It's not about the storage space, it's about scaring people into reactivating their accounts, so they can get money. At least that is how I view it. Correct me if I'm wrong anybody.

Enterprise level storage is not cheap. It's cheaper now then it has been in the past, but it's still pricey. The other aspect is whenever you add storage you have to add costs for staff to maintain that storage, additional costs are incurred for licensing of the SAN storage, backup costs, and electricity/cooling.

David, it's a lot cheaper than it was (and I speak as somebody who has specified, implemented, and audited enterprise SANs). If they're running up against storage constraints at this point, and can't get budgetary increases, they likely have topline revenue problems (to UltimateQ's point).

Still, disincentives will not motivate customers as well as incentives will.

With whom would you rather do business? The company that threatens you if you don't reactivate, or the company that offers a little bonus to come back together with a couple of days of 'free' play?

I'd think you'd need a larger number of subs before "space in the database" became an issue. They are just doing this to encourage people to think about those toons they played for 2 weeks last year and sign up again in order to keep them alive.

Absolutely, of course it's to threaten people "come pay or we'll wipe your characters." We have some sense of life in our old characters sometimes, even if we aren't ever going to play them again. Then there is an issue people have with names, and thinking of others using them. It truly is a scare tactic. And I'm a current paying customer. I always come back once and a while to re-play old games I have characters on. At least if I stop playing and they wipe me, I will have an excuse to never go back. People who actually believe it's a space issue are seriously naive.

*** Enterprise level storage is not cheap ***

Enterprise-level storage is DIRT cheap by the standards of enterprises. For all practical purposes, free.

Impact on database performance is something else, though. Actively-played characters in an MMO can comprise as little as 5% of existing characters. Purging unused accounts can be a big win from that perspective.