A brief outcry in the community of World of Warcraft triggered rapid changes to the cash shop. The prices were so high that a shitstorm was pre-programmed.
Basically, all players were aware that the great success of the housing in World of Warcraft comes with the disadvantage that Blizzard will massively monetize this feature. But when the first big load of items landed in the shop, the surprise was still considerable. Because anyone wanting to create something nice from the new items had to reach deep into their pockets. At least one item saw an immediate price correction.
What’s new in the shop? In the housing section of the World of Warcraft shop, there are some new package deals and single items since last night. Most of it is in the style of spring – so mainly items with pink petals.
The various packages cost between €15 and €35 and contain between 3 and 31 items.
What is the problem with the new items? That there are new items in the housing shop of World of Warcraft is fundamentally not a problem – everyone expected that. But the prices are raising eyebrows. Because while there are items for 10 home tokens (so €0.10), such as individual Easter eggs, there are also items that are quite pricey – like the Spring Blossom Pavilion for 800 home tokens (so €8).
Particularly annoying was the price for a new tree. The Spring Blossom Tree cost a staggering 750 home tokens (€7.50). Because this is likely an item that people do not want to buy to set individual accents, but rather to decorate their garden completely with these trees – which would be very expensive.
A beautiful garden in WoW for €75 – Who pays that?
Community reacts: In the WoW subreddit, it took only a few minutes for dissatisfaction over the prices to spread. Under the telling title “What the f*** are these prices?” the player rahuonn asks what exactly they were thinking about the cost of the Spring Blossom Tree. He also asks: “Did it ever occur to you that someone might want to buy them in bulk?”
There were a lot of comments, and some of them have insightful analyses:
- “This is a marketing tactic to make you question the price and then buy the ‘more cost-effective package.'” -Dungeon567
This makes sense, because in the corresponding package for €25, there are 3 of these trees included – which corresponds to a “value” of €22.50 – and it includes 18 other items that then only cost €2.50.
- “‘Did it never occur to you that someone might want to buy them in bulk?’ They have thought of that. That’s why they are so expensive.” – NoWordCount
- “€7.50 per tree, so if you want a nice, lush garden (currently I use about 10 on my flying island), they want me to spend €75 – have they gone absolutely mad?” – Ghekor
How has Blizzard reacted? Blizzard temporarily took the new items offline and later brought them back with updated prices. The price of the Spring Blossom Tree was reduced from 750 home tokens to 250 home tokens. This makes it significantly more affordable to buy a few more of the trees – although that’s still quite a hefty price.
However, Blizzard also rescinded a promise from the past. Because previously it was stated that the prices of items in the shop would match the offered packages of home tokens – and that is not the case now. Many of the items have costs that deviate significantly from the home token bundles.
Whether Blizzard’s plans with the housing shop will succeed remains to be seen. Fairness demands that it should also be mentioned that in WoW: Midnight there is a wide range of housing items that can simply be earned and do not require real money to be paid.
