Sparkle Pony was added before that deal happened.
And that actually came with an in-game benefit as not all mounts were 310 back then was that was a 310 mount
It’s not just an old bias. I can see how content is being trimmed after each expansion and how the development resources devoted to WoW are being trimmed as well. I’m not that keen on paying more and getting less. But that said, yeah, it’s mostly just a bias.
edit
This is not true. There aren’t that many sub-priced games to compare to, but adding a cash shop to other games neither increased the content, nor did it lower the cost of other things related to the game. It doesn’t increase the development resources devoted to a game either, unless those resources are focused on a cash shop. Cash shops only increase the amount of money a company collects for a game. The more money a game makes, the more money it must make in the future, which is why development resources, particularly QA and CM resources are stripped from the game whether a cash shop is available or not.
The merger happened in July 2009 and the Blizzard Pet Store went live in November 2009. I think the for the first 6-12 months of the merge, Blizzard still had autonomy and that selling pets through a store was already planned before the merger (hard to imagine they could implement that in just 4 months, but maybe!).
Even though the early pet store was likely planned before the Activision merger, it might not have ever been Blizzard’s idea; it could have been Vivendi that wanted a new revenue stream (part of Blizzard’s motivation to merge with Activision was to get out from under Vivendi’s thumb and buy their own rights back).
Yeah.
For ESO, FFXIV, and SWTOR I see Cash Shops as fine mainly because their business models are much different than how WoW is.
I’m okay with there being a cash shop existing in retail too, mostly because there has to be a way of sustaining that game, in addition to the fact that I won’t ever have to deal with the idea there will be cash shop items in Classic WoW.
Does buying realm changes and race changes count? Then no, buying the boat or the sparkle pony or whatever is stupid.
Actually was many years before that imaginary thing happened and even before Vivendi Games bought Activision and changed the name to the stock company to Activision-Blizzard.
I’d say the WoW cash shop feels odd because it wasn’t really there. Services were but the rest grew in.
FFXIV I feel like is more egregious due to HOW OFTEN stuff is added (Costumes, Mounts, Pets, EMOTES, etc.) It leaves a sour taste for me.
The only “increases” in sub I’ve seen are adjustments for exchange rates. The actual expected value of the sub is the same though perhaps a higher number because the currency has become worth less worldwide. The sub I pay is the same sub I’ve payed since day 1 back in vanilla.
They have not increased their baseline sub in 16 years despite inflation and much higher operating costs and investor expectations. That fact is…truly remarkable and as near as I know unique to gaming and small number of games at that.
I get you don’t like having both. Having both helps keep the sub fee where it is and allow those that want to spend extra to do so.
I do think many of the mounts on the shop have shown more time and flair than many in game mounts. The mounts most pursued/desired by those I know are all in game drops. I also know people that avoid all or most of the shop mounts specifically because they like a less fancified looking mount.
The WoW cash shop is for from the worst when it comes to predatory and anti consumer abuses, but it’s still perverse incentive to design for maximum sales and it’s in a subscription game.
I don’t pay $15 a month for the opportunity to pay more for things in a cash shop. I pay that money for the opportunity get them by playing the game.