What will happen when World of Warcraft dies?

[Frybread]

World of Warcraft will die. Everquest will come to an end. Your character, your items, your guild will be deleted. If the history of other deceased online games holds true for tomorrow's dead, the developers will announce the closure months in advance so everyone will know the exact date. In those final days, would people still grind AV for 10 hours to get +30 elf shoes? Would everyone go insane, ninja-loot, cheat and try to get banned? We aren't able to know for sure, because nothing like this has ever happened. There have been incidents that were close, Motor City Online died, as well as Earth and Beyond and a bunch of MUDs, but those weren't MMORPGs, and aside from a 2 year disappearance of Meridian 59, there has never been a mass-market fantasy MMORPG that has ended.

The first is about to come. December 30th, 2005 marks the death of Asheron’s call 2. The players are in their final weeks as of this writing. Nobody I know cares, because nobody I know has ever played it, and before the announcement of its closure came I’d never read anything about it; all despite great word-of-mouth,

Originally Posted by A fan from an AC messageboard

People should treat AC2 like I tell my girlfriend to treat anal. Don't knock it until you try it....twice.

That was from a fan of the game convincing his friends to play, a fan, and the best he could say about Asheron’s Call 2 is that it's similar to getting rammed in the ass.

Don’t assume this only happens to anal sims. Death will come to your favorite MMORPG too, and odds are you’ll be alive to witness it. Will you log on for the final month? If you do, prepare yourself. For most people, the last days will not be spent on drawn-out quests, long item camps, or 12-hour grind sessions. Oh no, people will do things differently. They’ll be enlightened.

Psychobudz, level 9-trillion Undead Warlock, server: Archimonde

I logged on again today, I don’t even know why. World of Warcraft is ending in three weeks and all my work, my epic sword, my guild, and my character I’ve worked on for the past 13 years will be gone.

I’ve spent so much effort doing mindless harvesting of digital crap, sheer drudgery, and it has provided no true benefit to anyone, and earns no respect from society. I now see the error of my ways and I’m giving up domaining forever. Oh, and I guess WoW too since its closing, but first I’m totally going to ninja-loot and train a group.

Bluntoke, level 8-million billion Tauren Warrior, server: Frostmerge

With 4 days left, PvP stats will never be updated again. The 12 straight hours I just spent in AV were for nothing. I hate AV but I wanted that rank, because then I could get one step closer to the rank after that, and then… well, I guess I’d have to grind AV even more. IMO, this is a FTL situation like being OOM on a MC raid with some idiot shouting ORLY. I know, I know, "cry more newb" but I only wanted complete strangers to respect me due to my title and cool flaming sword, and now they never will. Well fuck them, I’m going to spend all my gold on Junglevine Wine, then ninja-loot a group and train them... FTW

Mcfatass, level something or something server: whatever

I’m just 10 levels away from getting level 9 trillion, but the game closes down tomorrow. If I don't sleep I could get the highest level about 10 minutes before the end, but what is it for? I won't win because I'm a high level. There is no winning. I think instead I’ll have some fun. I’ll go spend all my gold on booze and get in-game drunk, then ninja-loot and train a raid!

Exicutioner, level 9-trillion Human Paladin server: Bleeding Hollow

I’ve led this guild for 7 years now, and as a final farewell, I got everyone together for one last Nefarian raid. And then some faggot trained us.

Ralphy, level 0 server: N/A

I bought AC2 at GameStop today for $50, I can’t wait to play!

That’s actually one I worry about, when Motor City Online closed down, the game was still being sold at Circuit City. And for anyone who bought it, who read the ad on the back of the box and became excited enough to take it home and install it, they got nothing. When an online game closes, it's gone for good, and retailers don't understand this phenomenon. I guarantee it will happen with AC2.

You can't experience the world's first MMORPG closure unless you're one of 12 people who already has an AC2 account because their sign-up server shut down last week. But if it's anything like the end of beta, expect GMs to slaughter players by the hundreds, people to spout racism, trains, scams, and gold/items being destroyed for the hell of it. Until then, no matter what game you play, WoW, EQ, whatever, have fun anyway. Play every day as though it were the game's last, so get out there and ninja-loot, train and run illegal casinos.

A+++++++++++++ would read again and share with all my friends and co-workers.

[Frybread]

Hey my mom found the site!

[Nkai]

I estimate the first three sentences of this article made ~77% +/- 5% of gaming readers curl up into a mental fetal position, at least momentarily.

I'd say about 11% of them are still there, whimpering pitifully in the awful realization of their own gaming mortality.

(and 63% of statistics are made up on the spot)

[Unregistard]

omg WoW will never die. They have millions and millions of subscribers and they couldn't ever just shut down the servers like that. I am grinding AV so that I can have the right gear to fund my retirement and I would sue blizzard for like a millon dollars if they ruined my life like that.

Unless they don't BUFF mages in the next patch. and I mean REAL buff like hunters got, not a craptastic lame "buff" like Paladins are getting... If they dont FINALLY FIX MAGES to be the best damage dealers in the game like they ARE SUPPOSED TO BE then i will cancel my account and never look back.

but other than that they can't possibly shut this game down -- its too IMPORTANT

Its not the fact the server will shut down but the fact that WoW will be come diminishing to others and they will soon end up quitting.......... not the fact that servers will shut down in the game but more in your head when you realize youve been working on an online game when you could of spent all that time getting ready for you S.A.T's which were held in the week coming. Its great to learn a lesson who knowone but yourself has tought you it.

REDRUM REDRUM REDRUM REDRUM

Only when it is about to be forgot, it is about to die.

I played EverQuest for 4 years, and guess what ? Whether it dies now or not , it doesn't matter to me. The days I fought in Norrah has been a part of my memory. Or to say , it has been indifferent to me whether it's alive or dead now.


And , for the company, only when people stop paying , will the MMORPG die.
I myself also held a MUD game. It runs for 12 years, and haven't die yet. Since there are audiences, the actors should still do play.

[Gaston]

Actually the advent of MMORPG "death" has already been addressed by Blizzard in a future patch. This is a quote from a very reliable guy:

"The primary issue with making MMORPGS on an epic scale is truly making them...well, epic. These are not games where you farm for ephemeral items, or go on everyday quests. Neigh, these games are full of titles like legendary, epic, and really great. It is the question that developers struggle with on a daily basis:"How do we make World of Warcraft last forever?"

Now many will think that Blizzard is completely unprepared for the day when our costumer base dwindles, and our liabilities outweigh our assets. Well, I am here to tell you that we do in fact have a plan. We are right now testing a technology that will fully immerse you in a simulated World of Warcraft environment. Imagine the holdodeck in Star Trek. Now imagine that it's set to WoW, and there's nothing you can do to change it, and you're locked in there for the rest of your life! The hologram version will function exactly like the computer version, complete with gender reversal options. So you middle age men can still take on the appearance of a sexy young night elf female (Blizzard takes no responsibility for cases of mistaken identity and/or resulting gender confusion isssues that result).

So keep grinding noble night elf, for your legacy art secure!"

So, as you can see, the proof is in the pudding; and I'm settling down for some freakin' tapioca.

So, that makes me wonder if I want to roll a NE Male or NE Female.... hmm....

i wonder what happens when this site ends? will people stop playing video games? or just that FryBread died?

[Uncle Morgy]

I have one thing to say about this.

Well, maybe two.

Tried logging onto the Diablo servers lately?

How about starcraft?

Yeah. WoW coming down any time soon has about the same chance as any of -those- servers coming down soon.

gg, hf.

Me like pie!

MMORPG will live as long as ppl pay.
If there is eounght ppl willing to subscribe WoW, even if Blizzzard closed down, some other company will buy out Blizzard and reactivate all WoW accounts.

Anyway if WoW end, I would have kill more noods......humm......Yea,I am going to kill some noods now XD

[isobelle]

Originally Posted by Guest

If there is eounght ppl willing to subscribe WoW, even if Blizzzard closed down, some other company will buy out Blizzard and reactivate all WoW accounts.

hmm... if there were enough people willing to subscribe to WoW.. why would blizzard be closed down?

and if blizzard did close down, why would someone buy them just to 'reactivate' old accounts? if anything, they'd step in with a game of their own to fill the gaping hole.

not that any of that will happen soon.

the only thing shutting WoW down will be WoW2.

odd

[MadMommaMoo]

Originally Posted by Frybread

But if it's anything like the end of beta, expect GMs to slaughter players by the hundreds, people to spout racism, trains, scams, and gold/items being destroyed for the hell of it.

I remember the end of beta and OMG wasn't that FUN?!!!! Kind of like "party 'til it's 1999!" The way you described it above though...sounds like WoWmagedon.

O.o

Blizzard is making like 500 million dollars a mouth they would not give that up anytime soon

[Lesson25]

Noone said they would close it down soon.

Only that they will close it down. Eventually.

[Khatib]

Originally Posted by ACK!

Blizzard is making like 500 million dollars a mouth they would not give that up anytime soon

??

L2math

When you are about to die in real life, then you will realize as well that all your struggles will have been for nothing.

All your big successes and your big defeats of your life will be mere blurry watercolorspots, slowly fading into each other and finally disappear or be forgotten

[Unregistard]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

When you are about to die in real life, then you will realize as well that all your struggles will have been for nothing.

All your big successes and your big defeats of your life will be mere blurry watercolorspots, slowly fading into each other and finally disappear or be forgotten

juggalos dont die, bitch.

It's 2007, They are adding a expansion... Yes your right, they'd spend a good tens of thousands of dollars on a new expansion when they are going to close it in a week... Trust me, if anything, World of Warcraft is growing though only slightly...

Yes, the general gist of the article was that WoW is closing tomorrow...lern tu red dumas

[Reygar]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

It's 2007, They are adding a expansion... Yes your right, they'd spend a good tens of thousands of dollars on a new expansion when they are going to close it in a week... Trust me, if anything, World of Warcraft is growing though only slightly...

1 word + 3 letters: Unregistered F T W


i can't believe people still think the articles here are serious.... do they actually read the articles before posting?

[Reygar]

Originally Posted by ACK!

Blizzard is making like 500 million dollars a mouth they would not give that up anytime soon

500 million a mouth? i dont pay that much to play and it'll take eons for them to make that much off me.

Originally Posted by Nkai

I estimate the first three sentences of this article made ~77% +/- 5% of gaming readers curl up into a mental fetal position, at least momentarily.

I'd say about 11% of them are still there, whimpering pitifully in the awful realization of their own gaming mortality.

(and 63% of statistics are made up on the spot)

I was totally thinking the same exact thing.



I just can't wait to seize the moment it happens.

[derkaderka]

...... sometimes that you could go thru a computer screen and beat somone in the face woth a tackhammer? GAWD!

Wow will die as everything did, is dying and will die, its just the question of when.I played wow too, for a bout a year, got 30 days played and then i thought, wtf am i doing, why am i losing my time on this??? i spent 30 days of 365(one year for the ones born yesterday) and that sux imo.As u see, the wowish dictionairy still follows me but i can say thats the only useful thing about wow...wow will fall,one day,and i think that the result of the server closures will be terrifying, and im talking about suicides here, becouse ppl are too used to it, it has become their way of life, anyway, wow will die, im off to read Sillmarilion now, J.R.R.TOlkien will never die...

Wow will someday end.. but only when there isn't enough people to support it. As it declines, chances are good Blizzard will simply consolodate Servers as needed, development will slow down. Costs will be cut. Eventually it will be a small number of of servers with very little, if any development. I suppose eventually even those will be shut down, but not untill people stop paying. Servers are cheep to run. What makes a game expensive to run is support and development. Those can be scaled down to match the size of the remaining community.

Death of wow is just another path...to the next MMO!!!,damn it cant end until ppl come up to something more amusing that mmos

WoW is alive so fk the hell up! >..<

If you wrote the same article, but changed levels to income brackets, points to money, servers to coffee shops, quests to projects, friends to friends, pets to pets, etc etc - wouldn't it just be LIFE?

I submit that if life has a point, then so does warcraft. If warcraft doesn't, then neither does life. It could even be that warcraft players are living twice, or then again it could be that both players and non-players aren't living at all.

I just find it interesting that I've read the same arguments against warcraft in philosophy works about life. That and it's extremely funny that this article ridicules how a players of a game would react exactly how the living would react to the impending end of the world. Other than terminology, I can't tell the two apart.

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
-HDT

You know, people give others a LOT of grief about this game, and it's understandable/inevitable (with ALL things considered) that anything outside the realms of "the cool kids" (cool kids Do have a realm, they just call it something else) would be frowned upon.
If you think Warcraft is "gay" or "pointless" or "nerdy", then don't play and keep your opinions to yourself. I find it sad that you have to make stupid and insulting jokes (term used LOOSELY) because you don't have the imagination or intellect to enjoy something like this.
This game is great.
I have a job (tattooing), a life (sing for a death/heavy metal band and party my ass off), have been through college (video game design) and have REGULAR pieces of female-ass I can take full and willing advantage of.
Most of the people that I KNOW in real life that play WoW would probably kick your teeth out of the back of your head if you said a single thing insomuch as a similar vein to some of the ridiculousness spewed forth from your limited "intellect" (another term used VERY loosely).
Grow the fuck up, and find something productive to rant and rave about, find something that HURTS civilization versus inspiring it's creativity and imagination, then attack that REAL threat to YOUR way of living.
Warcraft is still alive by the way, almost 12 million players strong, live action movie in production (directed by Sam "Evil Dead GOD" Raimi), and merchandise galore...
Someone's rich, and all from coming up with something a low-esteemed-paramecium such as yourself could never have even conceptualized a fragment of a quark of.
I think you're jealous because these people found community and something to do other than screw their second (or first) cousins and kick a sixer' of P.B.R. back while watching the Bug-Zapper...
I bid you Adieu DOUCHEBAG!!!
Shade Thomas
http://www.Myspace.com/mystersynyster
(oh, and PLEASE contact me to harrass me, I love a good showing up of an idiot from time to time and people like you make me want to go Bundy or Dahmer or Gayce...)

Hard to believe the original article was written back in 2005, and here is WoW almost 5 years later and still going strong.

I dont know if it will ever end, if it does, I know exactly how it'll go down.

We know that the most likely reason for the game ending is because people will stop playing. Once the population of subscribers dips to the level where Blizzard ceases to profit in the WoW department, the company will have a meeting to improve the game in a last ditch effort to milk the ip. When that fails, the company will pull all the major resources directed at maintaining the game and assign them to other projects or lay them off to save some money and improve the companys overall profits. The lack of new updates because of the limited resources will turn people off the game, reducing server costs and allowing the company to maitain a ratio of servers to subscribers where they make just a miniscule profit. By this time they will surely have developed a new MMORPG which has grown just a popular as WoW, but thats not what we're talking about. Eventually, there would be so few people playing WoW that they can quietly shut down the game for good and not get much more then a 5 line press release that will surely be ignored or overshadowed by the actual news that day. Mind you, this process can take years, the population of subscribers has to at Motor City levels when that one shut down.

The game will be over, someone will start a volunteer organization dedicated to bringing back the game and the game will last forever on private servers. There is already a working infastructure to a private server community, it would just grow from the WoW subscribers switching over to it. * **

Everyone's DEAD wrong about the "DEATH" of an MMO. I was a volunteer scripter and Game Master for Origin Systems Entertainment's MMO "Ultima Online" through the early to mid 90's.
This game was Everquest's daddy, and is World of Warcraft's GRAND-Daddy.
It is also $15.00 a month, 2-Dimensional "Above View" and STILL (in 2009) alive and KICKING, actually THRIVING.
A good game will never truly "die".
World of Warcraft is a GREAT game with a TON of thought, and love, and time invested into it. If you talked to ANY of Blizzards developers, they would speak of this game as a member of their family. This is something they've struggles to improve and enhance and break the bounds of "what a game is and should be".
So, much like Ultima Online, Everquest, Runescape (crappy, but people LOVE it) and many other games, World of Warcraft will never "die" off. I don't even see it fading into the obscurity of "exclusively for private, client-run" servers.
Oh, and the NEW exapansion coming out (YES more growth, races, level and stat tuning, paths of progression, and maps/areas) looks SWEET, and is FAR from some desperate "last gasp" attempt at saving a "failing" MMORPG. The new expansion actually appears to be the offering of a company with a group of genius's in virtually every department that exists within Blizzard. Find something else to attack and go lick your wounds because you look like a moron.
Almost 12,000,000 players and rising, obscurity is something YOU'LL definitely fade into long before W.o.W. does.
I bid you Adieu DOUCHEBAG!
Ave,
Shade Thomas

<p>Special sale <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/">Timeberland Boots</a> in http://www.officialtimberland.com/and that is your best choice.<br>
You can enjoy the newest style <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/timberland-classic-c-9.html">Classic Timberland boots</a> and comfortable <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/timberland-mens-6-inch-c-1.html">Timberland Men's 6 Inch Boot</a>.</p>
<p>At last ,you can give your kids memorable childhood or <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/">Christmas gift</a>, you can choice <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/timberland-kids-boot-c-4.html">Kid's Timberland Boot</a>.</p>
<p>Order now,you can enjoy more <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/" target="_parent">Cheap Timberland Boots </a></p>

<p>Special sale <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/">Timeberland Boots</a> in http://www.officialtimberland.com/and that is your best choice.<br>
You can enjoy the newest style <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/timberland-classic-c-9.html">Classic Timberland boots</a> and comfortable <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/timberland-mens-6-inch-c-1.html">Timberland Men's 6 Inch Boot</a>.</p>
<p>At last ,you can give your kids memorable childhood or <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/">Christmas gift</a>, you can choice <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/timberland-kids-boot-c-4.html">Kid's Timberland Boot</a>.</p>
<p>Order now,you can enjoy more <a href="http://www.officialtimberland.com/" target="_parent">Cheap Timberland Boots </a></p>

Official <strong><a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/">ghd</a></strong>Website - shop online for <strong><a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/">ghd</a></strong><a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/"> hair straighteners</a>, the new limited edition Rare <strong><a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/pure-ghd-iv-styler-p-3798.html">ghd</a></strong><a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/pure-ghd-iv-styler-p-3798.html"> IV styler</a>, <a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/pure-ghd-iv-styler-p-3798.html">ghd straightener purple</a>, <a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/">ghd flat iron</a>, <a href="http://www.ghdhairon.com/chi-flat-iron-c-2.html">chi flat iron</a>, with free all around world 7 day delivery.

<p>Welcome our webstore,you can enjoy more cheap <a href="http://www.ladyugs.com/">UGG Boots</a>.Offer all styles boots sale for you:<a href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-mens-hammond-c-19.html">UGG Men's Hammond</a>, <a href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-mens-matala-c-18.html">UGG Men's Matala</a>, <A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-amelie-suede-c-8.html">Ugg Amelie Suede</A>,<A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-bailey-button-c-25.html"> UGG Bailey Button</A>,<A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-classic-cardy-c-12.html"> UGG Classic Cardy</A>, <A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-classic-crochet-c-15.html">UGG Classic Crochet</A>,<A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-classic-mini-c-14.html">UGG Classic Mini</A>, <A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-classic-short-c-1.html">UGG Classic Short</A>,<A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-classic-tall-c-13.html">UGG Classic Tall</A>,<A href="http://www.ladyugs.com/ugg-coquette-c-27.html"> Ugg Coquette</A></p>