Vivendi Considered Digital-Distribution-Only WoW Expansions

Blizzard and Vivendi could have gone fully digital for WoW as early as the 2007 launch of The Burning Crusade, but chose not to. Why? Because midnight launches are awesome, that's wherefore.

The industry is growing increasingly adoring of digital distribution, but there's one leading sticking point: How can publishers be predictable that their intact potential audience has the internet connection to get a brimfull game online? Many gamers still habituate specialty retailers suchlike GameStop and Wal-Mart to grease one's palms their software – active full-on digital means that you cut a huge part of the market out of the picture.

On the other hand, anyone who plays World of Warcraft by definition has the internet connecter addressable, and Blizzard already delivers fairly large packets of data to subscribers on a diarrheic foundation for patches. At the LA Games Conference, former Vivendi Universal Games boss – you know, the company that actually calls the shots at Activision and Blizzard – Blaise Pascal Brochier said that Blizzard could have gone member-single for 2007's WoW: The Burning Campaign, but chose not to.

We were patching totally the prison term," Brochier told Joystiq. "It was always in the discussions internally; 'Should we go direct digital or should we go both with retail?'"

However, the company made the hollo to go with a retail launch for several reasons, non the least of which was the fact that big midnight openings resolution in extensive coverage and attention. This extra exposure can bring people spine into the fold, or even draw newcomers. "When you're at the store with all of the events, you actually have populate WHO've dropped [their subscriptions] come back … The midnight events and all of the functions help multitude come back WHO've stopped playing, but as wel guys WHO've wanted to try information technology will be attracted to the upshot and become raw-found players."

Also, as anyone who goes to the midnight openings knows, even if it is a bit of a pain to drag yourself bent the nearest memory and sub the cold windward for what feels like hours, it's also a draw of fun to confabulation with fellow fans.

Vivendi and Blizzard did enable digital distribution not far later TBC was live, only the retail component is still an important part of WoW's business role model and experience, same Brochier. "[R]etail is a very important discerning part. There's also a significant percentage of players WHO just play through pre-paid cards, and that's retail, that's a retail model. Then you've got to find the balance."

Seeing A how Wrath of the Lich King and Burning Crusade are the 2 fastest-selling PC titles of each time (and Cataclysm is nigh assuredly going to make it a lid legerdemain), that probably won't be ever-changing anytime soon.

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/vivendi-considered-digital-distribution-only-wow-expansions/

Source: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/vivendi-considered-digital-distribution-only-wow-expansions/

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