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Counter-Strike: Source (2004)

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Discussion

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A dedicated gamer's YouTube channel celebrating gaming. The good, the bad, and the two polygon. Logical Leveling talks about everything gaming: news, upcoming games, and reviews. As well as some of the more obscure topics, like the impact of a certain game and why a game failed. If you're a lifelong fan of video games and everything about them, this is a home for you.

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#wow #worldofwarcraft

If you've not heard the news, Microsoft Gaming has made a deal with Activision Blizzard to buy them for a cool $68.7 Billion. This has left gamers with many questions about different games, IPs, people, and companies. 

But I wanted to specifically talk about World of Warcraft and what it could mean for the franchise's future, and now that the dust has settled, we can get into it.

First, I wanted to address the small but real negative reaction. There aren't many, but I've seen some think this will be bad for WoW. I couldn't disagree more. 

WoW is the only game that hates me as much as I love it. Unfortunately, like many, my frustrations with the game and Blizzard won out last year, and I unsubbed after years of play. I know many other content creators felt the same way. My point is that I don't think it's hard to argue that WoW is at its lowest point in quite some time, and it simply can't get any worse. There are already loads of people that hit the same tipping point and left. So worst-case scenario, nothing changes, people continue to leave, and those who are already not playing the game continue to not play the game. Therefore a shake-up at Blizzard's core is not only necessary, but it might be the only thing possible to win over the millions that have left WoW over the years. And even if this deal doesn't do that, I don't see how it could make it worse.  

Next is the subscription and move to Game Pass. I've heard some believe that WoW would move away from the subscription and move to a free-to-play model. I don't think this will happen. World of Warcraft still makes a lot of money for Activision Blizzard through its subscription, and I don't believe Microsoft will force any significant changes.

Microsoft has made a number of rather large acquisitions over the last few years. All the interviews and news from those acquisitions show that Microsoft's mentality to those purchases is to keep helping the developers do what they're doing and what they want to do in the future and not force them to do something they don't want. So unless Blizzard themselves plan on going free-to-play, I don't think WoW's business model will be changing any time soon. 

I also don't think it will be included in Game Pass. Which, I know, is a bummer, and people will disagree with me. I hope I'm wrong. Microsoft has been working hard on making a Game Pass subscription a must-have deal for consumers and the place to be for developers. And adding a WoW subscription is precisely the kind of incentive to keep that loop flowing. But this isn't the first MMO Microsoft has acquired.

Elder Scrolls Online found itself under Microsoft Gaming after Bethesda was purchased in March 2021. Now ESO's subscription is optional. So unlike World of Warcraft, you don't need a subscription to play the game. It's simply an option that comes with in-game perks. With that said, an ESO subscription is not included in Xbox Game Pass. You get a discount for the in-game store and access to the Morrowind expansion but not a subscription. And again, I get that the situation is different with ESO not requiring a subscription to access, but I think the argument for a WoW sub on Game Pass is the same argument of an ESO sub on game pass. The idea of enticing gamers (especially those who already pay for a subscription) to switch to Game Pass in order to grow that user base. Yet they haven't done it. So just looking at the only evidence we have, I don't think a WoW sub will be a part of Game Pass. But, again, I hope I'm wrong.

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