Realistic expectations, how long do you think the average player will stick around?

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
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So I’m now seeing threads about server resets and it got me thinking of how long wold the “average” player stick around with this game. Below is my personal opinion. I encourage you to leave yours but be respectful about opposing viewpoints. We can agree to disagree!

So a few other questions to consider to answer this.

What do you feel the target demographic is?

I feel its those who played vanilla and expansions up to a certain point and unsubbed. Most of those players are probably now late 20’s to mid 30’s (not all but most) and are now in different life situations. Families, careers, etc.

How long do you feel the average player will devote on a daily basis?
I would go with 2-3 hours at least 3 days a week with increase weekend hours. This is what I feel would be average, congruent with my target audience.

How long do you feel the average player will stay subbed?

Since the majority of those returning have ran the content I would place my bet at 6 months to 1 year after hitting 60 before you see a dropoff of those players. Of course there are exceptions but I just dont see playing a game that you know inside and out being attractive in the long term. I do think people will quit and come back in intervals and that will probably be what keeps the game afloat for a while.

I also feel there are lots of games on the horizon that people will try. Some might be co gamed with this but others might leave and play something else or nothing at all.

Certainly I’m at a point in my life that I cant spend hours on end into a game. I do it for fun but my kids and family come first and I’m sure there are a lot of others like me. Balance is key but nostalgia for this game will only carry you so far. Only time will truly tell!

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Casual - <1 year
Average - <2years
No Life - =Life span left

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Average Player demographic: 20 - 40 years of Age.

Those are the ages that would likely still remember playing World Of Warcraft in 2004-2006.
Another demographic is people who never experienced it, but heard about it.
That age demographic would be all over the place.

Average Daily Play: 1-4 Hours - Very broad category.

We are naturally more efficient now that we’re older - so you won’t sink 2-4 hours into the game without much progress in terms of levelling.
For PvP purposes - the elites could play 10-15 hours a day, and will be account sharing, too.
I’ve always said that the Vanilla PvP system is unethical - and can be harmful to the social, physiological and Mental health of the players.
I truly believe they should alter it in some way to retain that difficulty - but to be less straining and time consuming.
Skill > Time played.

A lot of the older players will have quest familiarity, too. A huge advantage considering you won’t have displays on your map. I hope they don’t allow addons to guide quests.
That can ruin an experience in Vanilla.

Player Lifespan in Classic Wow:
First Initial waves of Players will last 6 months or LESS.

Casual - 6 months to a year or two.
Moderate: 2-3 years
Hardcore: 4-5 years.

Eventually, the game will stagnate.
It HAS existed on private servers since 2007 but, realistically, people haven’t been coming back to it year in, year out.
Over time private servers grew in popularity and the First players have long gone - and their places refilled.

4-5 years is pushing it though - you’d still have many months of unsubscribed time for Breaks.
At the same time, Vanilla WoW had less community based features, but strangely had more community.
So it is likely the casual players will develop more intense relationships with their guild members, resulting in an increase retention rate.

Vanilla was good, and in MANY ways, terrible at what it did, and how if functioned.
PvP system is regarded as terrible - and many former players in Vanilla, who actually played in the PvP system, are calling for its replacement.
Most people have a fan-fantasy over what it was actually like.

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1-3 months probably. Once the 15$ a month bill comes due, people will wonder whether they’re still enjoying it enough. Being able to switch to BFA might keep people a lot longer though.

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I think that guessing any answers to your questions is futile as everyones oppinions on it will vary immensely, Instead I’ll answers your questions from my PoV.

Me, I’m over current wow and want to go back to a more community driven, effort= reward enviroment.

0-3 hours a day modified by how much time i’d spendon doing retail stuffs.

Will depend purely on whats going on in life and how quickly I develop a guild and get through the raid content, But I could see a year, maybe 15 months depending on release schedule.

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Post WOD players - less than a year
Post Cata Players - about a year
Wrath and before players - definitely over 1 year
I do not believe the more recent players will have the patience to play Classic, they are too “trained” for immediate gratifaction and speed leveling.

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I feel this is accurate. LOL

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Considering private servers are still around and keep going until Blizzard shuts them down I’d say there’s a sizable fan base that really wants to just play the same version of the game forever.

I’m sure there will be a huge spike at launch and most people will quit when they find out getting to level 15 takes just as long as reaching the level cap in BfA, but those who remain will be the most hardcore dedicated fans who will keep paying their subscription and that’s why Blizzard doing Classic WoW is a good thing.

As long as they don’t mess it up…

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I think the vast majority of people will have a blast leveling and doing dungeons but when they get to 60 and exhaust all the casual group content, they will dwindle away. Most people who play MMOs don’t actually do the group content that requires keeping a set play schedule (ie: BWL and above)