A Microtransaction Suggestion for WoW

A while ago, when criticizing the pricing practice of Blizzard's (cosmetic) microtransactions in World of Warcraft, I made a vague suggestion to add more microtransactions to the game while also reducing prices. I thought it was a good way to tap into a revenue stream that, while already somewhat successful based on Wowhead Profiler data alone (for example, 30% of the site's profiles have a Celestial Steed), could be made even more successful while being more consumer friendly to boot. More recently, I criticized the pricing practice of the WoW Token and when doing so, I pointed out that the subscription price could've increased but has stayed at the iconic $15 per month (or regional equivalent) since the game launched. I also pointed out that microtransactions could be helping to fund the game since while the subscription price hasn't increased, inflation has almost certainly increased the cost to develop and run the game. In this short article, both of these points converge into what will probably be a rather controversial suggestion for the game, as the article's title should make clear.

To follow up on what seems to be a successful system in Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm (among other non-Blizzard games), adding a loot box system to WoW for equipment appearances (which will be called "appearances" for the remainder of the article) seems like a probable next step Blizzard may already be considering. It may have also been suggested by players, but finding such posts seems to be rather difficult. In any case, this article is more about the details behind the suggestion, much like with the Timewalking Raid article I posted last year. The following is what I would like to see from an "transmog loot box" system in World of Warcraft:

• The loot boxes would be purchased from the in-game shop for $0.50 (or its regional equivalent) each, serving as the premium way to earn appearances. Blizzard has plenty of other excellent ways to award appearances for typical gameplay, so there's no need to add a loot box reward there.
• The loot boxes would drop 10 appearances that the character opening it can use. This can draw appearances from many sources but it cannot drop appearances that are unobtainable or very exclusive to the point of being a primary reward from certain content (such as The Deaths of Chromie or Challenge Mode sets). Other restrictions may also apply.
• The appearances looted cannot be something the player already owns. Duplicate appearances cannot be awarded from the same loot box either.
• Players can still purchase loot boxes if they own all of the appearances to collect future ones but there should be a warning stating the player owns all the appearances in such a case.
• The loot boxes are account-bound, allowing the player to have a little more control over the appearances earned.
• There could be special loot boxes that have an increased chance to drop certain types of appearances or exclusive drop certain types of appearances, such as appearances from raids.

The general purpose of this idea is to provide a relatively innocuous cosmetic microtransaction that doesn't compromise reward systems that emphasize appearances as a reward or otherwise greatly damage the state of the game. With its low price point, even those with little disposable income can try to get something that looks nice. There's also an appeal to big spenders since the game has thousands of appearances and more on the way with each content patch, meaning there's the option to buy one's way to a nearly complete collection. Doing so ultimately only affects how the player's character looks. While I'm certain the idea could use some refinement and improvement, it would likely be received by players a lot better than yet another $25 store mount.