Mists of Pandaria discussion

[TheDragoon]

I think there's definitely some validity to the argument that WoW is different than other MMOs. For one, simply by the sheer number of subscribers, WoW has reached a much broader audience than any of the other games. I think it would be a mistake to assume that WoW's playerbase has the same characteristics as other MMOs have had. The big reason that I have seen for WoW attracting more people is because it has more broad appeal which means that it is drawing in different types of people than the other games. WoW has attracted hardcore raiders, people looking for PvP experiences, and a huge number and diversity of more casual groups such as friends and family who are just looking for something to do together, explorers, fans of the Warcraft universe, and RPG fans just to name a few. The fact that WoW can reach out to such a huge, diverse audience is what has allowed it to collect such a huge following, the extent to which no other game has achieved.

So I think there are some differences that need to be accounted for, and it also makes it more difficult to pinpoint exactly what is driving people away. For that, you'd need access not only to the number of people leaving the game but details of what type of player they are and what the reason is for leaving. Interestingly, Blizzard does have some of that data since they have surveys they ask people to fill out when they cancel their accounts, so one would think that they're looking long and hard at that data and would look to address the concerns it raises as they continue to develop and expand the game.