Since COD MW3 has been put on Gamepass, is there any info or rumors about Microsoft doing something similar with Blizzard properties? Seems that WOW and co are pretty much on autopilot? I’d like to see some expanded regional pricing, maybe? Something? Anything?
Maybe something wild and awesome, like an Africa server hosted on Azure?
Overwatch is free and can already be played on Xbox and PC so that’s not really relevant.
WoW is a sub based game so not really suitable.
Well, here’s hoping for some small Azure deployments for Africa, maybe even regional pricing, that’d be awesome. None of these games are super awesome thanks to inherent lag due to vast distances. Microsoft has presence here, though.
I get that Blizzard only ever wanted to compartmentalize and focus on specific regions, but it seems Microsoft have slightly bigger ambitions.
I wouldn´t be surprised if they put WoW on their game pass, but you would have to pay for the latest expansion separately. other than that the pass is a subscription plan anyway so it’s a win-win on their part.
I don’t think there’s enough money in it for them where that would be a sound business decision.
I’m not sure how it’s win win. They lose all the sub money they currently make from all of us.
I think the added popularity and in-game purchases from the new subscribers (players) will make up for it.
its a win on Microsoft’s part where they get more subs to their pass thingy. blizzard works for them so I’m sure something will come out of it.
But it isn’t. They’d lose the WoW sub money.
With Gamepass, undoubtedly there’d be an influx of players. But… More players = more stress on the servers and/or more servers needed = more costs. And they wouldn’t be getting WoW sub money anymore, but only the gamepass money which is also paying for all the fees for the other games on it.
No, I don’t believe gamepass makes any business sense.
Only when WoW is so low on subs that its hardly making a profit anymore, would it make sense.
Or, and do tell me if this is what you want: They could go on gamepass and have an incredibly expanded store. All the best transmog sets, mounts, etc would be on there. It would be akin to WoW being a F2P game.
I can’t see how this is anything other than a loss.
They literally lose their sub income which would then be incorporated into a game pass that pays for a load of different things. Development would be hard to fund because Blizzard would no longer be getting the money.
Sounds like something you do when the game is actually dead and no longer profitable. They can put it on maintenance mode.
It will not happen overnight but in the next five years it could. The game has to adapt to newer audience and a subscription does not fit that criteria.
I think in the next five or so years the game too will change a lot to accommodate it and it will not be so outlandish to think that then 
No it doesn’t. It’s 20 years old.
At least you understand that no more income is the death of WoW.
I firmly believe that gamepass isn’t even making a profit, but much like most streaming services is running at a loss. They’re doing that to hopefully one day get enough subscribers to make a profit.
But I don’t have proof of those numbers of course. It’s based on how streaming operates (which is a very comparable business plan).
I just believe the role of the shop will increase so many times we will be flabbergasted 
Who knows.
Well, yes. They’d have to.
But is that what this current playerbase wants?
I think the vast majority doesn’t. So they’d lose a large section of that playerbase.
Will the new Gamepass players be the type to buy stuff in the store for an old game like WoW? I have my doubts.
From what I’ve read their biggest share of members come from Xbox because console gaming has shifted from buying physical games to downloading. You get access to all titles and it’s good value for money.
PC gaming faces a lot more competition and people frequently buy from Steam/Epic/Ubisoft etc, many of those games don’t require any subscription to maintain access. You just buy them and you own them.
Good point.
Would WoW be ‘updated’ (imo: massacred) to be playable on console?
Just another reason why I don’t see this happening.
Microsoft prioritized gaining market share (getting GamePass subscriptions) over profit in the past, but that’s not been working so well, much to the detriment of the Xbox brand.
I believe we may see WoW being included in GamePass PC (optionally). I doubt there is all that much overlap between WoW players and GamePass PC subscribers. Many WoW players don’t (have time to) play much else, at least enough to justify a second subscription.
I just think Blizzard is not really always doing what the current player base wants. And it has multiple player bases wanting different things too.
I too wouldnt like it going to Gamepass or console. I want to keep my game to myself so to say. Or better said, I am fine with the game changing (there is no other way) but I do not want it to change to the extent that I do not recognize it anymore.
However, I dont see a future where it isnt happening. They have to innovate for the game to survive. There is no other way. And there are glimpses of it already since Dragonflight that they are catering to a younger market, aspects of which have actually alienated the older fans. Also the UI changes, markers and whatnot, even less stress on the RPG element of the game make this game so much different from what it was 10 years ago.
I also just do not see the sub model as something that will stay, at least not like that.
(sorry this was written in a rush during Dota 2 deaths :D)