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With the majority of the MMO market adopting a Free-to-Play model, Blizzard is finally starting to feel the pinch financially. The company had their stock downgraded this week after revealing that about 10.3 million people had canceled their World of Warcraft subscriptions. Atul Bagga, a market analyst for Lazard Capital Markets, was primarily responsible for the downgrade. Lazard, in conjunction with Peanut Labs, polled 381 online gamers and found that 57 percent of former WoW player had become bored with the game. They also found that 43 percent had dropped their subscription to pursue another MMO, or because their friends had stopped playing. 
Obviously, it would be a mistake to count Blizzard out just yet. Mists of Pandaria is right around the corner and the developer always finds quirky little ways to keep people interested. But you still have to wonder if they’re thinking about moving up the timetable on their upcoming mystery MMO. By Josh Engen |