Of course, Blizzard, the once paragons of quality and principled PC gaming, would eventually succumb to the allure of the lucrative in game microtransactions. They already showed us with Diablo III that they were more than willing to compromise on game quality if that is what it takes.
Blizzard community manager Bashiok confirmed and detailed the plans for an in game store offering items for sale with real world money on the Blizzard Community Forums.
“We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game, and ultimately that’s our long-term goal for the system, though there’s quite a bit of work involved in retrofitting those existing items into the new system,” he wrote.
“First, we’ll be testing the in-game store with some new kinds of items we’re looking into introducing (in Asian regions, at the outset) based on player feedback: specifically, an experience buff to assist with the leveling process, as well as an alternate way to acquire Lesser Charms of Good Fortune.
“We’ve had a lot of requests from players in different regions for convenience-oriented items such as these, and as with other new ideas we’ve introduced as WoW has evolved—including Pet Store pets, mounts, and more—your feedback plays a hugely important part in determining what we add to the game.”
The one lone ray of hope is that the process is still ‘too early to detail or discuss.’ Maybe by the time Blizzard ges around to implementing it, World of Warcraft will be irrelevant, and we’ll have moved on to the next big MMO.