With World of Warcraft subscriptions dropping significantly earlier this year—A dip of 14% of subscribers, or 1.3 million players, particularly in the East, a big question on many players’ minds is growing bigger; What’s next, Blizzard? This may not be the first time Blizzard has lost a subscription base en masse, but with the rapid loss of players that World of Warcraft has been experiencing over the years, a new direction might be the company’s best move.
When Star Wars the Old Republic was released in late December, 2011, many players made the shift to try the new game on the market, however, the transition was clearly short lived. So what might the future of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) hold? What aspects are games missing that players are now wanting? Perhaps it’s a sense of community, or possibly a lack of competitiveness. Regardless, at the rate World of Warcraft is headed, the future looks grim at best for players.
Technology has been rapidly evolving over the last several years, and it’s no shock that with rapidly evolving technology, users across the globe are starting to get a greater vision of their idealistic entertainment methods. While World of Warcraft has continued to evolve with the times, a paradigm shift of sorts, especially regarding the science of gaming, may suggest that the original concept of the generally well received fantasy world may be over due for dramatic change or replacement.
The long rumored “Titan” MMORPG from Blizzard may be part of Activision’s solution, but with a lack of reported momentum toward the project, online roleplaying games may fall into a state leaving other companies with an opening for a quick profit sweep and potentially free-reign of the market’s direction. The larger question still remains however: will Blizzard out-do themselves and plug the holes in their sinking ships, or should gamers anticipate a new fleet at sea soon?
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