- The craziest news ever just came out of Blizzcon 2011. Diablo III will be free for World of Warcraft players who have a twelve month subscription.
- There has been talk that the Golden Age of MMOs is coming to an end. If ever there was a desperation move in response to that decline, this is it. Blizzard is obviously trying to establish a bulwark against declining subscriptions with Diablo III. And I think it is just crazy enough to work.
- I still like World of Warcraft enough that I know that I will subscribe again. If you consider the eventual retail cost of D3, that would be an amazing deal. Actually, now that I look, I don't know what the price of an annual subscription would be. The website only shows options up to six months. Curiouser and curiouser.
- UPDATE: According to Blizzard's website, this is not an annual subscription. Instead, it is a commitment to subscribe for twelve months under any of the prior subscription options. So if you subtract the cost of Diablo III (approximately $60), the subscription cost is effectively $120 (monthly), $108 (quarterly), or $96 (semiannually). If you were already going to buy D3 and want a WoW subscription, this makes it a no brainer.
- While I'm at it, I should also point out that signing up for an annual pass also grants the Tyrael's Charger mount as well as automatic access to the next beta. Looks like I'm headed back to WoW.
© 2011 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.
I'll buy Diablo III when it comes out and call it a day. For those who are playing WoW right now and know they'll faithfully continue to play WoW, though, this is actually a fantastic deal. That year's sub is a sunk cost anyway, and getting D3 free and a mount and guaranteed beta out of it is pretty sweet.
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