If you were hoping to play World of Warcraft for free, you should remove such thoughts from your mind as it won't be happening anytime soon. With Blizzcon in full force, Blizzard took the time out to announce that World of Warcraft's subscription payment system isn't going away any time soon.
Mike Morhaime, CEO of Blizzard, has quashed all rumors claiming the most popular massive multiplayer online game will become free to play.
"We've always taken the business model on a case by case basis. In the case of World of Warcraft, the first 20 levels are free. It wasn't designed as a free-to-play game. I don't see that type of transition happening in World of Warcraft, although we are always looking for new ways to make the game more accessible," Morhaime said.
Production director, J. Allen Brack also doused any flickering hope by saying, "We would have to rework the game pretty significantly in order to make it free-to-play. It's not something we're currently considering."
In recent times, World of Warcraft subscriber numbers have dipped to 7.6 million subscribers, having lost 700,000 subscribers since the 8.3 million number reported back in May.
At its highest peak, World of Warcraft boasted 12 million subscribers back in 2010. The Mists of Pandaria expansion also helped propel subscriber count up to 10 million. However, it now seem the game has lost all its steam and players are finding it quite easy to move on.
Things are changing for this game as many players are either bored, or have taken the opportunity to play free to play massive multiplayer online video games. Free to play is arguably the future of video games, and it is a spot Blizzard needs to conquer or witness the fall of World of Warcraft.
Of course, the first 20 levels are free to play, but that is not good enough for players who enjoy the game, but are not interested in paying a monthly subscription.
