The Daily Grind: Your thoughts on Blizzard's new pets

In a move some expected and others didn't, Blizzard decided to remove that last layer insulating its game from the practice of RMT: real money transactions. Previously, players had to purchase the trading card game to get the special extra pets for the game, and that was rather a dicey proposition. You could just pay a high price and get the card directly, or you could take your chances with your money, much like Charlie in his pursuit of a golden ticket. Now, you can just go to the Blizzard store and purchase a Pandaren or a Lil' KT pet for $10USD.

Considering how several people were unhappy with the Champions Online microtransaction store, we can't imagine this is going over too well with everyone. Some feel that these are just pets and -- while pricey -- aren't anything to make a fuss over. Others feel that this is the top of the slippery slope that will eventually see some form of in-game benefits gained through store purchases, much like many item mall games. This morning we thought we'd ask you. Do you think this is a wonderful idea, and you're glad to see Blizzard exploring the territory? Do you think it's a good idea but the price is way too high -- a macrotransaction rather than a microtransaction. Are you leery but trusting for now? Or is this all a load of crap, and subscription games should make everything available if you're willing to grind it?

Reader Comments (70)

(insert random dungeon name)only 10$ at battle.net*

*must have (insert random) xpac to play.

Personally, I have a simple 'No RMT rule'. I just don't play games that sell RMT items.

Up to now I was fine with Blizzard's faction transfers and name changes as those can be seen as services.

When it comes to outright selling in game items for real cash, no matter how you dress it up with 'charity' or whatever, it's over the line. I don't play DDO for this reason. I won't bother with Champions Online for the same reason and the day Aion introduces their little cash shop that is sitting in the code, is the day I cancel my sub.

If players simply banded together on this we could nip this in the bud. But they won't. As long as half the populace is going 'EEEEEH!! PETS!!!!LOL!!!' while madly banging their credit cards on the table and the rest are going 'doesn't affect my gameplay' the trend will just continue till it infects the entire industry and no game will actually be playable without you being nickle and dimed to death.

I'm a bit worried of the direction Blizzard will set with this. Not the first one to have subscription and microtransactions, but if they expand this it will become a norm. The point of microtransactions was that you pay for the game that way. Piece by piece... If we follow this path further, we are paying subs And other fees for our normal gaming....

http://www.worldwish.org/Donate

put in $10, and it all goes to Make-A-Wish to some dying kid who wants to see Paris Hilton before he/she is six feet under and people stop caring. Personally I think a single person could make a dying kid happy by showing they care, spending time with them, etc...

But Hell, lets just spend thousands on them instead of giving it to dying kids that actually have a chance to live if they got the money instead.

The whole idea behind Make-A-Wish is beyond moronic and just seems like masturbation.

Obvious troll is obvious.

I actually agree with you Sibe.

The whole Make-A-Wish foundation seems like a new way to advertise to me.

I acturally think blizz knows it's nearly the end of WoW, so they're trying to squeeze every penny out of it.

Umm.. Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm not, but Blizzard's been doing Micro transactions for some time now? Character changes, faction changes, name changes, server changes... Its all the same... These pets are no different, so why should there be a problem other then they're over pricing them? (or that people are actually buying them for those prices, maybe?)

Frankly, Champions is just following the lead Blizzard set up months, and in some cases years, ago but no one thought twice about. Hell, no one seems to have thought twice about NCsoft selling costume sets for City of Heroes, yet for some reason theres a problem with champions doing it?

Champions isn't selling super, game changing, items.. just services, and some, like full retcons, that might just find their way into the game without a sale eventually... So really, people need to just chill out..

Lets face it, Blizzard isn't doing a whole ton to make us really believe they're doing much with WoW right now since Wrath dropped a year ago. The story so far has been crap compared to even the crappiest stories in BC, the game is more bugged out then it was in years, the lag continues to be terrible.. The list goes on..

Even with the new expansion coming some time next year there's not a lot telling us that it will go much further then that. Soon enough they'll have to abandon it for another game that will push technology further then WoW is now and leave its pride and joy by the way side.

What seems to be happening now is Blizzards nonchalantly slipping in free model type things in slowly to seed the way for a possibly big push to move WoW into that model, probably for that day when they'll drop the game for something else. This way they can keep milking people for an inferior game, like they see so many other games doing, while making money on whatever new game they'll con people into playing.

For a company that makes 10 million dollars per month, this is greed at its finest. Of course I'd rather pay ten bucks than dry hump a boss every day for several months for the crap drop rate.

Half of the cost of one of the pets for a limited time to a charity is a tax write off.

DDO allows you pay a monthly fee and get tons of stuff auto-unlocked + a few hundred free points per month
OR,
Play for free and use RMT's.

The Daily Grind: Your thoughts on Blizzard's new pets

Reader Comments (70)

Posted: Nov 5th 2009 8:52PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 5th 2009 9:28PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 6th 2009 1:12AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 6th 2009 1:31AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 6th 2009 2:48AM wjowski said

Posted: Nov 6th 2009 7:23AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 6th 2009 7:21AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 8th 2009 1:16AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 8th 2009 1:29AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 22nd 2009 7:00AM Metatron said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

The Secret World launch delayed to July 3rd

Featured Stories

The Daily Grind: Do you stay loyal to your MMO guild?

Betawatch: May 19 - 25, 2012

Some Assembly Required: City of Heroes' Mission Architect

Engadget

Joystiq

WoW

TUAW