News
Blizzard has recently launched an online “Pet Store”, where players can now purchase non-combat vanity pets for $10 or £9 / 10 euro (Somehow that exchange rate does not figure!) each. The first in game pets to become available are a Pandaren Monk pet and a Kel Thuzad pet.
The question now has to be, how far will Blizzard take this, are we to see more in game vanity items being made available for real money? I have to say, it can’t be long before mounts, or non combat vanity attire makes its way into a Blizzard store. The designs of these pets do seem to be of a rather high standard, but I suppose they are getting paid for it, will this result in less effort being put into ‘free’ vanity items?
My personal opinion is dead against the selling of in game items, vanity or otherwise, but many people do seem to be jumping on the bandwagon, stating that it just gives geeks something to spend money on in their hobby.
The one redeeming factor seems to be that half of the purchase price goes to a charity (although this is only for the Pandaren pet for a limited duration), the Make-a-Wish foundation.
Taken from the Blizzard FAQ;
Does this mean you'll be introducing more services like this in the future? Will you be introducing the ability to buy epic weapons/etc. in the future, for example?
As with the pets, mounts, and other items players can obtain through Loot cards from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, Pet Store pets are purely cosmetic and just for fun. Like other paid services we offer, such as Paid Name Changes, Race Changes, and Character Re-Customizations, the Pet Store service is entirely optional and intended to provide players another means to enjoy World of Warcraft in a way that isn't detrimental to the game and that doesn't detract from the game play experience for players who choose not to use the service.
The question now has to be, how far will Blizzard take this, are we to see more in game vanity items being made available for real money? I have to say, it can’t be long before mounts, or non combat vanity attire makes its way into a Blizzard store. The designs of these pets do seem to be of a rather high standard, but I suppose they are getting paid for it, will this result in less effort being put into ‘free’ vanity items?
My personal opinion is dead against the selling of in game items, vanity or otherwise, but many people do seem to be jumping on the bandwagon, stating that it just gives geeks something to spend money on in their hobby.
The one redeeming factor seems to be that half of the purchase price goes to a charity (although this is only for the Pandaren pet for a limited duration), the Make-a-Wish foundation.
Taken from the Blizzard FAQ;
Does this mean you'll be introducing more services like this in the future? Will you be introducing the ability to buy epic weapons/etc. in the future, for example?
As with the pets, mounts, and other items players can obtain through Loot cards from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, Pet Store pets are purely cosmetic and just for fun. Like other paid services we offer, such as Paid Name Changes, Race Changes, and Character Re-Customizations, the Pet Store service is entirely optional and intended to provide players another means to enjoy World of Warcraft in a way that isn't detrimental to the game and that doesn't detract from the game play experience for players who choose not to use the service.
