Blizzard puts up a $25 WoW mount, people clog the servers trying to get one.

Fairly old by internets standards, didn't see it posted around here, though.

As many as 140,000 World of Warcraft players have queued to purchase the subscription-based MMORPG's recently introduced virtual items: a $25 Celestial Steed mount and a $10 Lil' XT pet (priced at €20 and €10, respectively, for Europe).Gamasutra

Within six hours after Blizzard added the items to its store, the number of gamers queuing to buy one of the virtual animals jumped up to 80,000, according to a report from unofficial fansite Wow.com. That number reached more than 140,000 several hours later, and users waited an estimated seven hours to complete their purchase.Gamasutra

Blizzard, however, began experimenting with purchasable virtual animals last November by selling two in-game pets priced at $10. The strategy seems enormously profitable -- if all 140,000 of those queued users (not counting players who completed their transactions) purchased the $25 Celestial Steed, Blizzard would have made some $3.5 million after just a day.Gamasutra

So, what's the message being sent here?

Over 140,000 users queue up for WoW's virtual items.

How to make a cool 2 million+ in one day: With a sparkle pony.

WoW pet store adds $25 mount.

If people want it, then they will buy it.

$25? Crazy.

Let people waste their money on what they want. If the money they waste on some stupid brings them joy, then let them have it.

Why is this such big news? Are people that desperate to dig on WoW players? I don't get it, micro transactions like this have been going on for years and just because 1% of WoW players bought it doesn't mean it's a big deal, 140k sounds like a lot but for the amount of WoW players there are it's a tiny amount.Im_single

[QUOTE="Im_single"]Why is this such big news? Are people that desperate to dig on WoW players? I don't get it, micro transactions like this have been going on for years and just because 1% of WoW players bought it doesn't mean it's a big deal, 140k sounds like a lot but for the amount of WoW players there are it's a tiny amount.Oilers99

Next stop: horse armor.

Microtransactions shouldn't cost $25.00.

I'd say between this and the "stimulus" MW2 package, Kotick is rolling around in a room filled with cash somewhere right now. I hate to say it but this is only going to get worse...albatrossdrums

A mount is optional, its just for looks.

A map pack is mandatory if you wan't to keep playing. Activision could charge $25 and I bet it would still sell.

25$ for this?

lulz.

I'd say between this and the "stimulus" MW2 package, Kotick is rolling around in a room filled with cash somewhere right now. I hate to say it but this is only going to get worse...albatrossdrums

Perhaps for WoW. People die of exhaustion, thirst and whatnot playing WoW, so I'd say their level of enthusiasm is in class by itself. Microtransactions will become more common (something I've got no problem with, since I've bought quite a few 'micro' goods over the years) but most developers won't charge so much for so little.

25$ for this?

lulz.

shinian

Next stop: horse armor.

CarnageHeart

I GET IT!

I don't see a problem with this.
MMORPGs to many people have become like a second world/life to them. In this second life they can do absolutely amazing things, and achieve some pretty amazing goals. Just as someone might buy a $100 t-shirt whilst another person buys a $5 t-shirt; some people are willing to purchase a $25 mount so as to stand out from the crowd, or any other benefits it might bring.

This is the marketing dream come true: have millions of people pay top dollar for something virtual that probably took a day and $0 to produce. This means nearly 100% clean revenue for the seller. It's the same with avatar items in xbox live.

Spooky.

Yup GG blizzard, your marketing wizards and know how to pull the suckers in by the masses. That is perhaps the most rediculous mount i have ever seen and i played wow from launch till about a year ago.

I don't see a problem with this.
MMORPGs to many people have become like a second world/life to them. In this second life they can do absolutely amazing things, and achieve some pretty amazing goals. Just as someone might buy a $100 t-shirt whilst another person buys a $5 t-shirt; some people are willing to purchase a $25 mount so as to stand out from the crowd, or any other benefits it might bring.Darek_Khort

[QUOTE="Darek_Khort"]I don't see a problem with this.
MMORPGs to many people have become like a second world/life to them. In this second life they can do absolutely amazing things, and achieve some pretty amazing goals. Just as someone might buy a $100 t-shirt whilst another person buys a $5 t-shirt; some people are willing to purchase a $25 mount so as to stand out from the crowd, or any other benefits it might bring.muthsera666

To those who think it's ridiculous that people would pay $25 for an in-game item, remember that this is an MMORPG we're talking about. Assuming this mount is on par with the best mounts in the game, that $25 is saving you months of grinding. Most players would probably consider it a steal. Also, considering that WoW has an install base of 10 million subscribers, 140,000 people is only 1.4% of all WoW players.

That said, I'm glad I quit the game back in 2006. From what I've heard it only went downhill starting with BC and it just keeps getting worse and worse. And just so people in this thread understand why $25 isn't asking that much for an MMORPG item, when I quit the game I sold my account on eBay for $600 and I probably could have gotten $800 for it if I hadn't been in a rush to get rid of it before BC hit and killed the value of my main character.

Edit: I also think it's funny how many people we have condemning WoW players for buying this stuff when so few people seem to have issues with all the microtransaction **** on consoles. At least with what Blizz is offering you get a lot of functional use out of it in the game. Compare that to, say, PS3 Home where they want you to pay $5 for virtual furniture that does absolutely nothing, or all the themes and avatar packs that you can buy on Xbox Live. Or better yet, how about paying for cheat codes and items already in the game? Or unlockable DLC.

To those who think it's ridiculous that people would pay $25 for an in-game item, remember that this is an MMORPG we're talking about. Assuming this mount is on par with the best mounts in the game, that $25 is saving you months of grinding. Most players would probably consider it a steal. Also, considering that WoW has an install base of 10 million subscribers, 140,000 people is only 1.4% of all WoW players.

That said, I'm glad I quit the game back in 2006. From what I've heard it only went downhill starting with BC and it just keeps getting worse and worse. And just so people in this thread understand why $25 isn't asking that much for an MMORPG item, when I quit the game I sold my account on eBay for $600 and I probably could have gotten $800 for it if I hadn't been in a rush to get rid of it before BC hit and killed the value of my main character.

[QUOTE="gameguy6700"]

To those who think it's ridiculous that people would pay $25 for an in-game item, remember that this is an MMORPG we're talking about. Assuming this mount is on par with the best mounts in the game, that $25 is saving you months of grinding. Most players would probably consider it a steal. Also, considering that WoW has an install base of 10 million subscribers, 140,000 people is only 1.4% of all WoW players.

That said, I'm glad I quit the game back in 2006. From what I've heard it only went downhill starting with BC and it just keeps getting worse and worse. And just so people in this thread understand why $25 isn't asking that much for an MMORPG item, when I quit the game I sold my account on eBay for $600 and I probably could have gotten $800 for it if I hadn't been in a rush to get rid of it before BC hit and killed the value of my main character.

DJ_Lae

Oh, well in that case I agree it's stupid. If you want special skin for your mount all you have to do is replace the skin for the mount you already have in the game's files with the new skin. Although granted every type of that mount will take on the new skin as well and no one will see it but you.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="Darek_Khort"]I don't see a problem with this. MMORPGs to many people have become like a second world/life to them. In this second life they can do absolutely amazing things, and achieve some pretty amazing goals. Just as someone might buy a $100 t-shirt whilst another person buys a $5 t-shirt; some people are willing to purchase a $25 mount so as to stand out from the crowd, or any other benefits it might bring.Oilers99

To take a date to the movies costs at least $20 anymore, so for the price of one night at the movies, you have something that you'll be able to use anytime you're playing.

[QUOTE="Oilers99"][QUOTE="muthsera666"] Good point. I've seen people spend more on a hoodie from Aeropostale or Eagle than I've spent on an entire outfit. I think it would actually be better to spend the difference on something like this than a damn shirt.muthsera666

To take a date to the movies costs at least $20 anymore, so for the price of one night at the movies, you have something that you'll be able to use anytime you're playing.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="Oilers99"]I don't think either one is particularly justifiable. Either way, you're paying for some bizarre form of validation that has nothing to do with the functional quality of the product. Doesn't seem like a very healthy mindset to me.l0ve

I'm not advocating, just explaining the rationale. Would I rather have something I can continually see when I do something I enjoy, or an experience that was "okay" and I'll never remember...

[QUOTE="Oilers99"][QUOTE="muthsera666"] Good point. I've seen people spend more on a hoodie from Aeropostale or Eagle than I've spent on an entire outfit. I think it would actually be better to spend the difference on something like this than a damn shirt.muthsera666

To take a date to the movies costs at least $20 anymore, so for the price of one night at the movies, you have something that you'll be able to use anytime you're playing.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="Oilers99"]I don't think either one is particularly justifiable. Either way, you're paying for some bizarre form of validation that has nothing to do with the functional quality of the product. Doesn't seem like a very healthy mindset to me.Oilers99

[QUOTE="Oilers99"][QUOTE="muthsera666"] Good point. I've seen people spend more on a hoodie from Aeropostale or Eagle than I've spent on an entire outfit. I think it would actually be better to spend the difference on something like this than a damn shirt.muthsera666

To take a date to the movies costs at least $20 anymore, so for the price of one night at the movies, you have something that you'll be able to use anytime you're playing.

This reminds me of that super-expensive app that was in the iTunes store that did nothing but display an image. In the one day that it was up, eight people bought it, according to the app's creator.

The PR spin on this mount was pretty funny. One of Blizzard's PR people said that the reason they offered the mount for sale is that after they started offering pets for sale, people requested it.

Yes, I'm sure they requested that the price for it be $25 too. :P

[QUOTE="muthsera666"][QUOTE="Oilers99"]I don't think either one is particularly justifiable. Either way, you're paying for some bizarre form of validation that has nothing to do with the functional quality of the product. Doesn't seem like a very healthy mindset to me.StopThePresses

Right. Because seeing a movie is the same thing as taking a week-long vacation. And $25 is the same as $1000. If you're going to scale the example, then you have to offer a scaled result as well.

[QUOTE="StopThePresses"][QUOTE="muthsera666"]To take a date to the movies costs at least $20 anymore, so for the price of one night at the movies, you have something that you'll be able to use anytime you're playing.muthsera666

Right. Because seeing a movie is the same thing as taking a week-long vacation. And $25 is the same as $1000. If you're going to scale the example, then you have to offer a scaled result as well.

Right. Because seeing a movie is the same thing as taking a week-long vacation. And $25 is the same as $1000. If you're going to scale the example, then you have to offer a scaled result as well.muthsera666

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]Right. Because seeing a movie is the same thing as taking a week-long vacation. And $25 is the same as $1000. If you're going to scale the example, then you have to offer a scaled result as well.KittyKat

this is a bit too much, but its their mony if they want to waste it on virtual items then its their business.

Well... while I agree that it's silly to spend so much money on something like that, they're not forcing anyone to buy anything, so meh.

I don't see the point of be so shocked about this. Sure it's the virtual items that they buy but then again they pay monthy about the same thing too. Whole mmorpg is the same if you think about it. I think if people want to bay things that enchans the game why not? Wow is a hobby to some and they want to but a money there to make the who experience better. Think about football players buy all the equipments. If you are not hard core at some point the equipmen will get old and go to trash and so on. So in a twisted way this is kind of the same thing.

I bet activision is bad they are into blizzards nest. This is how acti will never die - wait until D3 and Sc2 is out.hotfiree

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]Right. Because seeing a movie is the same thing as taking a week-long vacation. And $25 is the same as $1000. If you're going to scale the example, then you have to offer a scaled result as well.KittyKat

If I still played WoW, I wouldn't buy that mount because it clashes with my favorite races (Orc, Tauren, Dwarf, Undead, Troll). They all have a certain theme going on that doesn't go well with a sparkly flying pony, IMO.

But I'm fine with microtransactions for superficial items like this.

Fools. Honestly, there isn't any other way to put it. I know I'm not the only one that sees that this direction is very bad for gaming. I know, "If you don't like it/play it, don't buy it--mind your own business." However, it becomes other gamers' business when this way of selling games spreads to other genres.