I still do not understand…
I tried to REALLY understand from differents points of view (Marketing, sales, tradition, even logic and more…) the coming of Cataclysm “Classic” and I still don’t get it.
*How can you justify making the SAME mistake you made 14 years ago (like Elrond, “I was there” ^^)
*At the time, Blizzard had lost almost 30-40% of subscriptions…
*It was also from this time that private servers exploded.
*It was around this time that players started talking about “going back in time.”
- Yes, new players arrived and liked it, even the old ones sometimes liked it, despite this you still lost 30% of your subscriptions so the conclusion is simple, the players did not like it.
And yet, 14 years later, you are about to make (what am I saying…) MAKE the same mistake AGAIN.
In the term “Classic” you had all the essence of the classic game with the “old world” with the arrival of Deathwings and all the scars that its arrival made, you “transformed” this old world. However, it is him that 30% of players wanted to keep…
Calling Cataclysm “classic” is clearly an abberation and a big mistake. Players responded overwhelmingly and negatively at the time and I predict this: you are going to lose your bet again with Cataclysm… You are going to lose the same players who came back when “classic” came out for exactly the same reasons as at the time */Facepalm
To keep as many players as long as possible, you may want to:
*Consider creating servers dedicated to different eras;
For example:
1-Vanilla classic servers
2-TBC classic servers and
3-Wotlk Classic servers and facilitate migration between them.
Thus, a player with enough Vanilla Wow could migrate when HE WANT TO (and not by feeling held hostage by the decision-makers and being “forced” to follow when a new expansion comes…) towards TBC.
This same player when he gets tired of playing in TBC could then migrate to WOTLK. Which would mean the player could spend A LOT of time ($$$) developing their character(s) across the 3 true classic eras at their own pace.
You want proof of that? Sure.
How many players are already asking for Vanilla, TBC and Wotlk servers on the discussion forum? Imagine all those people and those that do not create topic about that…
But no… I’m probably delirious…
In short, time will perhaps (very probably) prove me right. We will be fixed soon because… a cataclysm is coming!
p.s: Those who think I’m wrong and delusional, I hope you have the decency to come back here to tell me you were wrong when the Cataclysm classic figures come out 
On that, happy “classic era ending” !
p.p.s: Sorry for my bad english writting/speaking
