09-20-2008, 06:32 PM
Quote:You misunderstand, this is the last expansion that they're going to sell in stores. Any further expansions will probably either be free for those that have bought the expansions up to this point or they will be purchased through Blizzard for a nominal fee for download (say $10 to $15 since there will be no need for packaging and middle men).
5 to 6 years is when the technology of a MMO really starts to show how long in the teeth it is. It also tends to be the time when you start to see a slow decline in subscribers as newer MMOs with better technology come out. Right now, there isn't much competition against WoW because no one has quite figured out Blizzard's formula. Likewise, SOE has proven that you can run multiple MMOs at once and still make a good amount of money.
You're talking in MMO generalities about a game that is ten times as successful as its nearest competitor. Whatever may be generally true about MMOs, you can be pretty sure WoW isn't typical.
-Jester