Summary
- Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is exciting news for Xbox fans, as popular games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft will likely come to Xbox Game Pass on release.
- The future of World of Warcraft under Xbox Game Studios is uncertain, and the game's subscription fee may no longer exist if it is added to Game Pass.
- If World of Warcraft's subscription fee goes away, Blizzard will need to find new ways to monetize the game, such as implementing more microtransactions or DLC. Microsoft may also offer WoW as an additional add-on to Game Pass or keep it as a separate MMO sub within the Xbox ecosystem.
After a year of court battles, Microsoft has finally acquired Activision Blizzard. This means that the likes of Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Diablo, and World of Warcraft are now under the Xbox Game Studios banner. That is extremely exciting news for Xbox fans, especially because a lot of it is likely to come to Xbox Game Pass on release. But, if World of Warcraft makes its way to the service, then that may come with a few drastic changes.
One of the biggest questions that the World of Warcraft community seems to have right now is what the future of Azeroth will look like. While another expansion is rumored to be on the horizon, now that it is under Xbox Game Studios Blizzard's approach to the game could change. Specifically, the game could find new life on Game Pass if Microsoft wants it to. However, since the game already has a subscription, that decision could completely change WoW's business model over the past 19 years.
WoW's Subscription Fee May Not Be Here For Much Longer
Since its inception, World of Warcraft has survived on a monthly subscription fee. There may be a way to play the game without that fee, but the only way to experience everything is to subscribe. Additionally, each new expansion has cost players an extra fee depending upon what edition they buy, In recent years, Blizzard has opened up new revenue streams for the brand, but the main driving force behind development still seems to be that sub fee.
Microsoft has not really shared what it has planned for World of Warcraft now that it is an Xbox Game Studios game. However, based on previous acquisitions, there is a high chance that the game will get added to Xbox Game Pass sometime in the next year. If that is the case, then players may see some changes going forward. Unless Microsoft wants to charge an additional subscription on top of the Game Pass one, then WoW's sub fee may disappear.
If WoW's sub fee goes away, then Blizzard will likely look for new ways to earn money from the MMO. That would mean more microtransactions, possibly other forms of DLC, and a whole new monetization model. It could also lead to the adoption of battle passes like Halo Infinite or even more cash-shop cosmetics. While this would likely not be received well by the community, Blizzard will need a way to keep supporting development of the iconic MMO.
There is also a chance that Microsoft just changes WoW's sub fee into something else. Instead of just including it in Game Pass, the studio could offer it as an additional add-on like it did with Xbox Live Gold. It turned that into Xbox Game Pass Core, which offers the same service plus an additional 25 games. If players want access to the full Game Pass library, then they must subscribe to a higher tier. Moreover, WoW could follow that example by also just being another Game Pass tier.
There is also a chance that Microsoft does not actually do anything with World of Warcraft after the acquisition. The game has been going strong for around 19 years now, so Microsoft may have little reason to change Blizzard's approach. The game may just continue as a separate MMO sub backed by the Xbox ecosystem and may simply just be bootable through the Xbox client rather than Battle.net. If it follows Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, it may even move over to Steam, but that remains to be seen.
These next couple of months will be interesting as Microsoft gains control of some of the biggest IPs in gaming. Fans will likely have to wait a bit before it is ready to announce anything, and whatever it announces will surely be big. And hopefully at least one of those announcements tells World of Warcraft fans what the future of Azeroth has in store for them.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.