World of Warcraft

I was just reading the MSN front page and watching the Stock Market crash again. I think Blizzard should offer the new expansion as free content and here is why.1st and foremost I think Blizzard should reward its fathful playerbase with something huge like this as a way to say thank you for making their game tthe huge success it is.Second,with the financial markets in turmoil alot of players may be hesitant on purchasing this expansion,and possibly some of the vets who do not want to invest in what most feel will be more of the same rehashed.Finally,I think since Blizzard has been so slow at adding expansions the playerbase deserves something awesome like having an expansion such as this to be offered free,Its not like Blizzard cannot afford to reward their customers in this way. I would like to open this topic up for discussion as to why or why not offer this expansion free of charge discuss:)

They should charge it double.

No, ... triple even.

What about all the free content that is consistently added via patches instead of as a paid expansion?

Perhaps you should add a poll to your OP though so people could vote. It might provide an easy way to gauge opinion of the audience here.

Originally posted by Battleskar

I was just reading the MSN front page and watching the Stock Market crash again. I think Blizzard should offer the new expansion as free content and here is why.1st and foremost I think Blizzard should reward its fathful playerbase with something huge like this as a way to say thank you for making their game tthe huge success it is.Second,with the financial markets in turmoil alot of players may be hesitant on purchasing this expansion,and possibly some of the vets who do not want to invest in what most feel will be more of the same rehashed.Finally,I think since Blizzard has been so slow at adding expansions the playerbase deserves something awesome like having an expansion such as this to be offered free,Its not like Blizzard cannot afford to reward their customers in this way. I would like to open this topic up for discussion as to why or why not offer this expansion free of charge discuss:)

So Blizzard should give away stuff because the stock market is crashing?
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

Originally posted by Battleskar

I was just reading the MSN front page and watching the Stock Market crash again. I think Blizzard should offer the new expansion as free content and here is why.1st and foremost I think Blizzard should reward its fathful playerbase with something huge like this as a way to say thank you for making their game tthe huge success it is.Second,with the financial markets in turmoil alot of players may be hesitant on purchasing this expansion,and possibly some of the vets who do not want to invest in what most feel will be more of the same rehashed.Finally,I think since Blizzard has been so slow at adding expansions the playerbase deserves something awesome like having an expansion such as this to be offered free,Its not like Blizzard cannot afford to reward their customers in this way. I would like to open this topic up for discussion as to why or why not offer this expansion free of charge discuss:)

No, the expansion should not be free, however I could see making the original free and BC like $15 or something.  That way buying all 3 at once wouldn't really be any more than buying a brand new game.

I doubt it because they invested money and time producing this game for quite some time. With that, they have to cover the expensives with the revenues (which is depended on us to buy the expac). Yea, you can say that have a lot of net profit but they probably have to keep up with their financial statements to make sure that things are balanced.

Another problem is if you set a product free then the demand will exceed over it and people will do anything to buy it before it gets too frustrating to the point where they lose their customer base if they have to wait a while to get one.

With the economic crisis, it's affecting everyone so I know they are paying more for their resources and whatnot to keep the company stable. In conclusion, I doubt Blizzard will do it because they need the profits to keep the company stable and improve their game with the huge investments recieved by us and other companies.

No.

Blizzard are a business not a charity. As such, in the current financial climate they would be worse off making the expansion free. As for the prolonged development cycle on their expansions, this is simply because they want to release a finished product and not a half-baked game to appease the masses.

Originally posted by Xenune
MMO Reporter
WoW Specialist
Warlock Mastery

Nice titles, I lolled

Originally posted by mklinic

What about all the free content that is consistently added via patches instead of as a paid expansion?

Perhaps you should add a poll to your OP though so people could vote. It might provide an easy way to gauge opinion of the audience here.

 

I think mmo's should offer way more for free than they already offer since how they are already charging way to much per mon