Blizzard has confirmed that it is actively exploring in-game micro-transactions for its popular MMO, World of Warcraft.
The news comes after players discovered the Enduring Elixir of Wisdom on the game’s Public Test Realm (PTR). The item, which has not been added to live servers, grants players a 100 percent increase to all experience earned when killing monsters and completing quests.
A post on the game’s forums by Blizzard community manager Zarhym said the item is part of a larger experiment related to giving players in certain, unspecified regions the opportunity to purchase digital goods from within the game world.
“We are currently exploring the possibility of adding a way for players in certain regions to make purchases directly within the game. As part of this process, elements related to this will be appearing on the PTR. We’ll provide additional updates on our plans as development progresses.”
The company has previously made available a mixture of items through its Blizzard Store, including pets, mounts and an in-game Cinder Kitten, which saw all proceeds donated to help Hurricane Sandy victims.
wysłany:
Taken from a Gamespot article, If this does come to fruition then I'm out, Blizzard are getting too greedy. -
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wysłany:
Echoing a what Bashiok said earlier, thanks for all the feedback so far everyone. We’re still pretty early in the exploration process, but we did want to go into more detail about our rationale for introducing an in-game store, as well as provide some insight into what you might ultimately see available there.
For players who are already interested in the in-game items we offer, such as Pet Store pets and mounts, the benefits of an in-game store are pretty clear. We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game, and ultimately that’s our long-term goal for the system, though there’s quite a bit of work involved in retrofitting those existing items into the new system. First, we’ll be testing the in-game store with some new kinds of items we’re looking into introducing (in Asian regions, at the outset) based on player feedback: specifically, an experience buff to assist with the leveling process, as well as an alternate way to acquire Lesser Charms of Good Fortune. We’ve had a lot of requests from players in different regions for convenience-oriented items such as these, and as with other new ideas we’ve introduced as WoW has evolved—including Pet Store pets, mounts, and more—your feedback plays a hugely important part in determining what we add to the game. Ultimately it’s still too early in the process to make any final determinations about our plans, but in the meantime, we hope you’ll check out the in-game store once it’s implemented on the PTR and let us know what you think. |
