Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Blizzard Explains Selling Level 90 Character Boost
When Blizzard announced the pre-order campaign for World of Warcraft expansion Warlords of Draenor, they revealed that players would be able to boost their character to level 90. Furthermore, additional level 90 boosts would be for sale. Now a developer from the studio has explained the move.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Ion Hazzikostas, lead encounter designer, said that Blizzard decided to sell additional level 90 boosts (at $60) so that players with more than one character didn't have to re-purchase the expansion. "We realized as soon as we came out with Warlords of Draenor boost to 90, we knew that there was going to be demand for more than one. It's tremendously awkward to tell someone that you should buy two copies of the expansion just to get a second 90. That's odd," he explained.
As for the price of the boost, Hazzikostas says it was done so as not to "devalue the accomplishment of leveling," for those that choose to take that route.
Warlords of Draenor does not have a release date yet.
[Source: Eurogamer]
Our Take:
While Hazzikostas' explanation of the price and Blizzard's wish to make leveling worth something makes sense, the fact that the level boost costs the same as the expansion itself makes his first statement odd. By charging $60 for the boost and expansion, you are effectively telling someone to by the expansion twice. I guess at a minimum you're saving them a trip to the retail or digital store.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
