Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers.
You know, this line sort of bothers me for some reason.... not quite sure how they managing counting folks in this case, but I've never been to one so no idea really.
Eh...I don't care how many people they have, I know so many people, both young and old who either play or have played WOW (including myself) where as when I tell people I now play EVE they say "huh?"
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the business the other day and he said that he'd heard that WoW's sub numbers over the last couple of months had peaked. Basically this means that WoW's numbers have peaked and it will likely start slowly losing subs over time. There are also a bunch of new MMO's coming out this year that have the chance to pull some of WoW's current subs away as well.
I'm gonna make a prediction that if WoW has in fact peaked, it'll lose at least 50% of it's current subscriber base over the next 2 years.
I can't see World of Warcraft losing enough ground to be worth noting anytime soon. Even if they've reached their peak and subscribers will begin slipping, I think that new subs will keep pace with attrition. MMOs have a bit of a snowball effect--people play because their friends do. Unless Blizzard really screws something up with an expansion or stops sinking the necessary development/maintenance dollars, I don't see people dropping off en masse anytime soon.
Originally posted by Minsc I'm gonna make a prediction that if WoW has in fact peaked, it'll lose at least 50% of it's current subscriber base over the next 2 years.
I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the business the other day and he said that he'd heard that WoW's sub numbers over the last couple of months had peaked. Basically this means that WoW's numbers have peaked and it will likely start slowly losing subs over time. There are also a bunch of new MMO's coming out this year that have the chance to pull some of WoW's current subs away as well. I'm gonna make a prediction that if WoW has in fact peaked, it'll lose at least 50% of it's current subscriber base over the next 2 years.
Let's wait and see how these new MMOs turn out before you put a nail in the WOW coffin. If they are anything like the last few launches Blizz have nothing to worry about.
Any developer can talk up a new game but producing a stable, imaginative well populated MMO is another thing. Blizz have already done it and set a very high benchmark. And don't think they intend to stand still!
Well I am intersted in seeing what happens to WoW's Subscribers numbers once WAR and AoC hit the market as well as Gods and Heros. I think that will make a nice dent in WoW, but I dont think it will kill them. Even if half leave WoW, they are still going to be fine.
Think about it. WAR beta sign ups hit 200,000. I will say WAR will top out at around 2 million. AoC might hit 1 million and Gods and Heros will hit 500,000 to 700,000. And those will come from all the current games out their not just WoW.
I am not a Huge WoW fan, I just started playing WoW again because a bunch of us at work game together and we picked WoW as our game for now. I liked EQ1 way way more then I like WoW for many different reasons and yes one of the reason is that EQ1 was my first MMO.
Get used to it people, WoW is going to be around for many many more years. They have a very smart team of developers and they have unlimited funds now that WoW is this huge. (8,000,000 x $14.99 = alot of money) WoW set the standard for MMO's and parts of it will be used in most of the so called Next Gen MMO's. Its a fact of life. WoW is like Windows, love it or hate it, it is here to stay.
I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the business the other day and he said that he'd heard that WoW's sub numbers over the last couple of months had peaked. Basically this means that WoW's numbers have peaked and it will likely start slowly losing subs over time. There are also a bunch of new MMO's coming out this year that have the chance to pull some of WoW's current subs away as well. I'm gonna make a prediction that if WoW has in fact peaked, it'll lose at least 50% of it's current subscriber base over the next 2 years.
Let's wait and see how these new MMOs turn out before you put a nail in the WOW coffin. If they are anything like the last few launches Blizz have nothing to worry about.
Any developer can talk up a new game but producing a stable, imaginative well populated MMO is another thing. Blizz have already done it and set a very high benchmark. And don't think they intend to stand still!
I agree. If Blizzard is proficient in one thing, it's learning from mistakes of the past and correcting them. That's why WoW was a hit in the first place. They did away with many of the timesink elements of MMORPGs and polished up the good parts. I am willing to believe that their subscription rates have peaked, but even if that could be substantiated, they are still going to be the dominant force in the industry for years to come. I think how long they will remain dominant depends on the next WoW expansion. If they're smart and bring in new PvP content to stay current with upcoming titles like AoC and WAR, finally introduce some new classes, and put out a product not quite as lackluster as BC, I think they'll be riding high for quite some time to come.
Well I am intersted in seeing what happens to WoW's Subscribers numbers once WAR and AoC hit the market as well as Gods and Heros. I think that will make a nice dent in WoW, but I dont think it will kill them. Even if half leave WoW, they are still going to be fine. Think about it. WAR beta sign ups hit 200,000. I will say WAR will top out at around 2 million. AoC might hit 1 million and Gods and Heros will hit 500,000 to 700,000. And those will come from all the current games out their not just WoW. I am not a Huge WoW fan, I just started playing WoW again because a bunch of us at work game together and we picked WoW as our game for now. I liked EQ1 way way more then I like WoW for many different reasons and yes one of the reason is that EQ1 was my first MMO. Get used to it people, WoW is going to be around for many many more years. They have a very smart team of developers and they have unlimited funds now that WoW is this huge. (8,000,000 x $14.99 = alot of money) WoW set the standard for MMO's and parts of it will be used in most of the so called Next Gen MMO's. Its a fact of life. WoW is like Windows, love it or hate it, it is here to stay. just my 2cents, not that its worth anything
Lol. WoW is like Windows....
Thats a bit of a stretch; WoW is not like Windows. Windows is an Operating system, whereas WoW is a video game. WoW like all video games eventually die out in players as new games come out. Funcom is doing something new with AoC so not all companies (thank god) are copying WoW. WoW is indeed not going away, but its subscriber base will slowly drain and whittle away just like ANY OTHER MMO. Maybe alot slower than the previous, but maybe 5 years from now it will be on the same level as Everquest.
no they arent lying about subscription numbers. you can put the tin foil hats away.
in fact, they just built themselves a new gm support department and relocated it to dallas. currently hiring for the gm department like crazy out there.
also blizzard is in the process of building a whole new development campus in california and plans on moving out of the industrial center they are currently located in.
blizzard is doing well and according to my sources, you should see a 9 million subscriber announcement soon as promotions in china and korea are working out REALLY well with coca cola.
no they dont count internet cafe accounts, each computer on that subscription plan is counted as one subscription. so to clarify 30 people access 1 computer on the net cafe structure is counted as one account. 300 people accessing 30 licensed computers in the same net cafe = 30 accounts. i hope that clears that up.
wow is a fun game, mmog's are all the same now, thats not wow's fault. thats the fault of the industry as a whole and you players for telling developers that is what you want. dont expect any change or deviation from that for many years to come from anyone.
Games i'm playing right now...
"In short, I thought NGE was a very bad idea" - Raph Koster talking about NGE on his blog at raphkoster.com
Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers.
You know, this line sort of bothers me for some reason.... not quite sure how they managing counting folks in this case, but I've never been to one so no idea really.
I'm fairly sure it refers to Chinese players using game time cards (adding x hours to the account at a time). Such a player is considered "active" if he has logged in within the last 30 days. The option would be to consider him active until he has spent every hour on his account, which would be silly as he might not ever log in again even though he has an hour left.
no they arent lying about subscription numbers. you can put the tin foil hats away.
in fact, they just built themselves a new gm support department and relocated it to dallas. currently hiring for the gm department like crazy out there.
also blizzard is in the process of building a whole new development campus in california and plans on moving out of the industrial center they are currently located in.
blizzard is doing well and according to my sources, you should see a 9 million subscriber announcement soon as promotions in china and korea are working out REALLY well with coca cola.
no they dont count internet cafe accounts, each computer on that subscription plan is counted as one subscription. so to clarify 30 people access 1 computer on the net cafe structure is counted as one account. 300 people accessing 30 licensed computers in the same net cafe = 30 accounts. i hope that clears that up.
wow is a fun game, mmog's are all the same now, thats not wow's fault. thats the fault of the industry as a whole and you players for telling developers that is what you want. dont expect any change or deviation from that for many years to come from anyone.
You are wrong wow is losing subscribers, half of the servers are empty at prime time people can't find groups, about china and korea its normal they having 5 millions there since the game there costs $6 and its free to play no MONTLY FEE at all. so they brag they have 8 millions subscribers that's not a lie but they not telling 5 MILLIONS of these don't pay to play... How i know this? because in my guild i have two chineses and one korean that play wow there.
American and Euro "leet" and "pwnage" speak teens: 1 million
My WoW Subscription canceled: priceless
I was just complaining how all the WoW community is starting to join EQ 2. I keep telling the WoW people, STAY IN WoW! Then join WAR when it is released. Stay away from my games, and I will stay away from WoW!
----- WoW and fast food = commercial successes. I neither play WoW nor eat fast food.
Originally posted by Quingu You are wrong wow is losing subscribers, half of the servers are empty at prime time people can't find groups, about china and korea its normal they having 5 millions there since the game there costs $6 and its free to play no MONTLY FEE at all. so they brag they have 8 millions subscribers that's not a lie but they not telling 5 MILLIONS of these don't pay to play... How i know this? because in my guild i have two chineses and one korean that play wow there.
Are you just making stuff up? Koreans pay more than European and US players per month, and the Chinese pay for time-cards of x hours. I don't know about the gain or loss numbers for WoW, but based on your other statements I call BS on your entire post.
Are people still questioning Blizzard's numbers after all this time? Hasn't the fact its been in the top 5 selling PC games since release proof enough? They also explain quite clearly how they get their numbers. If they were lying, they'd be selling fraud. They're too big to lie.
Blizzard's numbers are impressive, but I'd have to say that no company is ever too big to lie, and I would say it is very naive to believe so. Microsoft said Windows Vista was better, faster and more compatible with hardware....that's going to take some time (and a service pack or two) to become a reality.
Not bashing WoW, but I do find myself wondering if, for instance, my WoW account is counted in those millions....considering I lasted only a month on the game until I turned away from it in disgust, and that was shortly after release. I also wonder how many other accounts exist but are never being used again that are counted.
Blizzard's numbers are impressive, but I'd have to say that no company is ever too big to lie, and I would say it is very naive to believe so. Microsoft said Windows Vista was better, faster and more compatible with hardware....that's going to take some time (and a service pack or two) to become a reality.
Not bashing WoW, but I do find myself wondering if, for instance, my WoW account is counted in those millions....considering I lasted only a month on the game until I turned away from it in disgust, and that was shortly after release. I also wonder how many other accounts exist but are never being used again that are counted. p.s. Bot users are scum.
The definition from Blizzard includes people in the free month that comes with the game box, so during that month you counted. Inactive accounts are counted as long as they're paid for.
I'm very much looking forward to the next numbers from Blizzard, if they ever release any. The longer they go without saying anything the more people get reasons to speculate that they're losing players.
Blizzard's numbers are impressive, but I'd have to say that no company is ever too big to lie, and I would say it is very naive to believe so. Microsoft said Windows Vista was better, faster and more compatible with hardware....that's going to take some time (and a service pack or two) to become a reality.
Not bashing WoW, but I do find myself wondering if, for instance, my WoW account is counted in those millions....considering I lasted only a month on the game until I turned away from it in disgust, and that was shortly after release. I also wonder how many other accounts exist but are never being used again that are counted. p.s. Bot users are scum.
The definition from Blizzard includes people in the free month that comes with the game box, so during that month you counted. Inactive accounts are counted as long as they're paid for.
I'm very much looking forward to the next numbers from Blizzard, if they ever release any. The longer they go without saying anything the more people get reasons to speculate that they're losing players.
I'd be surprised if they were to release lower figures than any that they have had so far, or if they do I'd be surprised if they ever admitted a downward trend in their figures.
Due to it's notoriety (fame to some people I guess) it'll get all sorts of press about 'Is this the end?', 'Is the dream over?', or preferably 'Are gamers demanding more?'. I can't say I'm a fan of WoW, although I'll discuss it fairly (with maybe a few editorials thrown in ).
WoW still has a long lifespan ahead of it, but there is always the nagging feeling I get with any MMO where you wonder if you'll ever get rewarded for long-time play of this project when they move on to their next one, or the replacement.
I don't know about the 8 million subscribers. Due to a lack of anything really interesting out there; I started playing WoW again, this time on Azgalor. I've been playing about a week, enough to reach 15, and I have yet to see more than two or three other players at the same time. I'm guessing most of the players on the server are concentrated in the high-lev areas. But I like it, I hate overcrowding. Hopefully I will be able to get groups later on when I need to.
You must always take what a company says with a grain of salt. No company is going to say negative things about themselves unless the crap hits the fan, and even then it will be very biased in the company's favor.
Regardless, WoW has more subscribers than any other MMORPG that requires all users to pay to play.
They should say 8 million subscriptions. Use common sense, you know 8 million means they have somewhere between 7.5 million - 8.4 million payed accounts each month worldwide. Now I personally have 2 accounts I pay for each month. Therefore I would be counted twice. It doesn't matter who is playing the account as long as the subscription is active.
They should say 8 million subscriptions. Use common sense, you know 8 million means they have somewhere between 7.5 million - 8.4 million payed accounts each month worldwide. Now I personally have 2 accounts I pay for each month. Therefore I would be counted twice. It doesn't matter who is playing the account as long as the subscription is active.
True. However, my common sense tells me that Blizzard is more likely to have 8-ish million (probably more by now) accounts that at one time or another have been active, not necessarily that are active.
Comments
You know, this line sort of bothers me for some reason.... not quite sure how they managing counting folks in this case, but I've never been to one so no idea really.
Eh...I don't care how many people they have, I know so many people, both young and old who either play or have played WOW (including myself) where as when I tell people I now play EVE they say "huh?"
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the business the other day and he said that he'd heard that WoW's sub numbers over the last couple of months had peaked. Basically this means that WoW's numbers have peaked and it will likely start slowly losing subs over time. There are also a bunch of new MMO's coming out this year that have the chance to pull some of WoW's current subs away as well.
I'm gonna make a prediction that if WoW has in fact peaked, it'll lose at least 50% of it's current subscriber base over the next 2 years.
I can't see World of Warcraft losing enough ground to be worth noting anytime soon. Even if they've reached their peak and subscribers will begin slipping, I think that new subs will keep pace with attrition. MMOs have a bit of a snowball effect--people play because their friends do. Unless Blizzard really screws something up with an expansion or stops sinking the necessary development/maintenance dollars, I don't see people dropping off en masse anytime soon.
How many games would hate that?
Zero.
Let's wait and see how these new MMOs turn out before you put a nail in the WOW coffin. If they are anything like the last few launches Blizz have nothing to worry about.
Any developer can talk up a new game but producing a stable, imaginative well populated MMO is another thing. Blizz have already done it and set a very high benchmark. And don't think they intend to stand still!
Well I am intersted in seeing what happens to WoW's Subscribers numbers once WAR and AoC hit the market as well as Gods and Heros. I think that will make a nice dent in WoW, but I dont think it will kill them. Even if half leave WoW, they are still going to be fine.
Think about it. WAR beta sign ups hit 200,000. I will say WAR will top out at around 2 million. AoC might hit 1 million and Gods and Heros will hit 500,000 to 700,000. And those will come from all the current games out their not just WoW.
I am not a Huge WoW fan, I just started playing WoW again because a bunch of us at work game together and we picked WoW as our game for now. I liked EQ1 way way more then I like WoW for many different reasons and yes one of the reason is that EQ1 was my first MMO.
Get used to it people, WoW is going to be around for many many more years. They have a very smart team of developers and they have unlimited funds now that WoW is this huge. (8,000,000 x $14.99 = alot of money) WoW set the standard for MMO's and parts of it will be used in most of the so called Next Gen MMO's. Its a fact of life. WoW is like Windows, love it or hate it, it is here to stay.
just my 2cents, not that its worth anything
Sooner or Later
Let's wait and see how these new MMOs turn out before you put a nail in the WOW coffin. If they are anything like the last few launches Blizz have nothing to worry about.
Any developer can talk up a new game but producing a stable, imaginative well populated MMO is another thing. Blizz have already done it and set a very high benchmark. And don't think they intend to stand still!
I agree. If Blizzard is proficient in one thing, it's learning from mistakes of the past and correcting them. That's why WoW was a hit in the first place. They did away with many of the timesink elements of MMORPGs and polished up the good parts. I am willing to believe that their subscription rates have peaked, but even if that could be substantiated, they are still going to be the dominant force in the industry for years to come. I think how long they will remain dominant depends on the next WoW expansion. If they're smart and bring in new PvP content to stay current with upcoming titles like AoC and WAR, finally introduce some new classes, and put out a product not quite as lackluster as BC, I think they'll be riding high for quite some time to come.
Lol. WoW is like Windows....
Thats a bit of a stretch; WoW is not like Windows. Windows is an Operating system, whereas WoW is a video game. WoW like all video games eventually die out in players as new games come out. Funcom is doing something new with AoC so not all companies (thank god) are copying WoW. WoW is indeed not going away, but its subscriber base will slowly drain and whittle away just like ANY OTHER MMO. Maybe alot slower than the previous, but maybe 5 years from now it will be on the same level as Everquest.
Just a little food for thought.
14.99 per month and 4 million accounts means Blizzard brings in $59,960,000.00 per month on just the US and European accounts......
IF their servers/payroll/maint costs more than 60 million a year i would be suprised. Damn, they're making a lot of money.
no they arent lying about subscription numbers. you can put the tin foil hats away.
in fact, they just built themselves a new gm support department and relocated it to dallas. currently hiring for the gm department like crazy out there.
also blizzard is in the process of building a whole new development campus in california and plans on moving out of the industrial center they are currently located in.
blizzard is doing well and according to my sources, you should see a 9 million subscriber announcement soon as promotions in china and korea are working out REALLY well with coca cola.
no they dont count internet cafe accounts, each computer on that subscription plan is counted as one subscription. so to clarify 30 people access 1 computer on the net cafe structure is counted as one account. 300 people accessing 30 licensed computers in the same net cafe = 30 accounts. i hope that clears that up.
wow is a fun game, mmog's are all the same now, thats not wow's fault. thats the fault of the industry as a whole and you players for telling developers that is what you want. dont expect any change or deviation from that for many years to come from anyone.
Games i'm playing right now...
"In short, I thought NGE was a very bad idea" - Raph Koster talking about NGE on his blog at raphkoster.com
You know, this line sort of bothers me for some reason.... not quite sure how they managing counting folks in this case, but I've never been to one so no idea really.
I'm fairly sure it refers to Chinese players using game time cards (adding x hours to the account at a time). Such a player is considered "active" if he has logged in within the last 30 days. The option would be to consider him active until he has spent every hour on his account, which would be silly as he might not ever log in again even though he has an hour left.
Who cares...
You are wrong wow is losing subscribers, half of the servers are empty at prime time people can't find groups, about china and korea its normal they having 5 millions there since the game there costs $6 and its free to play no MONTLY FEE at all. so they brag they have 8 millions subscribers that's not a lie but they not telling 5 MILLIONS of these don't pay to play... How i know this? because in my guild i have two chineses and one korean that play wow there.
Bots: 4 million
Asians: 3 million
American and Euro "leet" and "pwnage" speak teens: 1 million
My WoW Subscription canceled: priceless
I was just complaining how all the WoW community is starting to join EQ 2. I keep telling the WoW people, STAY IN WoW! Then join WAR when it is released. Stay away from my games, and I will stay away from WoW!
-----
WoW and fast food = commercial successes.
I neither play WoW nor eat fast food.
Are you just making stuff up? Koreans pay more than European and US players per month, and the Chinese pay for time-cards of x hours. I don't know about the gain or loss numbers for WoW, but based on your other statements I call BS on your entire post.
Not bashing WoW, but I do find myself wondering if, for instance, my WoW account is counted in those millions....considering I lasted only a month on the game until I turned away from it in disgust, and that was shortly after release. I also wonder how many other accounts exist but are never being used again that are counted.
p.s. Bot users are scum.
I'm very much looking forward to the next numbers from Blizzard, if they ever release any. The longer they go without saying anything the more people get reasons to speculate that they're losing players.
I'm very much looking forward to the next numbers from Blizzard, if they ever release any. The longer they go without saying anything the more people get reasons to speculate that they're losing players.
I'd be surprised if they were to release lower figures than any that they have had so far, or if they do I'd be surprised if they ever admitted a downward trend in their figures.
Due to it's notoriety (fame to some people I guess) it'll get all sorts of press about 'Is this the end?', 'Is the dream over?', or preferably 'Are gamers demanding more?'. I can't say I'm a fan of WoW, although I'll discuss it fairly (with maybe a few editorials thrown in
).
WoW still has a long lifespan ahead of it, but there is always the nagging feeling I get with any MMO where you wonder if you'll ever get rewarded for long-time play of this project when they move on to their next one, or the replacement.
I don't know about the 8 million subscribers. Due to a lack of anything really interesting out there; I started playing WoW again, this time on Azgalor. I've been playing about a week, enough to reach 15, and I have yet to see more than two or three other players at the same time. I'm guessing most of the players on the server are concentrated in the high-lev areas. But I like it, I hate overcrowding. Hopefully I will be able to get groups later on when I need to.
You must always take what a company says with a grain of salt. No company is going to say negative things about themselves unless the crap hits the fan, and even then it will be very biased in the company's favor.
Regardless, WoW has more subscribers than any other MMORPG that requires all users to pay to play.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
They should say 8 million subscriptions. Use common sense, you know 8 million means they have somewhere between 7.5 million - 8.4 million payed accounts each month worldwide. Now I personally have 2 accounts I pay for each month. Therefore I would be counted twice. It doesn't matter who is playing the account as long as the subscription is active.
even after you get rid of all the botters and gold farmers WoW is still the most popular mmo around.
According to MMORGDATA.COM WoW currently has 7.85M subs.
I guess you mean mmogdata.com, or http://mmogdata.voig.com/ as the new URL is.Edit: I believe the expansion isn't even out in China yet. That might affect the numbers a bit, one way or the other.