moonsvenstrup223977

p>World of Warcraft to test in-game payments

/p>

p>8 July 2013

/p>

p>World of Warcraft maker Blizzard will begin to experiment with a system that lets players use real money to buy items in the game.

/p>

p>Blizzard revealed the experiment in a post on the WoW chat forums.

/p>

p>Up until now, players have been allowed to spend real money in out-of-game shops to purchase mounts and pets for their characters.

/p>

p>A potion is the very first item players can buy to increase their experience points from loot and kills.

/p>

p>The Enduring Elixir of Wisdom boosts the rewards for experience by 100% and is available on the game's test servers. It can only be used by players who have an account with a level 85 or higher.

/p>

p>A Blizzard community manager called Zarhym said that the elixir was one of the elements Blizzard was testing to test in-game purchases. They suggested that other elements would soon be added to these test realms. https://datchley.name/ </p>

p>"We are currently exploring the possibility of introducing a method for players in certain regions to make purchases directly within the game," Zarhym wrote, noting that Blizzard would provide more details in the near future.

/p>

p>It is unclear who will be the first to purchase in-game in full game or when the change will occur. Industry experts speculated that it would happen first in Asia where the bulk of WoW's players are located.

/p>

p>The move is widely regarded as an attempt by WoW to shore up its declining player base. Blizzard announced in May that 1.3 million people have stopped playing the game during the first three months 2013. At present, 8.3 million people are still playing the game. In 2010, subscriber numbers peaked at 12 million.

/p>

p>Previous attempts to make the game more attractive included making it free to play up to level 20 and adding new races playable.

/p>

p>WoW is being challenged with other highly playable online games that are free to play throughout. Many of these games have already adopted the same strategy as Blizzard and allow players to purchase real money to purchase gear, boosts, and other equipment for their characters.

/p>

p>Warns from World of Warcraft maker

/p>

p>Gamers leaving World of Warcraft

/p>

p>9 May 2013

/p>

p>Blizzard reveals trading card game

/p>

p>22 March 2013

/p>

p>Games to teach physics

/p>

p>25 March 2013

/p>

p>World of Warcraft

/p>