Paying a monthly subscription for a game, and then also having the option to buy items with real money to boost your gameplay? Sounds a bit weird, but Blizzard is testing it with their MMO World of Warcraft with a potion called Enduring Elixer of Wisdom. This new item will boost the experience that players are granted by a 100%, and it is currently only available on the Private Test Realms.
On the World of Warcraft forums there are a lot of discussions going on about the whole thing. A lot of people are calling it unfair and unnecessary, while others think an experience boost won't bother other players anyway. Some players are afraid this is just the beginning of an in-game cash-shop, and they think it could lead to powerful paid boosts and purchasable armour.
A Gamemaster on the forums responded on the ongoing discussions with the following post: 'For players who are already interested in the in-game items we offer, such as Pet Store pets and mounts, the benefits of an in-game store are pretty clear. We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game.' It does make sense, but we won't know what will eventually happen with the in-game store.
What we do know is that more and more people are quitting the game. Since the game primarily is making money with paid subscriptions, Blizzard is trying to find other ways to make sure profit is not going down. But only time can tell what will happen with these in-game items and what the future holds for the most popular MMO ever.
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