“The first one’s free!” said the friendly drug dealer. That’s how they get you hooked, you see. MMO publishers use a similar model, but Blizzard is taking it to a new level with World of Warcraft Starter Edition. Traditionally, MMOs have come with a trial measured in days — usually 14 to 30. Blizzard is now letting prospective customers play World of Warcraft for free up to level 20. Here’s a clip from the press email I received:
We’ve removed the previous 10- and 14-day trial time restrictions, and players who are interested in trying out World of Warcraft can now play the base game for free up to a maximum character level of 20, including draenei and blood elf characters — all they need is a Battle.net account and an Internet connection. To mark the occasion, we’ve also given the trial a new name: World of Warcraft Starter Edition. Players who had previously signed up for 10- or 14-day trials will be able to hop back into the Starter Edition right where they left off.
Already one of the most popular and successful MMOs in the business, World of Warcraft should attract legions of new players with this new model. It’s bold. It’s aggressive. It probably has other MMO publishers crying and/or banging their heads on brick walls.
What do you think of the new WoW model? Are you willing to give it a shot now that the free-to-play time is more generous?
Testing. Please ignore.
I don't have that kind of time on my hands. I used to love Warcraft games, but I tried out WoW and it spent 2 days downloading updates so I canceled even trying and never looked back.
I might try it now that I won't be wasting 2-3 of my 14 days on downloading.
Yeah I don't have the time for this game either, but this is an even better/more tempting offer than what the 10/14 day trial before.
Blizzard you are so cunning. You hook'em up to the middle of the "Legend of Stalvan" quest chain. Damn you!
Ha, Legend of Stalvan…. I retried WoW, then gave it up again lol. Soon I'll be back to XI, XIV >_>