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3/10/2014

Warlords of Draenor Release Date: On/Before 12/20/2014, Price: -$10



Along with announcing the current availability of the pre-purchase of Warlords of Draenor which includes a level instant 90 character boost (a "$60 Value" according to the graphic above) another thing caught our eye: the expected release date.

While Blizzard don't give an exact release date for Warlords of Draenor they give "Fall of 2014" as the "Expected Game Release" as well as "on or before 12/20/2014". Read on for more of our thoughts.

Hopefully Not Soon™


According to Wikipedia Autumn (also know as "Fall"):

"In the Northern Hemisphere, it begins with the autumnal equinox in September and ends with the winter solstice in December."

So there you have it. Blizzard expects us to have Warlords of Draenor in our greedy little hands some time between September and December of 2014.


Approximate Warlords of Draenor Release Date On Store Page


On the Warlords of Draenor Pre-Purchase Blizzard Store page it states the "Game is expected to release on or before 12/20/2014".

That means from the time of this writing, unless there is some big shift in Warlords of Draenor release, we have between 6 to 9 months before we can start making gold in Draenor.

If you're preparing your gold-making empire for the next expansion you now have an approximate idea of the time table you have to work with.

Spend Money To Save Money


One last thing I thought I'd point out is that Blizzard is hyping the instant level 90 boost as a "$60 Value" (as seen in the graphic above). This strikes me as an interesting move. If you weren't aware of the boost before the price announcement you'd think you were getting a heck of a deal.

"I get a free service priced at $60 when I purchase this $50 expansion? I'm saving money by buying this expansion!"

I find this much more revealing as to why they may have priced the boost at $60. By making the price of the boost $60 and making the expansion cost $50 with a "$60 Value" boost attached it is made to see that the expansion is really costing you -$10.

I'd call Blizzard the wizards of spin when they can price a service themselves and then turn around and let people know that they are getting a service worth $60 when they purchase a $50 expansion.

It's kind of a brilliant bit of marketing on Blizzard's part.

Laggards Unite!


At the end here I thought I's share a cute little video that Blizzard produced for the purchase Warlords of Draenor Pre-Purchase page.

If you're not clear who they are aiming the level 90 boosts at this trailer makes it very clear. (Spoiler alert: If you're reading this, it most likely isn't you.)





YouTube: Warlords of Draenor Trailer: Wish You Were Here


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Posted by iiimjiiim on 3/10/2014 Labels: , , ,

2 comments :

  1. TailswishMar 10, 2014, 6:07:00 PM

    That is definitely an interesting point on the price. What probably muddled that marketing a bit was that this expansion costs $10 more than any previous expansion has (all previous expansions were $40 at release). While I think the price difference is minor, probably related to rising costs, and still definitely worth it, the feedback I've been seeing on the pricing is, if anything, the opposite of what you say.

    I've been seeing quite a few people put out by that $10 increase vs. previous expansion, attributing it all to the level 90 boost, and saying this means we're essentially paying $10 for something we were promised for free. I don't agree with them, and I doubt it will actually affect these people's decisions to buy the expansion, but it's interesting nonetheless to see the pricing sometimes having the opposite effect from what you discussed.

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  2. iiimjiiimMar 10, 2014, 10:50:00 PM

    I noticed the $10 difference and I can't account for it. Perhaps the bean counters calculated that the amount gained from a $10 higher price would be greater than the sales lost due to the increase.

    I'm not sure it's tied to the level 90 boost. Unless they had planned a $40 "no boost" and a $50 "with boost" price.

    In fact they could still be planning a $40 "no boost" price for when the expansion is actually released but just chose not to do pre-releases yet because there wouldn't be any real benefit for players pre-purchasing a $40 "no boost" edition.

    Basically people that want the boost can purchase now and those who don't can just wait.

    If they can get it set in people's minds that the boosts are really worth $60 (which is really just an arbitrary price) then they stand to sell lots of ($10 more expensive) $50 expansions + boost because if you're already planning to pay $60 for a boost you might as well pay $50 and get the expansion at the same time.

    Again all sorts of brilliant jiggery-pokey on Blizzard's marketing and accounting departments. I don't think Blizzard has ever been accused of *not* knowing how to make money.

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