pay-for-progression

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  • Blizzard's reasoning behind $60 cost of WoW's level 90 boost revealed

    by 
    MJ Guthrie
    MJ Guthrie
    02.25.2014

    What reason could Blizzard possibly have for the $60 price tag on World of Warcraft's upcoming level 90 boost? According to the studio, it's so that the accomplishment of actual leveling isn't devalued. Ion Hazzikostas, WoW's lead encounter designer, told Eurogamer that the idea behind selling the boost separately was so that players didn't have to buy additional copies of the Warlords of Draenor expansion to take advantage of the included free character boost to level 90 on multiple characters. So instead of spending the $60 on an expansion and juggling multiple accounts, players can spend the same amount and use it on a toon on their existing account. At the same time, the team didn't want to diminish the hours and effort that players have invested in leveling nor create a world where no one levels. Hazzikostas explained, "If our goal here was to sell as many boosts as possible, we could halve the price or more than that -- make it $10 or something. And then hardly anyone would ever level a character again." Instead, the aim is to allow those who want a second or third alt but don't have time to level it because of other real-world commitments the chance to have it.