In a new opinion piece over at GameTheoryOnline.com, Nadia Oxford clearly lays out her theory that World of Warcraft is in its declining years. Citing the gradual decline in subscribers, the encroachment of F2P revenue models and more, Oxford makes her case, not that WoW is dead, simply declining.
The next World of Warcraft expansion will certainly perk up interest in the game, but in the long term, World of Warcraft might be in the sunset of its undisputed reign over the online gaming landscape. The free-to-play model is letting players experiment in all kinds of fantasy lands, which gives them pause before committing to paying out rent to the land of Azeroth. World of Warcraft recently went free-to-play until level 20, but consider its competition: Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and the big beastie looming on the horizon: Star Wars:The Old Republic. World of Warcraft is no longer the obvious choice in what was once an under-realized genre.
Read more at GameTheoryOnline.net.
