A lot of MMORPGs and regular games have adopted the free-to-play model, which basically means that the game will be free to play, but the developers will earn money through in-game purchases, such as items that provide cosmetic effects, or items or features that will allow the gamer to advance forward in the game, such as buying more moves for Candy Crush. Blizzard’s MMORPG, World of Warcraft, is still following the subscription model, although they seem to be going back and forth on the whole free-to-play feature.
Speaking with Eurogamer at BlizzCon 2013, it seems that free-to-play is definitely not in the cards at the moment, according to the game’s production director, J. Allen Brack. Brack states that, “We didn’t make the game to be free-to-play,” and that, “We would have to rework the game pretty significantly in order to make it free-to-play. It’s not something we’re currently considering.” It does sound like a pretty firm no, although the word “currently” would suggest that perhaps further down the line, Blizzard might cross that bridge, but for those worried that going free-to-play might ruin the game, you can rest assured that will not be happening anytime soon.
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