The return (of Tobold and others) to World of Warcraft
by Mike Schramm 
Nov 12th 2007 at 5:00PM
Well he doesn't think he's news, but since we reported on his exit way back when, we might as well bring the whole story full circle, and report on Tobold's return to World of Warcraft. Patch 2.3 (and the Scroll of Resurrection deal-- which is a great one, I don't blame him for filling out a form to get 40 days free) is bringing him back as, he says, a casual player only.Now of course, the story's not really about Tobold-- with apologies to him for the unwanted attention we sent, it never was (so leave the guy alone, already-- if you've got comments about his decisions, leave them over here). But he is a big, influential MMO blogger, and his leaving WoW was part of a trend back then. In the dark days before 2.2, progress on the realms was stagnant, and there was nothing new to keep folks interested. Even with patch 2.2, voice chat wasn't a big draw for players (and in fact, now that I think about it, I haven't used it at all since it debuted-- my guild is still on Ventrilo, and no one has invited me to use the voice chat system).
But now we're at patch 2.3, and the times, they are a-changin'. There's new midlevel content (!), Engineers have a purpose in life, Hunters have no dead zone, and there's a brand new 10-man instance in the game (almost guaranteed to quickly become the most popular endgame instance out there). Tobold's back, and, just as before, we've got to wonder if he's part of an early trend. Are all the players who took a break this summer coming back to Azeroth?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Leveling
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
digitalrogue Nov 12th 2007 5:26PM
Honestly, the in-game voice chat leaves much to be desired, particularly during peak play times. I don't see many guilds giving up their Ventrilo or TeamSpeak servers anytime soon.
Dprice Nov 12th 2007 5:24PM
So...another person quits the game, then comes back "casually"?
You're right that it isnt news, but really, the dark days before 2.2? That was what...3 months ago? A few months after BT? What's changed in this patch besides a mid level revamp and some talents?
This guy fell off the wagon is all. Also, i read this site A LOT. Never heard of him.
Dotixi Nov 12th 2007 5:41PM
Is Tobold on WOWInsider? Then I don't care if he leaves or comes back...I mean, you're no one if you're not here, right? Right?
Bah!
Mike Nov 12th 2007 5:43PM
I plan on coming back to WoW, I've been on a break for a few months now. Yay for improved leveling of alts.
rick gregory Nov 12th 2007 5:48PM
well, 2.2 was a clustf.. er, a miscalculation. The problem is that we're only now getting new content after 2.0 that the majority of us can reach. BT was nice... but it's at the extreme end of the game. Aside from that, there's been no really new content for those of us who are somewhere between newly 70 and BT.
Mike - you and WoWInsider keep talking about WoW as if the summer dip was an indication of a long term issue. If you look at 2006 the same thing happened there. Summer dips seem to be par for the course...
And, while you claim Tobold's doings aren't news... you keep featuring him. You can't have it both ways - either he's important or he's not. If he is, then his leaving and coming back IS news. And if he's not important... why mention him?
Mike Schramm Nov 12th 2007 5:57PM
I never said I don't think Tobold is news-- as I said in the post, I think he and other high profile WoW players (including us here at WoW Insider, I'd say, though hopefully not too arrogantly-- if I quit WoW, would you guys care?) are indicative of trends in the game. Of course I think he's news-- I reported on him. If WoW Insider closed up shop tomorrow I assume someone else (maybe even Tobold) would report on us. It's always news when someone who's known for playing a game stops playing it (or starts playing it again-- look at Michael Jordan).
You make a good point about summer dips, and to a certain extent, this post is just a little bit of chronicling on my part-- next summer, when the population dips again and everyone starts declaring the death of WoW, I'll have something to link to that reminds everyone that players come back in the fall.
idburns Nov 12th 2007 6:46PM
Uhh...who is Tobold and why do I care that he stopped playing WoW or if he ever plays again?
Tazerface Nov 12th 2007 7:00PM
Wow you guys are jerks, I took like 4 months off starting at the beginning of summer and even I remember reading that Tobold quit. Show some compassion for the staff and their friends. They are people too.
Khanmora Nov 12th 2007 7:12PM
Anyone who has read WoW Insider for a while knows that when Tobold was actively blogging he often gave the bloggers here a base for their own writing. Do a search and you'll see that he inspired the staff here quite a lot.
And this was, as Mike pointed out, less about Tobold specifically as it was about the return of players of all kinds with this patch. When I hit the PTR I figured we would definitely see an upswing of people that had gotten bored and let their subs lapse. Casual players in particular (or those from small guilds like mine) will have a ball with this content.
hjungle Nov 12th 2007 7:17PM
To consider yourself a high profile player you have to possess one massive ego. Out of the millions of players across the realms and around the world do you really, honestly think you stand out?
I don't mean this to come across as a flame, but I did find the remark hilariously arrogant and the article a little baffling. If Bill Roper returned to Blizzard, that would be news. This, though? This is borderline masturbatory.
I would advise caution. If you really do think of yourselves as high profile you're going to start alienating some of your readers.
Caleb Archon Nov 12th 2007 7:38PM
"borderline masturbatory"
... pretty much wowinsider up.
vildmule Nov 12th 2007 8:16PM
I don't mind being told that Tobold is returning, but maybe you should've dropped a note telling me who he was. Oh well, at least it's possibly to find out from reading the comments.
Doug DeJulio Nov 12th 2007 10:45PM
Yeah, patch 2.3 is probably going to bring me back too. I'm at least going to give it a try.
But, I'm done with raiding. I think I'm never signing up for a raid again (though I won't rule out a spur-of-the-moment PUG). The test is, is there enough solo and small group casual content to keep me engaged? We'll find out soon.
Chad Nov 12th 2007 11:04PM
Man, a lot of you guys are douches. Some of us read Tobolds blog, and a lot of us know who he is and what he does. Unfortunately for Blizzard, his actions and some actions here on WoWInsider persuade weaker minded players. If Tobold quits, an avid wowplayer, then what people see is that WoW is going down hill and losing player base. When Tobold or said hig profile player comes back it renews the confidence of people who can't make up their own mind about the game. If WoWInsider started slamming ever move Blizzard made, then they may lose readers, and blizzard may lose subscriptions, depending on the peron. Not all publicity is good publicity contrary to popular belief.
vlad Nov 13th 2007 1:29AM
who?
Rranzok Nov 13th 2007 3:14AM
Come paladins and warriors throughout the land,
Don't criticize what you can't understand,
Your aggro was beyond your command,
Your old threat is rapidly fadin',
Please get onto the new mob and please lend a hand,
For the times, they are a-changin'.
Alcevious Nov 13th 2007 4:38AM
>Rranzok - Pablo?
plixer Nov 13th 2007 5:13AM
'borderline masturbatory'
:) that made me laugh, yo. but seriously, who's Tobold?
Moragaine Nov 13th 2007 6:16AM
I have a guild member who was gone over a year(leave of absence) who's just come back and the 2.3 additions do seem to be a factor.
gunn Nov 13th 2007 8:44AM
Tobold is a toolbox.
Half of what he writes about WoW is misinformation and shows a lack of understanding of the game and environment. I don't welcome him back to WoW. I think he should shuffle back over to LOTR and leave WoW alone.