and will play upon release.

 

If yes, please explain why:

 

I enjoyed playing GW1 a lot and was very excited when GW2 was announced.

 

If no, please explain why:

 

What MMOs are you currently playing and why do you play these particular titles?:

 

I currently play WOW (up to Cata) but will quit as soon as GW2 releases.

 

What compels you to post in this particular subforum as frequently (or infrequently) as you do?

 

I have been following the forums on this website for a while now and decided it was time to post! :)

 

Thanks for your responses! Remember, please just copy the above questions and answer them straightforwardly if you'd like to participate in this.

 

NOTE: Please do not answer questions that currently do not apply. Feel free to edit your answers to these questions in once the game goes live.

Originally posted by MikeB

Originally posted by Psychow

Congratulations on your "victory"?

I guess watching games bleed subscriptions is supposed to be good...

Schadenfreude sure is fun! Isn't it? ;)

There's certainly a discussion to be had with this news, but "epic fail" isn't it. I can't stand World of Warcraft, personally, but I'd hardly classify this downward trajectory as an 'epic fail'.

Would love to see you guys turn this around into a discussion about why Blizzard's behemoth of an MMO is losing subscriptions at the rate it is. Hint: there are many forces at work here. The least of which being, "WoW sucks! D'uh!".

I've been following mmorpg.com for a while now, I figured it was time to start posting :)

I'll start with this one...

I agree with MikeB, I would also not qualify the "downward trajectory" which WOW is currently experiencing as "epic fail", however, I would argue that something is not "right"; you don't lose 1 million subs in 3 months without there being an issue which is not being addressed. A lot of games don't even have as many subs as WOW lost in 3 months, let alone a third (even a fourth) of WOW's active subscribers.

Why is Blizzard, behemoth of behemoths in the gaming industry, losing subscriptions at the rate that it is? I would argue a combination of multiple factors:

The Economy: A stagnant and sluggish economy never helps anyone,especially businesses. People just don't have as much money to spend anymore, therefore superfluous spending (entertainment in this case) will decrease.

The aging giant: This November WOW will turn 8 years... 8 years!! In some cases, aging can be a good thing, in other cases, a bad thing. I think in Blizzard's case, it's a little of both. Blizzard's experience is second to none, they have had and for the most part sitll have some of the best devs, artists and designers in the industry; however, that can be a double edge sword... not very easy to teach an old dog new tricks. People are (and have been for a while now) tiring of WOW's repetitive and tiresome mechanics. Some complain of the outdated graphics/style and general look of the game, others about the mindless and never ending repetitive gear grinding treadmill and others are easily distracted by newer games whilst ignoring WOW's "old" stuff (there is a different reason for every player; 9.1 players... 9.1 million different reasons).

Newer (dare I say "better"?) games: To sports fans, there is a huge difference between losing a game and getting beaten. If you lose the game, it was your fault, if you got beaten, they were better and you couldn't do anything about it. I would argue in Blizzard's case, it's yet again a combination of both situations. Blizzard is old but it still has a lot of life and energy in it; and as I've stated before, it still has some of the best devs in the industry. However, WOW (since that is the topic of discussion) can only go so far, much like an aging athlete. At some point (to continue with the analogy) better athletes arrive and sometimes the aging athlete just can't compete the way he/she used to (think Lance Armstrong in his last Tour de France). Eventually better games will come and players will have to decide whether to stick with WOW or move on to a newer game.

I could go on and on but for the sake of those reading this, I'll stop right here.