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Blizzard Launches World Of Warcraft Pet Store
Let's be real for a second here, folks. Do you seriously need lunch today? Wouldn't you rather take that $10 you spend every day on needless food and put it toward one of the adorable virtual creations above? If there's even a small part of you that doesn't think those questions are ridiculous, you're just the audience Blizzard is looking for with their new World of Warcraft Pet Store.
Launched as a total surprise yesterday, the Pet Store will offer new non-combat pets to World of Warcraft players. Sadly, these cute companions will not come cheaply. Both of the two pets available at the store's launch -- Lil' K.T. on the left and Pandaren Monk on the right -- cost $10 each. According to Blizzard's Pet Store FAQ, any pets purchasable on the Pet Store will only be available there and not through questing or purchase in-game.
While this is clearly another huge cash cow for Blizzard, it's not all money in their pocket. If you purchase the Pandaren pet between now and December 31, 50% of the purchase will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. See, you don't have to feel all bad!
Though these two new pets are more detailed than a lot of the game's pets and have some unique animations, it's important to note that they are non-combat pets that won't affect the game at all. It's interesting to see Blizzard leaping into the realm of Korean MMO-style mini-transactions, but let's hope they stick with stuff that's not going to affect the gameplay in any major ways. Blizzard answers the question of whether epic weapons and armor will be available for purchase in the future in their FAQ:
"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 gameplay experience for players who choose not to use the service."
So hopefully no charging for serious game stuff, although that reads to us like mounts and other "for fun" items might be popping up soon as well.
Are you willing to spend real money on pets (or possibly mounts and other stuff in the future) for your World of Warcraft characters? Or does this kind of a cash grab push you away from the game?
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