WRUP: Free to play edition
Welcome to the weekend, everyone! For many of us, the weekend means it's time to game and that means World of Warcraft. This weekend, we're also abuzz about just what the recently announced Veteran Edition of WoW means -- is it a useful tool to help Blizzard bring back former players, or simply a stepping stone towards a free to play future?
Only time will tell for certain what Blizzard plans to do... but in the meanwhile, there's no reason we can't speculate. And, of course, talk about our weekend gaming plans. Read on to see just what team WoW Insider is up to this weekend -- and be sure to let us know what you're playing in the comments!
Adam Holisky (@AdamHolisky) I'll be enjoying a fine glass of merlot and running LFR this weekend which is getting to be pretty standard for me. I'll also be going snowshoeing, assuming the snow is still here in the absolutely balmy 30 degree weather we're going to have. As far as these free-to-play rumors go, I really think they're just rumors and have little substance to them. Even if WoW does go free to play eventually, it's not going to be leaked out by client strings in a PTR build.
Adam Koebel (@BendakWoW) I've actually been getting back into Diablo 3 a little bit because of the new patch. Not sure how long it'll last as the patch is pretty light on content, but it's a fun distraction. As for F2P WoW, I don't see it happening any time soon. For someone who wants to play WoW for free, there are those upcoming game time tokens people will be able to sell for gold. For many, this will be the last time they ever pay real money for a subscription.
Anne Stickney (@Shadesogrey) I think I'll be spending the majority of this weekend writing, but I also need to get LFR in before the week is out. Free to play? I'm pretty sure the only reason Blizzard would ever do that is if the subscription model were no longer financially feasible. We're a long, long, long way off from that happening. As long as the game is successful with the subscription model the way it is, why would they ever change it?
Dan O'Halloran (@danoh) More LFR as a healer on my Druid and Monk to get those last few upgrades for me. I've also been meaning to finish Nagrand with both of them as well as wrap up the legendary ring quest line. My eye is starting to drift towards my low level Hunter and Shaman. May be time to catch them up as well. Finally, I'm going to look into where each of my two main characters left off in the Garrison quest line as neither of them have made much progress there. The MMOs that have found success with the free-to-play model (Neverwinter Nights, for example) don't just offer certain features and items for a small fee (which WoW already does), but also release hefty chunks of new content every few months to keep players from drifting to other F2P games. This is an area which Blizzard constantly promises and rarely delivers. If and when WoW goes F2P, Blizzard development is going to have to change how it creates and ships content to keep players interested and constantly engaged.
Elizabeth Harper (@faience) I've really been picking up on battle pet achievements. I've been working on building up a solid team of level 25s (I got my Argi to level 25 this week) to be able to tackle the menagerie and Pandaria pet challenges. While I'm doing that, I'm working on finishing up Draenor Safari... and then I guess going back and doing all of those other safari achievements. As to free to play WoW, though it would be nice, it seems terribly unlikely as long as WoW is still a success as a subscription-based game. When that changes, we may see something different... but until then, there's no need for Blizzard to seriously consider changing course.
Matthew Rossi (@MatthewWRossi) I'm working on my 'Young Adults With Superpowers In Love' story and maybe playing some old school Icewind Dale, if I get the chance. Stuff like the Veteran's dealie are the only kinds of F2P WoW will ever do.
Sarah Pine (@ilaniel) Classes are in session for me again, which means very little gaming will be on the cards in my immediate future. *Sad trombone.* I'll probably be reading papers, doing homework, cleaning, and grocery shopping this weekend!
The weekend is the perfect time to kick back, relax and enjoy some game time. Are you an achievement junkie? Can't get enough raiding? Rolling a new alt? Considering taking the leap into roleplaying? Whatever your favorite way to play
World of Warcraft, let us know in the comments what you're playing this weekend!
