Although World of Warcraft is still the most successful MMORPG to ever grace a personal computer, the evergreen game is starting to finally show significant signs of decline. Due to its age and the explosion of free-to-play competitors, Blizzard’s flagship product has lost 1.3 million subscribers over the past three months. So, how do you stop the fall of a giant? According to Activision, you release an even steadier stream of new content to keep those paying customers interested.
During yesterday’s conference call with investors, CEO Bobby Kotick discussed the changing nature of the online market, claiming that Activision will continue to invest in the long-running subscription MMO even though the numbers have been taking a hit. Seeking Alpha has provided a slew of quotes from the talk.
"It's important to note that the nature of online games has changed, and with the environment becoming far more competitive, especially with free-to-play games," Kotick said. "To address this, we're working to release new content more frequently to keep our players engaged longer and make it easier for lapsed players to come back into the game. We believe in the long-term value of this franchise and will continue to commit substantial resources to World of Warcraft."
The company actually expects further decline, but with a more frequent flow of new content and a handful of good reasons for old players to return, Activision hopes that people will continue to support the massive online game.
"We're examining ways we can ease the transition back into the game for returning players," Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime added. "We've always seen players come and go from World of Warcraft. Smoothing out that transitional period is something we're studying, as we adjust our approach to player behavior and preferences."
Patches and updates are seen in WoW often, so don’t expect the team to leave this world behind anytime soon.
