A problem hangs over WoW Forever like a Damocles sword

MeinMMO-Demon Cortyn sees a problem in WoW Forever – one that we will only recognize after the release. And there’s a reason for that.

Before World of Warcraft Forever was announced, I thought to myself: I actually have no desire for such a Classic+. But, as is often the case with Blizzard games, we hyped each other up in our friend circle until somehow everyone was interested.

In the meantime, I’m sure: I won’t stay at WoW Forever … well, forever, but at least I’ll check it out for a few weeks and then come back every now and then when modern WoW feels too hectic or when I simply want to see the new content in Forever.

But there is a problem with WoW Forever that many have not yet recognized or pushed to their subconscious. Because we now know quite extensively what World of Warcraft Forever will be. We have a good impression of the mentality the developers will display, what game feeling they want to convey, and what their roadmap for the future looks like.

But one thing we still don’t know: How exactly will WoW Forever be financed?

Forever will not be financed through the subscription – not in 2026

Many will now furrow their brows and ask: “Huh, WoW has a subscription? Isn’t that enough?”

One must simply say quite realistically: No, that will not be enough for Blizzard in 2026.

After all, the subscription costs are what all currently active WoW players are already paying anyway. Sure, WoW Forever will be bigger and will attract many new people, but it is another, standalone game whose developers must be paid and which should obviously generate money for Blizzard. It’s not a “gift” to the potential player base. In the end, it’s a product that needs to earn money.

What is excluded

But how could WoW Forever still generate additional revenue? A few options have already been ruled out by the developers:

• Character boosts will not be available, so they are off the table.
• The WoW token would damage the “Classic” feel, so it’s also not an option.

WoW Forever has a transmog system, so it would make sense to sell cosmetic items in the shop similar to modern WoW.

But even at this point, I think to myself: This might already meet with resistance, especially since transmog is an optional feature in Forever. You can activate it, but you don’t have to.

New player experiences for cash – A possible option

I think it is more likely that Blizzard will release a larger patch every few months that expands the game world. This expansion might then introduce a playable race or even a new class.

These races or classes could then be found behind a paywall. Who knows, maybe later you will have to pay for the high elves or buy the bard’s new class for 20 or 30 euros. After all, many new classes are already being discussed.

After all, this is already the case with the Celestial-born. Those who want to play them have to pay money. This is already being controversially discussed, but most people are not too bothered by it – because for many, the Celestial-born simply do not fit into “their” Classic and since there are cool alternatives, like an undead paladin, it doesn’t weigh too heavily.

But when I go through all the options in my mind, ultimately, only that remains. WoW Forever will be “eternally” developed and will receive new areas, reputation factions, and quests – but I could well imagine the major highlights, like new classes or races, being behind purchase offers (as much as I dislike that).

This could be coupled again with bundles that cost even more, in the sense of: “Buy the high elf race here and receive a housing item in modern WoW and the high elf skin for Xal’atath in HotS.”

The community’s pain threshold needs to be tested

Perhaps Blizzard will also take a middle ground that most would rather accept with gritted teeth: Early access. Those who pay can play the new class or new race a few days earlier. In a Forever where the journey is the goal, that wouldn’t be so bad – then you just play the new class a few days later.

Maybe I’m just wrong. Maybe WoW Forever actually attracts so many players that Blizzard will be completely satisfied with the subscription costs. But the longer I think about this possibility, the more I tend to think: It’s too good to be true.

It is definitely clever of Blizzard not to reveal this in advance. Because this way, all interested players will first dive into WoW Forever and play for several weeks. Then, they will build up a lot of “Sunk Cost Fallacy” – the “escalating commitment”: The more time or resources you have already invested, the harder it becomes to stop again, even if you don’t like certain things.

But what do you think? What do you believe, how will WoW Forever be monetized and where does Blizzard want to generate the money? What kind of monetization would you find acceptable and which would be problematic or would make you quit? Let us know in the comments.
Some players are already bizarre in WoW Forever: They are buying gold during the beta.