{"id":2224458,"date":"2026-10-28T14:56:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2224458"},"modified":"2026-10-28T14:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T11:56:24","slug":"blizzard-sparks-world-of-warcraft-fan-backlash-for-breaking-promise-over-housing-microtransactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2224458","title":{"rendered":"Blizzard Sparks World of Warcraft Fan Backlash for &#8216;Breaking Promise&#8217; Over Housing Microtransactions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-cy=\"article-content\" class=\"jsx-462858067 article-content page-0\">\n<section data-cy=\"article-subtitle\" class=\"article jsx-3932497636 article-section jsx-242790214 news\" data-autopogo=\"true\">\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Back when housing was added to <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/games\/world-of-warcraft\">World of Warcraft<\/a> at the beginning of <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/world-of-warcraft-midnight-review\">Midnight<\/a>, Blizzard issued a set of guiding priciples that, among other things, promised that the company wouldn&#8217;t add cosmetics to the cash store that represent one of Azeroth&#8217;s races or classes. This week, Blizzard broke that promise. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Blizzard released <a href=\"https:\/\/worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com\/en-gb\/news\/24303011\/bring-the-spirit-of-the-sea-home-with-the-new-grimtide-estate-and-grimtide-decor-packs\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two housing packs yesterday<\/a>: the Haunted Grimtide Estate pack with a housing exterior and a pre-built interior, along with the Grimtide Decor Pack, which includes 21 different decorations that you can fill that interior with. The company is charging 2,500 hearthsteel for the Haunted Grimtide Estate pack and 1,000 hearthsteel for the Decor Pack, or $25 and $10, respectively. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It would make sense to have a spooky decor pack ahead of Halloween, but the aesthetics of all of these items looks like they were ripped right from Stormsong Valley and the Kul&#8217;Tiran humans that debuted in <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/games\/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroth\">Battle for Azeroth<\/a>. And the problem there is that charging for packs that so directly reference a WoW race and zone goes directly against the guiding principles that <a href=\"https:\/\/news.blizzard.com\/en-gb\/article\/24242736\/developer-insight-hearthsteel-virtual-currency-and-housing-in-midnight\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blizzard itself published when it released housing<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">World of Warcraft: Midnight Cinematic Images and First Screenshots<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3027214138 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-3524787213 jsx-4268464690 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 63 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Understandably, a lot of players are upset about these housing packs. One of the biggest WoW influencers, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BellularGaming\/status\/2115150187543056817\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BellularGaming, tweeted a screenshot of Blizzard&#8217;s promise<\/a>, adding, &#8220;Kul&#8217;tiran housing decor bundle in the store! Ever wondered why I dgaf about having a professional relationship with Blizzard anymore? When their words mean nothing, Interviews are a waste of time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In his replies, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LucasMillican\/status\/2115160865750073443?a=C2Lb9aYlzdcp7boSOhc&amp;s=20\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user LucasMillican<\/a> begged players not to buy the items, saying, &#8220;Call it out, keep calling it out. Hold them accountable for their words. And for the love of god, people, don\u2019t spend money on it. If you buy it, that tells them it\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t f***ing buy it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Over on Reddit, WoW fans are rallying around a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gaming\/blizzard\/blizzard-said-it-wouldnt-sell-real-money-world-of-warcraft-housing-items-tied-to-player-races-it-lied\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WindowsCentral<\/a> article calling out the decor packs, in a thread that has over 660 replies at the time of writing. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/wow\/comments\/1xh53sh\/comment\/19rr45ibjnwbn\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">User AliceLunar<\/a> said: &#8220;And now here we are, still paying a monthly fee, buying new expansions every other year.. But now we have a whole cash shop, $90 mounts, $75 tree houses, pets, skins, built in RMT, new race locked behind a $30 paywall and the list goes on. WoW has more greedy and insane monetization than a F2P MMO from 20 years ago, but it&#8217;s not free to play, and people keep opening their wallet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2277167929 video jsx-2008855984 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9\">\n<div class=\"badge jsx-1349606671 jsx-3647116352\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-play jsx-2750866048 jsx-1044454891\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-play\" aria-label=\"Play\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Play.59e5540b.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/wow\/comments\/1xh53sh\/comment\/19rs4bowjj80w\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user, Tiroler_Manu<\/a>, wanted Blizzard to admit it was wrong, saying, &#8220;Just openly say: &#8216;Yeah it was a greedy f**k up move, we violated our own principles, we won&#8217;t do it again, we will give all players this and former house costumizations for free and refund purchases of House customizations. House customizations from now on will not be buyable, except special (non racial) collaborations for charity events (where of course the money will go to the charity).'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The World of Warcraft cash shop has grown considerably over the last few years, and hasn&#8217;t shown any signs of slowing down. I&#8217;m not sure if community pushback is going to do much for this specific pack, but hopefully there&#8217;s a chance that it&#8217;ll dissuade Blizzard from charging for other housing items that so clearly reference the races and classes that players identify with. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">This controversy is coming to one of the most popular additions to World of Warcraft in years. When Midnight first launched, housing blew up so much that <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/world-of-warcrafts-housing-feature-is-now-live-and-horde-players-are-desperately-trying-to-reinvent-their-spiky-huts\">players (myself included) rushed to collect a ton<\/a> of housing items to create their Azerothian home. It was so popular, in fact, that <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/world-of-warcraft-now-has-a-zillow-for-player-housing\">Zillow even added a page<\/a> to show off players&#8217; homes. <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"poll-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-2310533475 jsx-1355461925 box poll-content-block\" data-cy=\"poll-content-block\">\n<fieldset class=\"answers jsx-332304107\" role=\"radiogroup\" aria-labelledby=\"poll-question\">\n<legend class=\"stack jsx-2624643483 jsx-4192417768\"><span class=\"stack jsx-3547261442\"><\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"poll-question\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-1377259516 headline\" id=\"poll-question\">World of Warcraft Forever or Retail?<\/h2>\n<p><\/span><\/legend>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer highlight\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69485\" id=\"answerId69485-label\"><span class=\"label\">Forever<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1945348876\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69486\" id=\"answerId69486-label\"><span class=\"label\">Retail<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2988246289\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69487\" id=\"answerId69487-label\"><span class=\"label\">Both!<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2988246289\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69488\" id=\"answerId69488-label\"><span class=\"label\">Neither<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2988246289\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2624643483 jsx-4255654680 poll-controls\"><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3027214138 jsx-2267841559 contained disabled full-width large\" type=\"submit\" disabled data-cy=\"poll-answer-btn\">Answer<\/button><button 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alt=\"Jacqueline Thomas Avatar\" class=\"progressive-image profile-thumb-img jsx-249361588 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/avatars\/640f55c4f3866b000174a9c6\/RD5zbE5b_400x400-1679594933868.jpg?crop=1%3A1&amp;width=56&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2509706801 jsx-3630940851\"><span class=\"stack jsx-2959124702 jsx-702910195 author-sign-off-header\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/person\/Jackiecobra\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 jsx-2809511915 bold underlined\">Jacqueline Thomas<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 muted\">Senior Tech Editor<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2509706801 jsx-1220387432\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"author-sign-off-socials\" class=\"jsx-2877214176 author-sign-off-socials\"><button type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"listbox\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-label=\"View social 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loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Steam.d65ad1e2.svg?cors=0\"><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div role=\"listbox\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2758920045 jsx-4268464690 jsx-3705869475 dropdown-menu jsx-3625955085\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/Jackiecobra\" id=\"author-sign-off-social-twitterHandle\" class=\"menu-item jsx-3565735818 jsx-3927327418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 menu-item-text\" data-text=\"X\">X<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ign-icon icon-twitter jsx-2750866048 jsx-3701596282\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-twitter\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Twitter.d0b97af5.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/jackiecobra.bsky.social\" id=\"author-sign-off-social-blueskyUrl\" class=\"menu-item jsx-3565735818 jsx-3927327418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 menu-item-text\" data-text=\"Bluesky\">Bluesky<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ign-icon icon-bluesky jsx-2750866048 jsx-3701596282\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-bluesky\" alt loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Bluesky.d8b4aa9b.svg?cors=0\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/steamcommunity.com\/id\/jackiecobra\/\" id=\"author-sign-off-social-steamUrl\" class=\"menu-item jsx-3565735818 jsx-3927327418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 menu-item-text\" data-text=\"Steam\">Steam<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ign-icon icon-steam jsx-2750866048 jsx-3701596282\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-steam\" alt loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Steam.d65ad1e2.svg?cors=0\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 sign-off-text\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Jackie Thomas is the Senior Tech Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. She&#8217;s been covering gaming hardware for more than a decade for IGN, TechRadar, Gizmodo, PC Gamer and more. You can follow her\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jackiecobra\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer\"><em>@Jackiecobra<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/section>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-1475529924\"><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Back when housing was added to <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/games\/world-of-warcraft\">World of Warcraft<\/a> at the beginning of <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/world-of-warcraft-midnight-review\">Midnight<\/a>, Blizzard issued a set of guiding priciples that, among other things, promised that the company wouldn&#8217;t add cosmetics to the cash store that represent one of Azeroth&#8217;s races or classes. This week, Blizzard broke that promise. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Blizzard released <a href=\"https:\/\/worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com\/en-gb\/news\/24303011\/bring-the-spirit-of-the-sea-home-with-the-new-grimtide-estate-and-grimtide-decor-packs\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two housing packs yesterday<\/a>: the Haunted Grimtide Estate pack with a housing exterior and a pre-built interior, along with the Grimtide Decor Pack, which includes 21 different decorations that you can fill that interior with. The company is charging 2,500 hearthsteel for the Haunted Grimtide Estate pack and 1,000 hearthsteel for the Decor Pack, or $25 and $10, respectively. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It would make sense to have a spooky decor pack ahead of Halloween, but the aesthetics of all of these items looks like they were ripped right from Stormsong Valley and the Kul&#8217;Tiran humans that debuted in <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/games\/world-of-warcraft-battle-for-azeroth\">Battle for Azeroth<\/a>. And the problem there is that charging for packs that so directly reference a WoW race and zone goes directly against the guiding principles that <a href=\"https:\/\/news.blizzard.com\/en-gb\/article\/24242736\/developer-insight-hearthsteel-virtual-currency-and-housing-in-midnight\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blizzard itself published when it released housing<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">World of Warcraft: Midnight Cinematic Images and First Screenshots<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3027214138 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-3524787213 jsx-4268464690 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 63 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Understandably, a lot of players are upset about these housing packs. One of the biggest WoW influencers, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BellularGaming\/status\/2115150187543056817\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BellularGaming, tweeted a screenshot of Blizzard&#8217;s promise<\/a>, adding, &#8220;Kul&#8217;tiran housing decor bundle in the store! Ever wondered why I dgaf about having a professional relationship with Blizzard anymore? When their words mean nothing, Interviews are a waste of time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In his replies, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LucasMillican\/status\/2115160865750073443?a=C2Lb9aYlzdcp7boSOhc&amp;s=20\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user LucasMillican<\/a> begged players not to buy the items, saying, &#8220;Call it out, keep calling it out. Hold them accountable for their words. And for the love of god, people, don\u2019t spend money on it. If you buy it, that tells them it\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t f***ing buy it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Over on Reddit, WoW fans are rallying around a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.windowscentral.com\/gaming\/blizzard\/blizzard-said-it-wouldnt-sell-real-money-world-of-warcraft-housing-items-tied-to-player-races-it-lied\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WindowsCentral<\/a> article calling out the decor packs, in a thread that has over 660 replies at the time of writing. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/wow\/comments\/1xh53sh\/comment\/19rr45ibjnwbn\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">User AliceLunar<\/a> said: &#8220;And now here we are, still paying a monthly fee, buying new expansions every other year.. But now we have a whole cash shop, $90 mounts, $75 tree houses, pets, skins, built in RMT, new race locked behind a $30 paywall and the list goes on. WoW has more greedy and insane monetization than a F2P MMO from 20 years ago, but it&#8217;s not free to play, and people keep opening their wallet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2277167929 video jsx-2008855984 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9\">\n<div class=\"badge jsx-1349606671 jsx-3647116352\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-play jsx-2750866048 jsx-1044454891\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-play\" aria-label=\"Play\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Play.59e5540b.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/wow\/comments\/1xh53sh\/comment\/19rs4bowjj80w\/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">user, Tiroler_Manu<\/a>, wanted Blizzard to admit it was wrong, saying, &#8220;Just openly say: &#8216;Yeah it was a greedy f**k up move, we violated our own principles, we won&#8217;t do it again, we will give all players this and former house costumizations for free and refund purchases of House customizations. House customizations from now on will not be buyable, except special (non racial) collaborations for charity events (where of course the money will go to the charity).'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The World of Warcraft cash shop has grown considerably over the last few years, and hasn&#8217;t shown any signs of slowing down. I&#8217;m not sure if community pushback is going to do much for this specific pack, but hopefully there&#8217;s a chance that it&#8217;ll dissuade Blizzard from charging for other housing items that so clearly reference the races and classes that players identify with. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">This controversy is coming to one of the most popular additions to World of Warcraft in years. When Midnight first launched, housing blew up so much that <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/world-of-warcrafts-housing-feature-is-now-live-and-horde-players-are-desperately-trying-to-reinvent-their-spiky-huts\">players (myself included) rushed to collect a ton<\/a> of housing items to create their Azerothian home. It was so popular, in fact, that <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/world-of-warcraft-now-has-a-zillow-for-player-housing\">Zillow even added a page<\/a> to show off players&#8217; homes. <\/p>\n<p><span data-cy=\"poll-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\">\n<div class=\"card jsx-2310533475 jsx-1355461925 box poll-content-block\" data-cy=\"poll-content-block\">\n<fieldset class=\"answers jsx-332304107\" role=\"radiogroup\" aria-labelledby=\"poll-question\">\n<legend class=\"stack jsx-2624643483 jsx-4192417768\"><span class=\"stack jsx-3547261442\"><\/p>\n<h2 data-cy=\"poll-question\" class=\"title2 jsx-1903782357 jsx-1377259516 headline\" id=\"poll-question\">World of Warcraft Forever or Retail?<\/h2>\n<p><\/span><\/legend>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer highlight\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69485\" id=\"answerId69485-label\"><span class=\"label\">Forever<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1945348876\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69486\" id=\"answerId69486-label\"><span class=\"label\">Retail<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2988246289\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69487\" id=\"answerId69487-label\"><span class=\"label\">Both!<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2988246289\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-cy=\"poll-answer\" class=\"jsx-45304670 poll-answer\"><label class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 toggle-label jsx-803093603 left-justified radio\" for=\"answerId69488\" id=\"answerId69488-label\"><span class=\"label\">Neither<\/span><span data-cy=\"left-justified\" class=\"left-justified toggle-wrapper\"><span class=\"icon-toggle-indicator\"><\/span><\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-2988246289\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/fieldset>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2624643483 jsx-4255654680 poll-controls\"><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3027214138 jsx-2267841559 contained disabled full-width large\" type=\"submit\" disabled data-cy=\"poll-answer-btn\">Answer<\/button><button class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button jsx-3027214138 jsx-1624977611 nav next-button small\" title=\"See Results\" aria-label=\"See Results\" data-cy=\"see-results-btn\"><span style=\"white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-align:right\">See Results<\/span><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-4173866675\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" aria-label=\"See Results\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<section class=\"author-sign-off\" data-cy=\"author-sign-off\"><span class=\"stack jsx-59817748 jsx-1927875859\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-444076027 jsx-1730475047 profile-thumb jsx-2141281959 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-1-1\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jacqueline Thomas Avatar\" class=\"progressive-image profile-thumb-img jsx-249361588 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/avatars\/640f55c4f3866b000174a9c6\/RD5zbE5b_400x400-1679594933868.jpg?crop=1%3A1&amp;width=56&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2509706801 jsx-3630940851\"><span class=\"stack jsx-2959124702 jsx-702910195 author-sign-off-header\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/person\/Jackiecobra\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 jsx-2809511915 bold underlined\">Jacqueline Thomas<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 muted\">Senior Tech Editor<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2509706801 jsx-1220387432\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"author-sign-off-socials\" class=\"jsx-2877214176 author-sign-off-socials\"><button type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"listbox\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-label=\"View social 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jsx-3927327418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 menu-item-text\" data-text=\"Bluesky\">Bluesky<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ign-icon icon-bluesky jsx-2750866048 jsx-3701596282\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-bluesky\" alt loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Bluesky.d8b4aa9b.svg?cors=0\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/steamcommunity.com\/id\/jackiecobra\/\" id=\"author-sign-off-social-steamUrl\" class=\"menu-item jsx-3565735818 jsx-3927327418\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 menu-item-text\" data-text=\"Steam\">Steam<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ign-icon icon-steam jsx-2750866048 jsx-3701596282\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"icon-steam\" alt loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Steam.d65ad1e2.svg?cors=0\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 sign-off-text\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Jackie Thomas is the Senior Tech Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. She&#8217;s been covering gaming hardware for more than a decade for IGN, TechRadar, Gizmodo, PC Gamer and more. You can follow her\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jackiecobra\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer\"><em>@Jackiecobra<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/section>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back when housing was added to World of Warcraft at the beginning of Midnight, Blizzard issued a set of guiding priciples that, among other things, promised that the company wouldn&#8217;t add cosmetics to the cash store that represent one of Azeroth&#8217;s races or classes. This week, Blizzard broke that promise. Blizzard released two housing packs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-2224458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2224458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2224458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2224458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2224458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2224458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2224458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}