Blizzard is selling a newly released mount in World of Warcraft that costs £60 (or $90), to a mixed response from players.
The main draw of the Trader’s Gilded Brutosaur is it allows players to access both the auction house and their mail while on the go, features not usually found on mounts. It’s available for a limited time, until 6th January 2025.
Of course, despite the high price, it’s already “selling like hot cakes” according to fans on reddit. Some even say it’s a bit of a bargain.
That’s because a near-identical mount was released back in 2018 with the Battle for Azeroth expansion, which cost five million gold.
As one reddit user pointed out, at the time of the expansion 150,000 in-game gold could be exchanged for $15 of Battle.net tokens, meaning the mount essentially cost $500-worth of game time. Alternatively, if players bought WoW Tokens for in-game gold (at $20 for 150,000) it would cost $666.67 of actual money. What’s more, once the mount was removed, it was only available via the in-game Black Market Auction House for extortionate prices.
With that, sixty quid does look like a better deal. And, as the below screenshot shows, the price is not stopping people from purchasing.
Quite literally minutes after the new bruto mount was made available
byu/Degenerate_Game inwow
Still, some fans aren’t happy with Blizzard’s priorities.
“Between requiring your player base to have to purchase the ‘ultimate edition’ of the new expansion for it’s early access, subscription fees and constant ‘upgrade to a 6 month-12 month sub bundle’ messaging, and then releasing this during an anniversary event, I’m getting really tired of my most beloved video game,” wrote reddit user kramjam.
“The player base continues to throw their money at any opportunity Blizzard gives them, despite any of the game’s current massive shortcomings. My guild Discord memed about the mount most of the day, and then a majority of them felt left out and ended up purchasing it. I just don’t think I can find a way to enjoy being in this type of environment anymore, it’s all starting to feel really predatory.”
Said Moralio: “Blizzard’s decision to push these types of monetisation practices isn’t surprising, but it’s definitely disappointing. It feels like the company is more focused on extracting as much revenue as possible from its player base, rather than creating the passion-driven games they were once known for. This shift has been gradual but noticeable over the years, and it’s hard not to compare the current Blizzard to the one from the early 2000s. Back then, we had games like Diablo I & II, Warcraft III, and the launch of World of Warcraft, where the focus was on delivering epic experiences, not squeezing every penny through in-game purchases and battle passes.
“Back in the day, Blizzard earned loyalty through quality and creativity. Now, they seem to rely heavily on nostalgia and monetising legacy content while pushing a business model that doesn’t sit well with many long-time fans.”
Still, it’s clear players are willing to pay the price for such a mount.
Meanwhile, Star Citizen released a DLC pack at the start of this year that cost almost £46,000. It doesn’t even have a firm release date yet.
For comparison sake, Final Fantasy 14 also sells mounts, with the most expensive being the Lunar Whale at $42 (around £32).
Yesterday Blizzard announced its Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, a livestream broadcasting on 13th November with announcements relating to various games.