Art from Blizzard's World of Warcraft.
Categories

Blizzard is testing microtransactions in World of Warcraft

Blizzard Entertainment is exploring the idea of using microtransactions in World of Warcraft.

This is a big deal, considering the company is one of the last to fully embrace free-to-play games with microtransactions. The company has made the first 20 levels of World of Warcraft free, and it sells virtual goods such as pets and mounts. But it still has more than 8 million players who pay a monthly subscription. World of Warcraft is the most successful massively multiplayer online game, generating as much as $1 billion a year for Blizzard.

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X! Join now to enjoy our free and premium perks. 

Join now →

Sign in to your account.

Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.