I hope everyone’s having a blast in Azeroth with the latest expansion. I wanted to share an idea I’ve been pondering about regarding the current subscription model in World of Warcraft. As many of you know, we pay for a set period of time, regardless of how much we actually play during that period. I believe it’s time to reconsider this system and introduce a more player-friendly approach.
The Proposal: Pay for Playtime, Not Calendar Time
Instead of subscribing for a fixed duration, what if we adopted a pay-for-playtime model? The concept is simple: when we pay for a specific number of days, we receive the same number of effective playtime days. If we’re busy with real-life responsibilities or simply taking a break, those days wouldn’t be wasted since they won’t be counting down when we’re not logged in.
How It Works:
If we purchase a 30-day subscription, we should get a total of 30 days of actual playtime, whether we play every day or spread those days over a longer period.
As soon as we log in, the game timer starts counting down from the subscription days we purchased. But when we log out, the timer stops, preserving our remaining days until the next login.
When our effective playtime is used up, the game prompts us to renew our subscription to continue playing. This way, we only pay for the time we spend in the game, ensuring a fairer and more transparent payment system.
Benefits for Players:
Flexibility: Life can get busy, and we shouldn’t feel pressured to play every day to make the most of our subscription. This system allows us to take breaks without worrying about losing paid days.
Value for Money: With the pay-for-playtime model, we can maximize our subscription’s value. Every day counts for playing time, making it feel more rewarding.
Attracting More Players: This player-centric approach might attract more players, especially those who can’t commit to a daily gaming routine, thus increasing the World of Warcraft community.
Addressing Concerns:
Some might worry that this could lead to players logging in and staying AFK to “game” the system. To counter this, the game could have an inactivity timer, ensuring only active playtime is counted.
This model might require adjustments in pricing, but ultimately, players will appreciate the added flexibility and value it brings.
Join the Discussion:
I encourage all of you to share your thoughts on this idea. If you resonate with this concept, let’s come together as a community and show Blizzard how much we value fair playtime for payments. Upvote, comment, and share your own suggestions or improvements to this proposal. The more support we gather, the better chance we have of seeing positive changes in the subscription model.
Final Thoughts:
I believe that adapting to a pay-for-playtime system would be a win-win for both players and Blizzard. It strengthens the bond between players and the game while providing a more equitable subscription experience. Let’s rally together and make our voices heard!
Thank you for reading, and may your adventures in Azeroth be filled with epic loot and thrilling battles!
If you’re that worried about the subscription cost you probably shouldn’t be spending money on games. It’s like 0.4€ per day, which is incredibly cheap for something that gives as many hours of entertainment as WoW does.
Bad idea. You want players logging in a lot, not worrying whether they should. Logging in should not be a transaction.
WoW depends not just on the subscription, but on the social bonds that make the subscriptions worthwhile - and the less people log in, the less worthwhile they are.
At the same time it should also be discouraged logging in to do chores. People should log in to hang out.
Personally I would say nay. WoW set a Gold Standard in Subscription cost. Back in Februar 2005 a month of WoW would cost 13€. Now nearly two decades later it cost still as much. While the add-ons and the Character Boost slowly getting adjusted for Inflation WoW cost still as much.
If WoW would have been released this year one month would cost 21€ so I am sure just like the WoW Token whas a silent Inflationadjustment now adding a hourly rate would not give you
Wasn’t that a similar model to what they had in China? Had to be that way because a large population of players were playing from Internet Cafe locations.
This is an article from 2014 so no idea what the costs were more recently before they stopped all together.
The new fees are 30¥ (about $5) for 2700 minutes and 15¥ (about $2.50) for 1350 minutes, an increase of 45%.
However an article in 2016 says they went onto the sub model
NetEase and Blizzard have shifted the revenue model for World of Warcraft in China. Up to the shift, Chinese players paid in hour-by-hour increments. With the launch of the Legion expansion, Chinese players are now required to pay a monthly subscription up front in order to play.
Agreed. Some people have clearly no idea of how money and company works. If Blizzard would do this as the OP suggested, they would be bankrupt in less than 5 years because of how much less money they would earn compared to now (tho with MS on the horizon, it “might” be a possibility).
People would complain (a lot!) about having to wait for ‘insert party activity here’. Because at that time it’s LITERALLY costing them money to be waiting in a queue or for a party to form.
Personally; when there’s enough content and I’m having fun; I’m playing A LOT. I wouldn’t want to suddenly have to pay more, just because I’m having fun.
Sure, on the flip-side is having to pay less when you play less, but… Meh.
Compared to many other subs and services I think WoW is fairly decently priced.