Technically.
In 2016 Blizzard Entertainment/Activision patented a system that introduces “matchmaking”, where the game is in a constant state of analysis based on your builds, your buddies, your gameplay, your winrate, etc. There’s also a “microtransaction engine”.
What’s interesting how this patent also makes you more likely to win by grouping you up with a better player to influence you on purchasing microtransactions.
For example, in one implementation, the system may include a microtransaction engine that arranges matches to influence game-related purchases. For instance, the microtransaction engine may match a more expert/marquee player with a junior player to encourage the junior player to make game-related purchases of items possessed/used by the marquee player. A junior player may wish to emulate the marquee player by obtaining weapons or other items used by the marquee player
So new players are more likely to match with better players with microtransactions to influence them into purchasing them aswell.
Technically microtransactions do not make you better, they make sure you end up with a better team.
The microtransaction engine may analyze various items used by marquee players and, if the items are being promoted for sale, match the marquee player with another player (e.g., a junior player) that does not use or own the items. Similarly, the microtransaction engine may identify items to be promoted, identify marquee players that use those items, and match the marquee players with other players who do not use those items. In this manner, the microtransaction engine may leverage the matchmaking abilities described herein to influence purchase decisions for game-related purchases.
In one implementation, the microtransaction engine may target particular players to make game-related purchases based on their interests. For example, the microtransaction engine may identify a junior player to match with a marquee player based on a player profile of the junior player. In a particular example, the junior player may wish to become an expert sniper in a game (e.g., as determined from the player profile). The microtransaction engine may match the junior player with a player that is a highly skilled sniper in the game. In this manner, the junior player may be encouraged to make game-related purchases such as a rifle or other item used by the marquee player.
So far you’d think that if you buy microtransactions, that you get paired off worse by Blizzard using you literally as an advertisement to new players, but what’s interesting is the following:
In one implementation, when a player makes a game-related purchase, the microtransaction engine may encourage future purchases by matching the player (e.g., using matchmaking described herein) in a gameplay session that will utilize the game-related purchase. Doing so may enhance a level of enjoyment by the player for the game-related purchase, which may encourage future purchases. For example, if the player purchased a particular weapon, the microtransaction engine may match the player in a gameplay session in which the particular weapon is highly effective, giving the player an impression that the particular weapon was a good purchase. This may encourage the player to make future purchases to achieve similar gameplay results.
So TL;DR, Microtransactions influence the game more than you think. In the long run you are a living advertisement depending on your status in the game where matchmaking will force you to get paired up with noobs who can be impressed by your epic leet skills.
Purchasing microtransactions will put you in better matchmaking games where your microtransactions can be utilised better.
Note that most of this isn’t applied to WoW, this sounds more like a patent for Call of Duty. But I wonder if they do this in other games, what would they do with WoW to mess with players this way?
Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20160001181A1/en