Blizzard launches real money in-game pet store (plus some goes to charity)

[sickrubik]

This will probably incite some yelling in one form or another.

It would have been nice, I suppose to see them just donating 100% of profits, but then, anything is nice, really.

Quick summary: You can buy the Pandaren Monk and Lil KT that were exposed through Data Mining 3.3 stuff for $10 each. Now through the end of the year, 50% of the profits on the Pandaren go to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

http://www.wow.com/2009/11/04/blizzard-launches-real-money-in-game-pet-store/

http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000763

http://us.blizzard.com/store/browse.xml?f=c:5

[Thrawn]

I don't think it's a bad idea, but even 50% to charity seems greedy.  Should be all or none.

[Ingmar]

50% is a lot higher than those promos usually go isn't it? I have in my head that its usually something like "We'll donate a dollar from every iPod sale to Toys for Tots!" or whatever when companies do these sorts of promos.

[Thrawn]

50% is a lot higher than those promos usually go isn't it? I have in my head that its usually something like "We'll donate a dollar from every iPod sale to Toys for Tots!" or whatever when companies do these sorts of promos.

I've got to imagine something like an iPod though has a lot more overhead then a likely automated system that just adds a digital pet to a video game account.

[Sheepherder]

Even assuming there is no cost at all, by almost any measure Blizzard is donating more of their profit to charity.

[Ingmar]

I just picked iPod at random, the example works equally as well for low-overhead stuff.

[Sheepherder]

I've seen absolutely retarded fine print on charities like these, like "We will donate a dollar for every bottle of Dawn sold to save the seals."*

* $100 000 maximum.

Or, in other words, they will donate $100 000 for a large upswing in sales that will in all likelihood extend far past them reaching their limit.

[Sjofn]

I wish KT also donated money to charity, I think he's the bee's knees.

[Lakov_Sanite]

I just saw the two pets, the pandaren monk is the size of a dwarf and bows back when you bow at him...also /drink causes him to sit down and drink with you.

[Mrbloodworth]

There is a lot of crying over this, this thing that doesn't matter.

[Jayce]

I really hate microtrans, but it doesn't really affect me unless they start extending it to other things.

How much of this is lol Activision, I wonder?

[schild]

I don't think it's a bad idea, but even 50% to charity seems greedy.  Should be all or none.

Oh gtfo. Who the fuck are you to judge how much money a charity deserves from corporations?

I'm not saint, but I'm not completely full of myself as to believe I should be allowed to call such a thing greedy. Do you give more than 50% of your income (FROM ANYTHING) to charity? If not, please back the hell away.

[Ratman_tf]

Microtrans for pets is fine. It takes the fun out of finding/earning them though. Like everyone has a Blizz Bear, and it's only fun when the whole raid busts them out at once. 

[Paelos]

Microtrans for pets is fine. It takes the fun out of finding/earning them though. Like everyone has a Blizz Bear, and it's only fun when the whole raid busts them out at once. 

It's random, stupid, and costs less than most people spend on a lunch in a major city.

And yet it's so popular they broke the servers trying to process all the payments. I personally think it's a great idea, and I hope they do more pets this way.

[ezrast]

I would bet a small sum of real money that the 50% to charity came about as a direct result of some Blizzard execs sitting down and brainstorming ways to go about damage control on the "omg blizz r sellouts" backlash.

Also, usual wow.com writing quality shines through:

In a surprising and stunning move, Blizzard has just launched...

This appears to be the next logical step for them to take.

[Paelos]

I've yet to see the point against selling air to addicts.

[DayDream]

maybe crazy, but does this feel like they're testing the water for more general microtransactions to anyone else?  not saying it'll be leet epicz for $50, but more vanity pets and the like?

or am i so far out of touch that this train has already pulled into the station?

[Jayce]

maybe crazy, but does this feel like they're testing the water for more general microtransactions to anyone else?  not saying it'll be leet epicz for $50, but more vanity pets and the like?

That's what I was getting at. I don't like microtrans because I find it to be a bad dynamic.  To get something cool, you can spend just a littttle money.  Then just a litttle more... then more... then suddenly you've paid way more than you intended.  That some people can resist it more than others is not the point.

[Oban]

I bought both the pets last night, and would gladly pay for the ability to re-colour my armour or for additional emotes.

[Mattemeo]

Having experienced and payed for micro-transactions while playing City of Heroes (their brilliant costume pack options), I am neither surprised nor disheartened that Blizzard have now added pay-pets to their lengthy list of paid services. I am somewhat dismayed at the inflated price - $10 for a single pet seems about $5 too much imo, but Blizz is a business and there's plenty who believe that's a bargain. I'm even happy that they're going to give 50% of the proceeds of the Kung Fu Panda to a worthwhile charity - that's pretty much an unheard of percentage in these situations. My biggest problem is Blizzard and I don't see eye to eye when it comes to being able to pay for anything with my CC, so I am locked out of possible future pets they reveal (I have a feeling the baby windrider will be a pay-pet) unless they produce something along the lines of a timecard.

Also, apparently US pet codes work on EU servers, so if you're an EU player and don't feel like paying the 40% markup (10 euros/pet), buy US pets. This info comes from MMO-Champ forums so take that with a generous pinch of salt.

[Numtini]

I collect pets and will buy them.

It's not like people haven't been paying for the codes for promotional pets for a while. Murlocs run about 150. A collectors edition runs about 1200 with the code (and 250 without) and there's a Tyrael from the invitation on ebay right now for 1200.

Ten seems like kind of a bargain.

[Nebu]

I'd pay for the ability to hide shoulder armor on every toon I have. 

I like this move.  Giving money to charity for a meaningless in game item is a great idea. 

[Thrawn]

There is a lot of crying over this, this thing that doesn't matter.

Isn't that kind of....every single thing in WoW?

[Fordel]

I know your being a smart ass, but 'Matters' is relative here. The Pet has no mechanical effect on the game, it's purely cosmetic. If they were selling, say, +5 Swords of Awesome, then it would "matter".

[Mattemeo]

I'd pay for the ability to hide shoulder armor on every toon I have.

This. THIS. THIS.

[Mrbloodworth]

I know your being a smart ass, but 'Matters' is relative here. The Pet has no mechanical effect on the game, it's purely cosmetic. If they were selling, say, +5 Swords of Awesome, then it would "matter".

What you said is exactly what I meant, it doesn't matter. If they did add +5 swords (thought they already did), then I could understand, but I was referring to the OMGWTFRMTCANCEL postings.

EDIT: and anything that includes "Greedy".

[Delmania]

I am so tempted to buy that Lich.

[Dren]

I never go after achievements.  Any of them.  I don't go after pets, in - game or purchased.  That said, I have no problems with any of it because it makes other peoples' experience with the game that much better.  It's all good.  Anything they can keep doing to maintain a good population on the servers benefits everyone involved.  I'd be much more upset if they just stopped offering little carrots like this and let the game die off little by little.  We've all seen that happen too many times in the past, eh?

[Simond]

maybe crazy, but does this feel like they're testing the water for more general microtransactions to anyone else?  not saying it'll be leet epicz for $50, but more vanity pets and the like?

or am i so far out of touch that this train has already pulled into the station?

Yes: http://www.station.sony.com/en/stationcash/

[apocrypha]

I'll get all the enjoyment out of these pets seeing someone else with them in-game as I would if I paid £9 myself, but that's about it. Don't care if they add more fluff and I think it's unlikely they'll add in-game benefit items via microtrans in WoW.

It's definitely practice for a much more extensive move to microtrans in future product if they think they can make it work though. I don't see Blizzard making it as simple and obvious as £2.50 for a +5 sword of awesomeness though. I think they're far more likely to do something more creative with it, I dunno, maybe pay-per-view live events in-game, like the L70ETC gigs or the assorted holiday events.

There's a big market for the fluff though, no doubt. My GF instantly said, when I showed her these pets, that she'd pay £10 for an in-game baby murloc pet.

[Draegan]

I wish I could pro-rate 3 days of playtime instead of buying a month.  When's that coming?

[Trouble]

There's no way Blizzard will allow people to buy stuff that confers gameplay advantages though. That would rub way too many people the wrong way. It's certain that we should expect a hell of a lot of cosmetic shit to appear in that store before long, though.

[Cadaverine]

I wish they'd add more pets that have been around for a long while, like the vanilla collectors edition pets, or the murloc from the first Blizzcon, etc.  Or the option to buy the codes from the CCG loot cards without having to buy bajillion packs of cards, though I don't see that happening.

[Merusk]

I hope not.  Being able to pull out the Zerg, Diablor or panda in Dal and walk around with the other oldschool idiots as a kind of little club is half the fun of having it.

[Signe]

I like the mounts.  I don't really care so much about in game pets, though.  At least not to the level that I'd actually spend money on one.  Maybe in something like Free Realms where cuteness is one of the primary goals.  In WoW I get one of the cuties (like the penguin) and have it out for a while and then that's it.  I mostly forget about them.  I would, however, pay $$ to have an outfit system like the one in LOTRO.