[QUOTE="dnuggs40"][QUOTE="TheCrazed420"][QUOTE="FlameMe"][QUOTE="TheCrazed420"]Ok, sure Blizzard needs to maintain their servers, I understand that, but guys, what is there, 10 million subscribers now? 10 mil x $15 = $150 000 000 A MONTH! Ok, I'm no economist here, but I seriously doubt it costs that much in maintenance fees per month. Face it, Blizzard should be dropping the price of their subscription, but they won't. Why? Because they have those 10 million subscibers by the cahones.TheCrazed420
Its because they can charge that much and people are willing to pay it. If people started cancelling there subscriptions then things would change, but people won't, so things won't change. Its not the companies fault the players won't ban together and demand a change. Plus, you constantly get new content so stop being cheap about it and just pay the monthly fee. Haha, nice contradiction. So you're telling me that it's not the companies fault for overcharging a product, and that the onus is on the player's to demand a lower price. And then you tell me "but you get the new content" and to stop complaining and pay up. Sorry, no. Sorry, I was subscribed to WoW for about a year, and the amount of new content put in does not equal to the money flow they get. I won't deny it, WoW is a great game, but once I got to the point where I was grinding more than playing, I quit. Guild wars doesn't have nearly as much content as WoW does, but they've managed to make 3 games and maintain their servers, all without charging a monthly fee. You are partially right. We as a community of gamers should protest this very obvious gouging of paying subscribers. But just as in today's politics, the illusion of democracy will shine thru, and we will get nowhere.They are not overcharging for thier product. The simple FACT is that millions of people are willing to pay $15 for this game. How can they gouge? Last time I checked playing a game was OPTIONAL, gouging only happens with things like gas, food, utilities, and other things that you must have and dont have a choice. Simple easy fact, WoW is a game and is optional, the fact that millions pay the price tells you that the fee is fair. Learn a bit about business before claiming a company is ripping people off.
And to answer your question, yes, the onus is on the people. If nobody was willing to shell out $15 for the game, Blizzard would have to reduce thier fees. Welcome to capitalism...
I understand it's optional. They aren't forcing anyone to play their game. But we can compare WoW's monopoly of the MMO genre to MS's monopoly with PC OS's. They have gotten such a large chunk of the market that the genre is bleeding to death. Other companies cannot hope to compete with the empire that is Blizzard's game. Blizzard knows this. If there was a true competitor to it's game, the price would drop. And then what would you all say? Oh, I guess the employees took a pay cut, or they got cheaper servers or something. No, they would just be losing a little off the top. I would be less adamant about this if Blizzard was working on other titles, but I'm STILL waiting for Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. They've grown too comfortable in their little nest and they will ride this wave as long as they can. Of course, from a business standpoint, I can't blame them, but at the same time, from a gamer's standpoint, I'd like to see the genre expand into more than just grind games. An MMO type game could have so much more to offer.Blizzard was working on The Burning Crusade for the last couple years, and it was just released. I am sure in a month or two, or even right now, they are working on their next title.
As for the monopoly, I think thats untrue. The simple fact is that there are tons of MMOs out there, and they all suck! WoW is successful because it is the most appealing MMO to a wide range of players, from the hardcore to the casual. As soon as a worthy MMO comes out, I guarentee that people will flock to it in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
And 15 dollars is pretty standard rate, even for less successful MMOs. Auto Assault, 15 dollars. Everquest 2, 15 dollars....
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