Is WoW Dieing?

[MrBCorp]

What do you guys' feel? From what I've been able to gather, World Of Warcraft is in the decline.

I've stopped playing. I ended my subscription late last year and haven't looked back. I'm totally free of the game and am happy. Heh. I know my friend who also plays is hardly playing anymore. He used to play A LOT. Most people I've spoken to have told me they are either giving it up or have already quit.

I know that the number of accounts was at all time high, but I'm wondering if WoW's prime has past.

I'm thinking it's now harder for new players to enter the game. There are less players roaming around Azeroth and this means new players are getting less of an experience. I certainly couldn't imagine what it would be like to just start this game now, considering all that I have experienced. Back when I started it was fresh and fun and exciting. I'm not saying it isn't still fun, but in order to get to the fresh and exciting you have to get to where the new content is and the majority of the players are.

Well, these are my thoughts. What do the rest of you think/feel? Is World of Warcraft dieing? Will the new expansion save it?

[teacake]

I'm thinking it's now harder for new players to enter the game. There are less players roaming around Azeroth and this means new players are getting less of an experience. I certainly couldn't imagine what it would be like to just start this game now, considering all that I have experienced. Back when I started it was fresh and fun and exciting. I'm not saying it isn't still fun, but in order to get to the fresh and exciting you have to get to where the new content is and the majority of the players are.

I have characters on two servers and the "full" server Dath Re'mar has people everywhere. I rarely have any stretch where I don't see people. The lower pop server Akama is pretty thin in the bigger areas like the Barrens.

I don't get why less people is less exciting though. Maybe if there was NO ONE it would be a bit dull but who really cares if there are 3 people or 13 people doing quests in your area? You do not need to be constantly grouping on every quest for it to be fun and exciting, at least that has been my experience as a relatively new solo player.

Yes I can see that once you go everywhere on both a horde and an alliance character you might be looking for fresh content.. that's when you should start a character that is totally different so you have a lot of new stuff to learn. I guess after a few of those you would be getting a bit bored--but that's not WoW dying, it's your love of WoW dying and that's a natural process for many games.

[Renata]

Well, subscriptions went up to 10 million this year. I don't see that as a definition of "dying".

And given what happened last time, I know people who were getting sick of the content came right back when TBC came out. Some of the back-and-forth occurs simply due to the amount of time between expansions.

There's always a bit of a cyclic nature to WoW that has to do with the school year. Around April, May, and June, students are busy getting final papers and studying for final exams. After graduations, population soars again. There's always a little bobble again around September, another decline at the end of the fall semester, another pickup at Christmas, etc.

So no, I'm not worried.

...Ren

[Caderbery]

I havnt really played now in a couple of months, Im there now and again, have been leveling up a horde charicter lately to see things from the otherside, but i have definatly been getting bored and have been looking at other MMORPG's to play but none of them are anywhere near as good as wow imo.

[Davemetalhead]

My opinion is that it's reached it's zenith and we'll see numbers start to dwindle. However, I don't foresee a large drop-off, even when AoC and WAR are released. There'll also be a jump up in subscriptions when an expansion is released, but I don't think we'll get above the numbers we've seen in the last couple of months.

The game will still be top of the pile for at least another 3 years I think, depending on how often they release expansions. And there'll still be folks playing it in another 6 or 7 years.

[Grakmarr]

Speaking only for myself?

I'm a total newbie. I've only been playing for about a month and a half now. Thanks to these forums and the knowledge of you all and some helpful people in game, I feel like I'm starting to get into the swing of things. I have to say, I've loved every second of it. Even when I find myself snarling in what is apparently an inexplicably innate hatred of the alliance, deep down I'm still having tons of fun.

I've always been very easily amused by games, and there's just SO MUCH in WoW for the easily amused that I really can't picture myself ever growing tired of it. Get tired of one thing, do something else for a while. I realize not everyone has my unique talent to be mesmerized with glee at fishing/mining for hours on end, but still... there's just so very much to do. I can't help but feel (even though I'm pulling this out of my other end, and it's not based on any kind of statistics - although from what I understand the numbers do suggest I'm not wrong...) that the ones who are leaving WoW for good are the minority, and will continue to be the minority for quite some time. And even if that changes, there still seems to be a very healthy influx of new players like me who try it/buy it and get hooked.

I don't think WoW is even remotely close to dying, from what I've seen/heard.

From experience in other games, I know how it feels when you quit and people you've befriended follow suit. Sometimes once you're on the outside looking in, that world suddenly seems much smaller. There's a chance that's what's happening here, maybe? Like I said, I know it has happened to me in the past. I played Diablo II for four years, and the game always seemed healthy and vibrant even when WoW came out and the playerbase really WAS dwindling. But once I moved on and looked back at it, suddenly the game looked quite dead.

[det]

Yes, it is dying. In fact..we are all. Everything ends. The moment you are born, it is clear you will die. You will never again have as much time in your life than the moment you were born. Steady decline from then on...

/slashwrist

[clevins]

/yawn

"I've stopped playing, WoW's dying!"

Lots of opinion about, not much thought. Don't think it will get much bigger? Hmm if you'd said that a year ago... you'd be wrong today as WoW has added about amillion players in the last 12 months.

People come and go.. I play less and am less into the game now than a few months ago... I've raised and epicced my second 70. Does that say anything about the game? no, but it says something about me.

WoW will be the dominant fantasy MMO for years... even if the game has peaked and loses a million players per year starting next year (which would be a HUGE turnaround and contrary to all trends) the game will still have 5 million players in 2014. And WoW will not see a major player exodus right as they launch a new expansion...

[Leviathonlx]

You would think these posts would stop showing up after 3 years by now after milestone after milestone.

Just because you stopped playing does not mean WoW is dying.

[TPMdm]

WoW > you

Pretty much sums it up.

[tralkar]

If this expantion don't come out soon, WOWs going to die... I been hanging on for a past few months hoping its soon....

[clevins]

If this expantion don't come out soon, WOWs going to die... I been hanging on for a past few months hoping its soon....

Read above. You /= WoW

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

What do you guys' feel? From what I've been able to gather, World Of Warcraft is in the decline.

I've stopped playing. I ended my subscription late last year and haven't looked back. I'm totally free of the game and am happy. Heh. I know my friend who also plays is hardly playing anymore. He used to play A LOT. Most people I've spoken to have told me they are either giving it up or have already quit.

I know that the number of accounts was at all time high, but I'm wondering if WoW's prime has past.

I'm thinking it's now harder for new players to enter the game. There are less players roaming around Azeroth and this means new players are getting less of an experience. I certainly couldn't imagine what it would be like to just start this game now, considering all that I have experienced. Back when I started it was fresh and fun and exciting. I'm not saying it isn't still fun, but in order to get to the fresh and exciting you have to get to where the new content is and the majority of the players are.

Well, these are my thoughts. What do the rest of you think/feel? Is World of Warcraft dieing? Will the new expansion save it?

Is WoW dying? well let's see. Nope. Subscription numbers are still increasing, numbers of active people are on the rise. Nope, not dying. And it is guaranteed that when Wrath of the Lich King comes out, the subscriptions will increase.

It actually is easier for the new person to start playing WoW. Most of the old group quests are now solo quests throughout Azeroth, and the amount of XP needed to go from one level to the other, PLUS the amount of XP you get from quest rewards has improved in the old world, making people level faster and get to the newer end-game/high-level content quicker. No, WoW is actually more accessible to new people now than it ever has been before.

Now, in my experience, for any MMO ever made, if someone plays the game a LOT, and does not balance it with the rest of life in general, the person burns out, and will stop playing for a while. However, many of those who do that, eventually come back because they remember having fun playing the game, and they get back into it. If they don't regulate the game with everything else still, they will burn out, and continue the vicious cycle. It isn't that the game is "dying", it just is someone got burned out playing it.

something else to note -- if you stopped playing, there is a good chance your friends were enjoying playing the game with you, and if you are doing something else, that something else might attract them to do that instead, because they'd rather play something *with you*. People come and go, but WoW is a long, long way from "dying"

[Pharoahe]

Its silly to suggest WoW is dying because you and the 3 people you know, no longer play it.

Since I started playing a year ago, WoW has hit 8, 9 and 10 million players. I started May 5th 2007. How is this decline?
With Lich King already looking far more promising than TBC, I think LK will continue WoW's increasing numbers.

Ofcourse everyone gets burn out. I have 70 days played on my main this year, and during some hardcore grinds ive gotten very frustrated (WInterspring grind, SSO grind). But i ease off playing a little bit for a week, and a week later I'm back to loving it. Most people who take breaks usually return from my experience. Sure there will be some who don't come back, but not as many as there are returning/entering for the first time.

If youre sick of WoW, why even post this thread? It just shows that you still have some sort of attatchement to it...if you were *that* sick of WoW, you wouldnt want us to confirm that the game is past its prime. It just seems like your trying to justify no longer playing but really want to.

[HandofDread]

Well, subscriptions went up to 10 million this year. I don't see that as a definition of "dying".

And given what happened last time, I know people who were getting sick of the content came right back when TBC came out. Some of the back-and-forth occurs simply due to the amount of time between expansions.

There's always a bit of a cyclic nature to WoW that has to do with the school year. Around April, May, and June, students are busy getting final papers and studying for final exams. After graduations, population soars again. There's always a little bobble again around September, another decline at the end of the fall semester, another pickup at Christmas, etc.

So no, I'm not worried.

...Ren

Agreed... I know that's where I've been the last 3-4 weeks... papers, exams, etc... and I did get a little burnt out just before school work picked up... I had hit 70 with my main a couple months ago and then I stalled... no Kara... no epic flyer... I was tired for a bit... but after finals I know im going to be rearing to go again...

and about whether WoW is dying or not... look at like daily peaks and lows on a server... at around 3 pm Eastern time on my server action always picks up... all the kids come home from school etc... same with WoW overall... during times like finals a lot of people will take a few weeks off WoW and then come back when they're done...

[MrBCorp]

Well it seems I've angered some people here, understandable really. If you love something that much you're not going to want to hear anything bad (or possibly bad) said about it. My intention was not to anger or cause a fuss or "troll", but to find out what people here think. And from some of the responses, it looks like maybe it is showing signs.

Yes I've stopped playing. No I'm not arrogant enough to assume that just because I've stopped playing, it's "dieing". I realise that. I ask this question because every time I mention that I used to play to someone who's into gaming, they either say they used to play too, or they know someone who used to play.

Also WoW was once feature in the major media a decent amount, not in advertising, but mentioned on radio or in the paper. It seems to me that this is no longer the case, at least, not like it was.

How many older players have left and not come back? Where are the new players coming from to replace them? How are server numbers/active subscriptions determined?

[Pharoahe]

Well its 3 years old, ofcourse youre going to bump into Ex-players...you really have no *facts* to back up your theory the game is dead, except you happen to know ex-players. Why do you even care? You no longer like it, fair enough. Why are you trying to get others to justify *your opinion*?

[teacake]

Yes, it is dying. In fact..we are all. Everything ends. The moment you are born, it is clear you will die. You will never again have as much time in your life than the moment you were born. Steady decline from then on...

/slashwrist


::teacake wants to resurrect you::

[clevins]

Well it seems I've angered some people here, understandable really. If you love something that much you're not going to want to hear anything bad (or possibly bad) said about it. My intention was not to anger or cause a fuss or "troll", but to find out what people here think. And from some of the responses, it looks like maybe it is showing signs.

Yes I've stopped playing. No I'm not arrogant enough to assume that just because I've stopped playing, it's "dieing". I realise that. I ask this question because every time I mention that I used to play to someone who's into gaming, they either say they used to play too, or they know someone who used to play.

Also WoW was once feature in the major media a decent amount, not in advertising, but mentioned on radio or in the paper. It seems to me that this is no longer the case, at least, not like it was.

How many older players have left and not come back? Where are the new players coming from to replace them? How are server numbers/active subscriptions determined?


You haven't angered anyone. WE're merely pointing out that the actual facts contradict your opinion. You refuse to deal with the fact that you're wrong if, by WoW dying, you mean that it's declining in the number of people playing it (and really, what other measure would make sense?).

Nice troll, but... you're wrong. /end

[det]

I understand MrBCorps feelings, because I actually have a few ppl at work who quit and really badmouth the game. Also these are people who are just used to starting a new game every feww weeks / months and want a game that "ends"

As for the media...well, in the german mags it was originally covered quite a lot, but it just seems to be "proper attitute" to smear everything that tops the charts for too long. WoW gets always critizised for outdated graphics, mags cheers for games like Crysis and Gothics and other nice looking stuff, then turn around and lament how you are forced to replace your hardware all the time. Bigotts really ^^

Nowadays, mags cover the new patches (often with false info, the idiots), but what do you expect..I play the game more and read more than your average game mag "journalist"...

And what else can they cover? Blizzard is keeping silent about WotLK and once they release more info, everybody will start to write about it again...

As for subscriptions going up. Ofc Blizzard could be just plainly lying to us and subscribers isn't necessarily active players. Maybe a total of 10 million people has EVER subscribe to WoW but maybe 3 million of those have cancelled it, but are still counted as subscribers that they were at one point.

The way our government fakes unemployment statistics and big companies cheat..who says Blizz (Vivendi) doesn't bend numbers?

[Suicidal Zebra]

When it comes to subscription numbers - "phased worldwide releases are phased". Though worldwide subscriptions may be increasing (it should be noted that though China doesn't use a subscription model, one account activity per month = 1 subscription in Blizz's tally) the activity on your server/battlegroup/region could very well be dropping. Also an active subscription doesn't necessarily mean a playing subscription as many MMO players tend to simply cut back their hours rather than cancel subs altogether (esp. if they have a 6-month block bought). Whether any activity drop on your server means the game as a whole has 'peaked' and is now on the decline is tough to say, the question is whether WoW is still profitable enough for continued development without significant numbers of EU/US subscribers.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible to get accurate figures on server population unless you are Blizzard themselves, and Blizz aren't talking. Thus any evidence for population numbers dwindling tends to be anecdotal at best, ranging from decreased auction house activity, number of active BG's, or just the 'busy-ness' of the server at peak times. If you think you servers' population is declining then you may well be right, but probably it's not yet declining to an unsustainable or harmful level.

The key official indicator of reduced population levels will come as/when the first round of server/battlegroup merges take place so keep your ears out for that (though Blizz may well try to mask these changes at Wrath launch). But until then if your enjoyment of the game is being hampered by inactivity on your server then a change to a more populace server may be a good idea, or you can take a break entirely. If you do take a break, be confident that the game will still be here in a years time if you do decide to come back.

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

Well it seems I've angered some people here, understandable really. If you love something that much you're not going to want to hear anything bad (or possibly bad) said about it. My intention was not to anger or cause a fuss or "troll", but to find out what people here think. And from some of the responses, it looks like maybe it is showing signs.

From what a lot of people who replied have seen, it is not "showing signs" What you are suggesting is crazytalk, honestly. It is conjecture based on far to low a number of people to really be able to speculate. Now, if you said you knew 1 - 2 million people who were quitting the game, I *might* hold your statement in a little more respect, but even then, you have to look at the normal percentage that quits, vs. the normal percentage that starts/returns.

Yes I've stopped playing. No I'm not arrogant enough to assume that just because I've stopped playing, it's "dieing". I realise that. I ask this question because every time I mention that I used to play to someone who's into gaming, they either say they used to play too, or they know someone who used to play.

And how many people is that? 5? 10? 100? 1,000? You know those numbers are meaningless against 10,000,000+, right?

Also WoW was once feature in the major media a decent amount, not in advertising, but mentioned on radio or in the paper. It seems to me that this is no longer the case, at least, not like it was.

It isn't new. It was mentioned in major media when it launched. It was mentioned when its expansion launched. Has there been another launch since then? NOPE.

How many older players have left and not come back? Where are the new players coming from to replace them? How are server numbers/active subscriptions determined?

Looks like you have a research project.

[Pharoahe]

I highly doubt Blizz would lie about the stats, you do realise they could be sued by shareholders if this was the case?

[Your Average WoW Player]

To be honest, I don't think WoW is dying. I think it's growth might be a little stagnant right now as there's nothing groundbreaking happening (IE: New Expansion), but I don't think it's on the decline.

Sure you have Age of Conan and the Warhammer game coming out, and they're getting a lot of hype, but then again, so did LotR Online but the WoW Juggernaut continues to truck along.

I think Blizzard's played their cards right so that the thing that actually kills WoW would be WoW2 or whatever they plan on coming out with (my guess is WoW2).

[TPMdm]

Also WoW was once feature in the major media a decent amount, not in advertising, but mentioned on radio or in the paper. It seems to me that this is no longer the case, at least, not like it was.


Really?!? This is how you judge something is popular and/or dying? Well damn I guess nobody is drinking Coke or Pepsi any more (or bottled water for that matter) right? I mean CNN hardly ever talks about people drinking colas and I can't remember the last hard hitting expose I heard on Bottled Water.

If we were to use your judgements of dying and popularity and flipped it to my experiences then what we'd have is something like:

Do you think WoW will ever reach it's peak? I mean I talk to 3 or 4 people at work everyday who play wow and we talk about wow at least once a day. The server I'm gaming on is pretty low population but it's getting busier and busier. Do you think Blizzard will have any trouble handling 6 billion players because from my experience everybody either plays or wants to play.

Of course I know this isn't the case. I'm pretty sure wow isn't dying and I'm pretty sure there are at least 600 people who aren't playing for everyone that is. No I'm not angry because you "attacked something I love". I'm annoyed at your handling of the facts and of statistics

[Grakmarr]

Well it seems I've angered some people here, understandable really. If you love something that much you're not going to want to hear anything bad (or possibly bad) said about it. My intention was not to anger or cause a fuss or "troll", but to find out what people here think. And from some of the responses, it looks like maybe it is showing signs.

I don't see this as having angered anyone. The strongest reactions you got weren't at the idea of WoW dying, but rather the leap in logic you took to come to that conclusion. The rest of the replies weren't particularly strong at all.

I also fail to see how any replies here could've given you an indication that WoW is showing signs of dying. I think maybe you're missing the point several people have pointed out. WoW > You. Or me. Or all of us on this forum. If the 200k users (including the multiple thousands of spambots and lurkers and duplicate accounts) of this forum were to quit WoW forever at this very moment, WoW would experience roughly a 2% drop in the number of subscribers. And that's not including the new players who would rise up and replace us. Even that large a number of people quitting all at once would be at most a hiccup in the playerbase, and one which would quickly correct itself.

Like someone else was saying - if WoW loses a million people every year for the next five years, that's still five million people playing in 2013. And that's not going to happen, especially with record numbers of new subscribers - and a much anticipated expansion coming out.

So to put it bluntly: No, WoW is not dying. WoW is showing no signs of dying. It's not a possibility that all of us are closed off to because we just love WoW so much - it's just not happening. If you presented some hard evidence to the contrary, I have a feeling you'd get a much better reception. We're not just all in denial as you suggest, there's just quite simply nothing of substance there to deny.

[ZaxGreia]

Lots of comments, but I wanted to give a little unscientific survey myself. I rolled a new character on my friend's server to mess with him (asked him where Ragefire Chasm is and harassed him for a few minutes before telling him who I was). The Blood Elf starting area was teeming with people - I had to wait to kill the guy at the top of the school, and grouped with someone when he respawned.

Granted, it's not currently as busy as just after TBC released, but they didn't hit 10 million concurrent subscribers until recently...

"Not dead yet. I think [it'll] go for a walk!" I come and go all the time, but I havent' left. I like the game, the people I know, and the entertainment too much to just leave, though I get burned out sometimes. It's just fun, and has been fun since I started playing Jan 2005.

[mesonm]

Lots of comments, but I wanted to give a little unscientific survey myself. I rolled a new character on my friend's server to mess with him (asked him where Ragefire Chasm is and harassed him for a few minutes before telling him who I was). The Blood Elf starting area was teeming with people - I had to wait to kill the guy at the top of the school, and grouped with someone when he respawned.

Granted, it's not currently as busy as just after TBC released, but they didn't hit 10 million concurrent subscribers until recently...

"Not dead yet. I think [it'll] go for a walk!" I come and go all the time, but I havent' left. I like the game, the people I know, and the entertainment too much to just leave, though I get burned out sometimes. It's just fun, and has been fun since I started playing Jan 2005.

Agreed that it is not dead yet....

But, well more than half of the newbie characters are alts....Invite them to guilds, and see how long they play the new character...Many do not ever get to 20, much less than to 30 or higher.

[elsegundo]

Yes I can see that once you go everywhere on both a horde and an alliance character you might be looking for fresh content.. that's when you should start a character that is totally different so you have a lot of new stuff to learn. I guess after a few of those you would be getting a bit bored--but that's not WoW dying, it's your love of WoW dying and that's a natural process for many games.

i think this is key.

perspective is everything.

[PlayThemAll]

It's a sinking ship, best to quit now and avoid the rush.

/sarcasm

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

I think it is ironic that people even attempt to tie in the lack of Blizzard announcing a new population threshold/milestone reached as being evidence that the population has "peaked" or that WoW is "dying" or what have you. Apparently people are unfamiliar with what appears to be an obvious logarithmic progression -- it starts out going up very quickly, and then it still goes up, but at a decaying/slower rate. It doesn't mean WoW has peaked, it just means that as more and more people get the game, these people already *have* the game, and won't be counted toward new people getting the game. No, when Blizzard announces that WoW's at 9 million, 8 million, etc. subscribers, then we can loop back and point at WoW having "peaked".

It isn't like Blizzard is announcing every single month that there is a new milestone reached. It is pointless. No, they'd wait until probably the next million active accounts have been achieved.

[Grakmarr]

logarithmic progression -- it starts out going up very quickly, and then it still goes up, but at a decaying/slower rate. It doesn't mean WoW has peaked, it just means that as more and more people get the game, these people already *have* the game, and won't be counted toward new people getting the game.

Excellent point right there. Sums the situation up nicely, I think.

Also, I'd like to point out that there's a HUGE difference between "has peaked" and "is dying". That in mind, there's not even any proof that WoW has peaked, seeing as how every indication is that the number of subscribers is continuing to rise, whenever there's any statistically relevant change in the playerbase. Even if WoW has miraculously peaked, there's no telling how many years it will idle back and forth at that peak before it even starts to lose its playerbase.

So yeah, again: I'd be curious what compelling reasons there are for the OP other than "Me and people I know know some people who have also quit."

Heck, its been a decade and D2 is still going fairly strong. Nowhere near WoW's numbers, but it's still ridiculously easy to fill a group within seconds. And D2 isn't now nor was it ever even 1/5th the game that is WoW.

[Kasal]

Well its 3 years old, ofcourse youre going to bump into Ex-players...you really have no *facts* to back up your theory the game is dead, except you happen to know ex-players. Why do you even care? You no longer like it, fair enough. Why are you trying to get others to justify *your opinion*?

Looks like somebody needs to take a happy pill. The guy just asked a question. Sheesh.

[Justinledwards]

Hmm internet generalisations ftw.

My account has expired, and I just got my mother into it (I'm in my 30s, for some context). She's played plenty of D&D RPG just not online, and she is loving it. Haha. Are we ex-players or just players on a sabbatical? I plan to pop back in for wotlk. Or if my mother badgers me enough to help her out.

[mesonm]

Are we ex-players or just players on a sabbatical?

I'm not an ex-player yet...or still...I'm just waiting for the warhammeropen beta....then I'll have a different form of new amusement.

I've recently started ANOTHER toon in WOW....If he ever gets to 70, this would be my .....(I'm not going to say how many...Its pathetic...) character that made it to 70.

[MrBCorp]

Ok so from the looks of things on this forum new players are continuing to flock to the game.

Yeah, perhaps my choice of words wasn't quite right. Perhaps I should've used "peaked" instead of "dying" (yeah I also noticed my spelling error :embarassed:). But I think my question is still valid. I've noticed my own enthusiasm wane, I've heard there are others who've stopped playing and I wanted to find out how wide spread it is.

I also believe the media coverage is valid, afterall they talk about things that are popular, which is one way to gauge how popular you are, but also it's like free advertising (that also makes it sound like everyone else is into it, thus popular and people like things that are popular).

I doubt there will be a steady decline though, more likely there will be a mass exodus of players when people sense that it is no longer popular and then WoW will be left with it's hard-cores (mostly).

[Pharoahe]

I also believe the media coverage is valid, afterall they talk about things that are popular, which is one way to gauge how popular you are, but also it's like free advertising (that also makes it sound like everyone else is into it, thus popular and people like things that are popular).

Personally this is the worst part of your assumptions. What good reason do the media have for repeatedly talking about one form of entertainment? The wii has been a massive hit, yet apart from one news story, why would the media talk about it more? War in Iraq...Elections...Economy...WoW? Yeah I think they have other priorities. Video Games just dont get that type of press coverage. Infact what form of entertainment does?

[Davemetalhead]

Video Games just dont get that type of press coverage. Infact what form of entertainment does?

Pretty much the whole of the "celebrity" entertainment business - just look at the sheer amount of coverage given to even B-list celebs nowadays.

Sorry, bit off-topic there :grin:

[Janfader]

I'm also done at the end of the month.

Things that will get me back into the game:

1. On-line GM's handing out bans to public talk and harrassement in our ever so fav. channels.

2. Flying in Azeroth. And, i don't want to hear *****ing from s/w developers it can't be done.

3. More items suiting the talents/specs. From lvl 10+... This way, more people will run the Azeroth instances.

4. More of everything really > more talents/trees, classes/races (boo the faaking death knight), mounts, recipes!!!, more more more. Yes WotLK is coming out, but I'm not sold on it... too fast to come out since TBC.

[elsegundo]

I also believe the media coverage is valid, afterall they talk about things that are popular, which is one way to gauge how popular you are, but also it's like free advertising (that also makes it sound like everyone else is into it, thus popular and people like things that are popular).

The "Media" covers things that has already happened. So when you hear about a hot new gizmo, its already happened, its already hot, and you've been missing out this whole time. you might have shows that talk about new and upcoming things, but i doubt those things ever take flight.... and wouldnt you think media would try to serve their own interests? i mean if i made a product, i'd like to promote it on my lines of communications too. its not really free advertising, if you think long enough about it.

but you're right, people like things that are popular, and they will try it out, and sometimes it works for them, sometimes it wont. with WoW, its the same thing. there are 10 million people playing. some are in it for the long run, some are just trying it out, and some are leaving. doesnt mean its dieing/dying or has peaked. we can look back and cover what has already happened though, with great accuracy.

[Renata]

WoW will not die as long as Blizzard continues making money from it.

Look at classic Everquest. A lot of people still play that game. It's definitely leaaning more toward the "not dead yet" category than "thriving", but they still come out with expansions regularly and people still pick it up as a new game. Sony is still making money, players are still dedicated to it. I left EQ back in 2005 but that doesn't mean the game is dead or dying.

As long as Blizzard continues to make money on WoW rather than lose it, WoW will be around.

I agree that the big thing they should learn from EQ is not to cannibalize their own population by making "World of Warcraft 2".

...Ren

[Pharoahe]

Pretty much the whole of the "celebrity" entertainment business - just look at the sheer amount of coverage given to even B-list celebs nowadays.

Sorry, bit off-topic there :grin:

they cover it once, not years on end

[TPMdm]

they cover it once, not years on end

Exactly! They cover new things in B-lister's lives. Once the new thing is old news they stop covering the b-lister. To carry the analogy WoW (a definite A-lister) hasn't driven drunk or had a baby or an affair, but it does have a Summer Blockbuster movie in the works. When that movie comes out WoW will be "popular" again at least in terms of media.

I'm sorry, the OP is flat wrong. Wow isn't dying nor has it peaked. I know it's difficult to understand that just because you don't have the same desire to play doesn't mean the game isn't fresh for a whole new bunch of people everyday.

Rest assured you will have people lined up to buy WotLK at midnight, there will be media coverage and another HUGE boost in subscriptions.

[clevins]

I'm also done at the end of the month.

Things that will get me back into the game:

1. On-line GM's handing out bans to public talk and harrassement in our ever so fav. channels.

2. Flying in Azeroth. And, i don't want to hear *****ing from s/w developers it can't be done.

3. More items suiting the talents/specs. From lvl 10+... This way, more people will run the Azeroth instances.

4. More of everything really > more talents/trees, classes/races (boo the faaking death knight), mounts, recipes!!!, more more more. Yes WotLK is coming out, but I'm not sold on it... too fast to come out since TBC.

1) turn off the general and trade channels unless you actually need them.
2) It could be done. It's a waste of effing time. There's nothing a 70 needs in most of azeroth and they'd have to create/render tiles for the various heights/points of view for ALL of Azeroth including places you're probably never going to fly over (when's the last time you even thought of going to Stonetalon for example?) or they'd have to block off rarely used areas... which would cause whining. Azeroth is OVER for a 70. Deal.
3) I ran most of the Azeroth instance levelling a 70 alt recently. I did it for FUN. And pre-Scholo/Strat, the items in there are very useful/good for the level.
4) This is just flatout self-contradictory. You want more... but you don't want an expansion because it's more. Riiight.

/bye

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

It seems Janfader is burned out a bit, and therefore looking for reasons to not like WoW. Nothing against him personally, I can totally understand. But clevins summed up what I would have said about his points myself rather nicely.

[clevins]

I understand the burnout too. And I've got nothing against Jan or others who hit that wall. It's the 'the game sucks' move than I don't like... just admit you're burnt on the game and it holds no attraction. Don't elevate your burnout into some universal truth...

[Zendarin]

Ok so from the looks of things on this forum new players are continuing to flock to the game.

Yeah, perhaps my choice of words wasn't quite right. Perhaps I should've used "peaked" instead of "dying" (yeah I also noticed my spelling error :embarassed:). But I think my question is still valid. I've noticed my own enthusiasm wane, I've heard there are others who've stopped playing and I wanted to find out how wide spread it is.

I also believe the media coverage is valid, afterall they talk about things that are popular, which is one way to gauge how popular you are, but also it's like free advertising (that also makes it sound like everyone else is into it, thus popular and people like things that are popular).

I doubt there will be a steady decline though, more likely there will be a mass exodus of players when people sense that it is no longer popular and then WoW will be left with it's hard-cores (mostly).

Ok your comments about media coverage are WAY off base. If you want to get a true guage take in to consideration that they have made an entire series of commercials over the past several months for OTHER products that take place inside the WOW gaming environment. This alone should tell you that it is the hottest thing going as it has never before been done for ANY game.

Next - yes people are getting burnt out and quitting the game - this happens in ALL MMORPGS after a period of time and always will happen. It has no bearing on whether or not the game has peaked - as long as the influx of new players is greater than the number of old players who move on.

At this point in time the game is still experiencing rapid growth.

When I joined my first server it was brand new - it's now up to a medium population.

I decided to create a horde character a couple of months ago and had no slots left on my current server so I picked another NEW server - in 2 months time THAT server is now up to a medium population. This sure looks like rapid growth to me - and these are NEW players not alts.

If you want to use the whole friends/coworkers thing probably about half of the people who work at my company (tech support) play WOW and you will hear it being discussed constantly in the break room and outside in the smoking area. Many of them have been playing since Beta and are just as active today as when they started - of course this example is no more valid than yours was.

I actually find this whole topic sort of amusing - especially since there have been "doomsday prophets" extolling the death of WOW for the past couple of years - as WOW continues to increase its user base by leaps and bounds.

WOW dying or even peaked? Hardly. In fact the whole idea is laughable.

[LunarSolaris]

This is actually one of the few threads of this type that actually has an interesting dialogue to read through. I think several very valid points have been made to the OP's point and follow-up points.

I think what it tends to boil down to - whether it be choices we made, or even our beliefs - that we just want to have our choices validated by others. I truly suspect that is one of the motivating reasons that someone who has quit a video game would come to a forum like this to make a point of quitting - they want to be validated.

It's interesting that the OP perceived the initial responses as hostile, when they were really far from it. I also think that's a telling sign (as already pointed out) that the OP may have been seeking validation in making the post.

It has already been well put: There is no evidence at this time that WoW has evern reached it's peak yet... let alone that the game would be "dying" (granted the OP has since recanted that statement).

[Valas Azuviir]

I actually find this whole topic sort of amusing - especially since there have been "doomsday prophets" extolling the death of WOW for the past couple of years - as WOW continues to increase its user base by leaps and bounds.

WOW dying or even peaked? Hardly. In fact the whole idea is laughable.

*Whistles innocently (http://www.gucomics.com/comic/?cdate=20080409)*

:grin:

[Vulcanz]

TBH even if you dont see anyone 1-60, which you will...all the time, in 60-70 you will always seen someone no matter server type, do i think the game is dying? no, but i do think it will in the next 2years...i remeber someone saying that WoW wanted about 6 expansions out of it, that would be every year a new expansion which would be nice, and could possibly boost sales, but! then it would be like 1- level 140 which would be retarded, hence why in the new one you can get level 80, do a quest and get the ability to make the death knight class, which will start at 60 i think or was it 70? i don think they had decided yet.

[TPMdm]

http://www.worldofwar.net/n/413322/wow-still-ruling

crits you for 1 actual fact damage

[MrBCorp]

I understand the burnout too. And I've got nothing against Jan or others who hit that wall. It's the 'the game sucks' move than I don't like... just admit you're burnt on the game and it holds no attraction. Don't elevate your burnout into some universal truth...

I take it that was directed at me. I'm sorry, did I say or even infer that 'the game sucks'? Please come and point out where I said or did that. The question was "Is the game dying?". Perhaps this is the reason I'm getting the "hostile" responses :tongue:


This is actually one of the few threads of this type that actually has an interesting dialogue to read through. I think several very valid points have been made to the OP's point and follow-up points.

I think what it tends to boil down to - whether it be choices we made, or even our beliefs - that we just want to have our choices validated by others. I truly suspect that is one of the motivating reasons that someone who has quit a video game would come to a forum like this to make a point of quitting - they want to be validated.

It's interesting that the OP perceived the initial responses as hostile, when they were really far from it. I also think that's a telling sign (as already pointed out) that the OP may have been seeking validation in making the post.

It has already been well put: There is no evidence at this time that WoW has even reached it's peak yet... let alone that the game would be "dying" (granted the OP has since recanted that statement).

Nice. I've never had one my posts psychoanalysed before. Thanks! :tongue:


It's interesting that the OP perceived the initial responses as hostile, when they were really far from it.

Not hostile? Then what prompted this?

Looks like somebody needs to take a happy pill. The guy just asked a question. Sheesh.


Actually my point of posting this thread was to see if anyone else had perhaps felt that WoW was in the decline. I've not played the game since some time near the end of last year and to be honest, I wouldn't have bothered with this if I hadn't had a chance meeting at a party with a guy who also used to play. He remarked that he knew a few people whom had also quit and that it seems to be happening across Australia. Perhaps it's just a local phenomenon (*if indeed it exists!).

But I'm sure it's not my intention to have my choice to quit validated. My beliefs? Ok, I can go along with that. I think though, that everyone at some point wants to have their beliefs validated by someone else. Isn't that in part one of the reasons we choose our friends? Because they think the same as us? We're less likely to like someone if they generally think differently from us.


http://www.worldofwar.net/n/413322/wow-still-ruling

crits you for 1 actual fact damage

As for those graphs, if anything, they show WoW to be holding steady for a few months until the end of the data period (or maybe losing numbers, hard to tell since it's so small). When do they update those graphs? It seems to be showing only up until the first quarter of 2008.


It has already been well put: There is no evidence at this time that WoW has even reached it's peak yet... let alone that the game would be "dying" (granted the OP has since recanted that statement).

Actually thanks to the graphs we can say that there perhaps IS evidence to suggest it has.


My opinion is that it's reached it's zenith and we'll see numbers start to dwindle.

However, I don't foresee a large drop-off, even when AoC and WAR are released. There'll also be a jump up in subscriptions when an expansion is released, but I don't think we'll get above the numbers we've seen in the last couple of months.

The game will still be top of the pile for at least another 3 years I think, depending on how often they release expansions. And there'll still be folks playing it in another 6 or 7 years.

Judging from those graphs this statement could be the most accurate. Personally I think it will hold steady or drop off a little until either the next expansion or the Warcraft movie, at which time we'll have a surge in subscriptions. If they continue to change the game and keep people coming back, it could remain the king and live on for quite a while.

[elsegundo]

If they continue to change the game and keep people coming back, it could remain the king and live on for quite a while.

and you will probably come back just to see what all the commotion is about... and end up being one of the returning subscribers.

[Azmodious]

I know myself and a few buddies have also quit after 3 years or so. It's just not fun anymore, doing the same crap over and over. Maybe if they ever make pvp fun they will keep a lot of subscribers but I know many many people are fed up and are cancelling and just going to wait for Warhammer which will actually make pvp/rvr worth something. Oh well, c'est la vie ; ) was fun while it lasted.

Not saying wow is dying though, just my take from what I have been hearing and reading lately.

[Janfader]

1) turn off the general and trade channels unless you actually need them.
2) It could be done. It's a waste of effing time. There's nothing a 70 needs in most of azeroth and they'd have to create/render tiles for the various heights/points of view for ALL of Azeroth including places you're probably never going to fly over (when's the last time you even thought of going to Stonetalon for example?) or they'd have to block off rarely used areas... which would cause whining. Azeroth is OVER for a 70. Deal.
3) I ran most of the Azeroth instance levelling a 70 alt recently. I did it for FUN. And pre-Scholo/Strat, the items in there are very useful/good for the level.
4) This is just flatout self-contradictory. You want more... but you don't want an expansion because it's more. Riiight.

/bye

Meaning from 70-80 expansion. :thumbsup: But any ways, yes... perhaps burnt out. I swear my last raid group drove me nuts = drinking throughout the raid. :shocked:

WoW is the best game I've ever played. I would like to see more... on what the game is now.

[thoranbell]

WoW is like the Microsoft of the gaming industry. They will be on the top for a long time! Trust me, it's not going anywhere.

[Wartro]

anybody notice that WoTLK seems alot like Warhammer?


Tanks can now dish out awesome Damage.

Taunt now works in PvP.

Knockbacks.

destroyable buildings.

seige weapons

Anyone else notice the death knight's mechanics function like a simpler mix of Warhammer's morale and tactic systems? You load combinations of runes out of combat for different situations, like you do for tactics in Warhammer. Death knights have a secondary bar called Runic Power that increases as you use rune abilities and is consumed by special abilities, like morale in Warhammer which increases as you do well in combat and is consumed by special abilities.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Rune_System
http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Tactic
http://warhammeronline.wikia.com/wiki/Morale

As separate systems (but available to all classes), Warhammer's versions are obviously more fleshed out, but the fundamental mechanics are nearly the same as the death knight's.

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

And how many MMOs out there borrowed from Blizzard's bag of tricks?

In the end, does it really matter?

[Dhoum]

From what I experienced with EQ, the key sign that an MMORPG is in decline is when servers are merged to bolster a flagging population. I think there's a huge difference between server merges and free migrations by the way.

EQ is still a popular game (how many single player games their age can boast EQ's subscription rates?) but is certainly no longer in its heyday. From the look of things, WoW isn't anywhere near declining yet. It is possible that AoC or WAR will do as much damage to WoW subscriptions as WoW did to EQ but that's by no means certain. Any challenger to the crown needs to be a better and more engaging game in order to take a meaningful proportion of the subscription base. Thus far the big titles that have been released (Vanguard, LotROL, EQ2) simply haven't been up to that challenge.

[Valas Azuviir]

Thus far the big titles that have been released (Vanguard, LotROL, EQ2) simply haven't been up to that challenge.

Course of those three, I think LotRO was about the only one not claiming to be the WoW-slayer, the next big thing on the market.

All that I saw from them was.. You want to play in Middle Earth? You want a lot of Lore? We got that for you.

And how they dealt with a lot of things was clearly inspired by WoW, so I'd say that they were aiming for the niche from the beginning, but borrowing heavily from WoW to help make things more streamlined and newbie friendly.

And that's a fairly smart move really. Lure them in, slowly ramp up the difficulty, so that you get that one more try attempt feeling.

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

Course of those three, I think LotRO was about the only one not claiming to be the WoW-slayer, the next big thing on the market.

All that I saw from them was.. You want to play in Middle Earth? You want a lot of Lore? We got that for you.

And how they dealt with a lot of things was clearly inspired by WoW, so I'd say that they were aiming for the niche from the beginning, but borrowing heavily from WoW to help make things more streamlined and newbie friendly.

And that's a fairly smart move really. Lure them in, slowly ramp up the difficulty, so that you get that one more try attempt feeling.

Precisely. If a game's entire strategy, or even their marketing strategy is to be a WoW killer, that game will inevitably fail. LotRO, while not killing WoW, it did fill a niche, and is holding its own. It also very heavily borrowed a lot of its ideas from WoW, that's for sure, but mimicry is the highest form of flattery I think.

[Valas Azuviir]

Precisely. If a game's entire strategy, or even their marketing strategy is to be a WoW killer, that game will inevitably fail. LotRO, while not killing WoW, it did fill a niche, and is holding its own. It also very heavily borrowed a lot of its ideas from WoW, that's for sure, but mimicry is the highest form of flattery I think.

Well, if something works and it works well, then you'd be an idiot not to use it yourself as well.

Whether that be how quests are found (the yellow question mark WoW), Deeds from slaying certain monsters, finding areas (badges from CoH/CoV), to giving folks a ride on a mount as a passenger (group fly out of CoH/CoV), further cosmetic changes to the character (tailor from CoH/CoV) (latter two being things which are going to be introduced in WotLK)

All little things, but little things which the player tends to enjoy. So "borrow" from thy neighbor and let the player enjoy the fruits of the labor.

[det]

It also very heavily borrowed a lot of its ideas from WoW, that's for sure, but mimicry is the highest form of flattery I think.

Depends what ideas you mean here. In a way one inspires the others. Orcs in WoW and Elves and dwarves, but they were in the books of LotR 50 years earlier. Tolkien in turn got his inspiration from norse mytholgies etc...

Nothing exists in a void...

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

Depends what ideas you mean here. In a way one inspires the others. Orcs in WoW and Elves and dwarves, but they were in the books of LotR 50 years earlier. Tolkien in turn got his inspiration from norse mytholgies etc...

Nothing exists in a void...

I'm not talking about the components of the game world, I'm talking about the interface and structure/mechanics of the game -- which is what I had read was being discussed in the thread. The mechanics of LotRO is *very* WoW-esque. The game world/setting would obviously be, well, LotR-based, and Middle-Earth focused. So when I say that LotRO borrowed a lot from WoW, the logical deduction would be that I'm talking mechanics & structure of the game, not the setting.

[Pharoahe]

So the OP said all his mates were leaving WoW? On the other hand Vivendi says another 700 000 people have joined.
10.7 million people :) WoW still hasnt peaked.
http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/05/14/vivendi-earning-statement-hints-wotlk-to-be-released-in-second-h/