Like Gazimoff I was sucked into the Annual Pass thing. I’ve had breaks from WoW before, but a new expansion generally draws me back in for a couple of tiers. When they released the Annual Pass, the shiny new pony and the opportunity of Mists of Pandaria beta AND a copy of Diablo 3 was just too good to pass up.
If I’m honest with myself, even though I’m not playing I probably would have been very lazy about cancelling my sub. I like having the option of logging in, and keeping my WoW install up to date ensures that coming back is significantly less painful than it would otherwise be. (It is so off-putting to have to reinstall 10GB+ of patches when you want to play NOW after a 3 month break.)
So here is my question: What will Blizzard Activision offer Annual Pass users if they sign up for a second year? The deal/commitment only really works because of the Diablo 3/MoP Beta and pretty horse triple threat, which is not something they’ll be able to continue doing after those two packages launch.
Luring in old players
Blizzard aren’t the only one doing this – but you’ve probably heard that they’re trying to tempt players with the promise of free server transfers, a free level 80 character in full 232 ilevel gear, and a few other perks. Including a free upgrade to Cataclysm. Yeah. The expansion that is so bad they’re just giving it away! (I kid, there’s a lot about Cataclysm to love, it’s just our hate tends to be more vocal.)
Back to the Annual Pass
Presumably they want to keep me on the Annual Pass. I imagine it will then be a Heart of the Swarm themed mount, and perhaps a free copy of Starcraft II, and a beta pass for Heart of the Swarm. Possibly? I have no clue. It’s almost as if this is turning into an Annual Blizzard Pass, giving me access to all my Blizz goodness at the LOW LOW cost of my subscription. Honestly? I wouldn’t mind that. I’d prefer it, almost, to chucking £50 at once on a game.
So, are you regretting your Annual Pass decision? What would make you sign up for a second year?
