Well, if we break down that 1 year sub option:
3 mounts in Retail: $75
1 Mount in Classic: $25
1 pet for each (x2): $20
12 months of subscriptions: $180 in month to month sub pricing
Total value: $300
Asking price: $155.88
So you get all of it for free and save $25 annually on your sub. Seems like a good chance to lock in subs for a year since the digital content costs them almost nothing to design, So really it is just locking us into a 12 month contract for $13 a month up front. Sounds like a solid business model from a for-profit corporation offering entertainment services which are completely optional to the consumer.