Many hope that World of Warcraft will land in the Xbox Game Pass. However, WoW demon Cortyn from MeinMMO explains why this is unlikely.
The purchase of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft is not yet complete, but many players are already dreaming of what this could mean. One of the most common speculations: All Blizzard games, including World of Warcraft, will end up in the Xbox Game Pass, making it even more profitable.
A nice thought that could surely bring a smile to many faces – but I believe that it will not happen.
But let me explain why I see it this way.
World of Warcraft is, even with the currently likely decreased player numbers, still a fairly solid source of revenue for Blizzard. Each month, the MMORPG (Retail and Classic versions) is expected to generate a significant amount of dollars in the double-digit millions purely from subscription fees. These are revenues that have supported Blizzard for many years and will not simply be thrown away.
Moreover, the subscription fees are not even the only point that raises a problem. It becomes even less likely when considering that World of Warcraft releases a new expansion approximately every two years, which – depending on the edition – also costs an additional €40 to €90. That would be a significant chunk of money and at the same time, the expansion is the reason many old players return to pay the subscription again – at least for a while.
If both the subscription fees and the monthly costs are eliminated because WoW becomes part of the Game Pass, this would drastically reduce Blizzard’s revenues.
But it’s not just the financial aspect that should be taken into account, but also another one. Even if World of Warcraft is currently not at the peak of its player base and popularity, and the current content leaves much to be desired – WoW is a premium game and has always been.
For some players, the mere fact that they pay monthly for World of Warcraft is an indication that it is a “premium game”. While other players long for WoW to finally become free-to-play, there are some who identify with the mentality of paying monthly. It makes WoW players part of a certain “elite club”. A certain kind of prestige, which also clearly indicates: WoW is not free-to-play and thus “above” other titles.
Of course, all this does not mean that WoW will never come to the Game Pass. However, as far as I can tell, the Game Pass does not offer any other subscription-based games. Considering this, those who hope that WoW will soon be part of the Game Pass might want to temper their expectations a bit.
In the best-case scenario, it will turn out differently and more players can check out Blizzard’s MMO because it is already part of a monthly offering – in the worst-case scenario, everything stays as it has been. Perhaps we will know more in a few hours, as Blizzard plans to announce some things this week …
Would you like to see WoW as part of the Game Pass? Or do you also believe that this is unlikely to happen?
