The Mastery of Efficacy | By: Brooke Smith and Elizabeth Stringer
THE G. O. A. T. WORLD OF WARCRAFT’ S 20 YEARS OF PLAYER COMMITMENT
PART I
The Mastery of Efficacy | By: Brooke Smith and Elizabeth Stringer
Figure 1: World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary Official Art
One of the highest grossing games of all time is World of Warcraft( WoW) with $ 9.23 billion in revenue over 20 years of live service. [ 1 ] At its peak in 2010, WoW earned $ 1.2 billion with 12 million subscribers and is currently estimated to maintain 4 million annual subscribers. [ 2; 3 ]. Over the years, many game companies have tried to capture the success found with WoW [ 4 ]. Articles, old and new, can be found predicting the next“ WoW Killer”, a game that could dethrone it [ 4, 5 ]. However, no such game has convinced its 2 million daily players to abandon WoW [ 6 ]. Due to its uniquely sizeable player base and product sales longevity, WoW is arguably the greatest of all time( G. O. A. T.) relative to player commitment.
Generally knowing what has kept WoW players coming back is useful for publishers who wish to attract and retain revenue
Figure 2: Blizzard Entertainment Studios in Orange County, California
generating players. Launched online in 2004, Blizzard Entertainment both developed and self-published World of Warcraft [ 7 ]. Their blockbuster franchise has supported its millions of subscribers through updates and expansion packs that provide new content to players [ 7 ]. WoW currently makes money primarily through $ 15.00 monthly subscriptions, $ 50 to $ 90 expansion packs, and $ 10.00 to $ 60.00 microtransactions in the form of paid character services and cosmetic items [ 8; 9 ]. In sourcing WoW as a case study, deconstructing how player commitment has persisted for two decades stands out as an opportunity to model return on investment over time for its market segment. The role-playing game( RPG) market projections for total revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate( CAGR 2022- 2029) of 7.70 %, resulting in a projected market volume of US $ 73.46 billion by 2029 [ 10 ].