Blizzard launches real money in-game pet store
by Adam Holisky 
Nov 4th 2009 at 3:21PM
While these are just vanity items, one has to wonder how far Blizzard can take this microtransaction model with the largest MMORPG game being played today. They already offer (and offer quite successfully) realm transfer, name change, character re-customization, and race and faction change services. This appears to be the next logical step for them to take. Could the next offering being in-game vanity outfits? A valid question that only time will answer.
The first offerings of microtransactionable in-game items include a Pandaren Monk pet and a Lil K'T pet. Half the proceeds from every Pandaren Monk pet (and only the Pandaren Monk) will go towards the Make-a-Wish foundation -- which is a nice gesture to a company Blizzard has previously supported.
The full details of the announcement, along with the images of the pets and an FAQ, after the break.
From Nethaera:
Today we're pleased to introduce the Pet Store for World of Warcraft, a new way for players to obtain in-game pets to join them on their adventures in Azeroth. Two brand-new companions are now available for purchase exclusively at the Pet Store in the online Blizzard Store: Lil' K.T. and the Pandaren Monk.
Make a Difference: Pandaren Monk Charity Pet
Enter the Pandaren Monk, ( http://us.blizzard.com/store/ details.xml?id=110000 0763 ) a martial-arts expert who's here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he's proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances. For every Pandaren Monk that finds its way to a player's side between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PDT), we'll donate 50 percent of the $10 purchasing price to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in an effort to brew up a little hope, strength, and joy in a child's life.
Lil' K.T., the Littlest Lich
Lil' K.T. is a miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel'Thuzad. But don't let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil' K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path. You can now buy this new pet for $10 on the Blizzard Store. (http://us.blizzard.com/store/ )
In order to receive a purchased pet, you'll need to merge your World of Warcraft account with a Battle.net account. For more information on Battle.net, please visit the FAQ. ( https://us.battle.net/faq/ind ex.html ) For more information on the new Pet Store, visit the Pet Store FAQ. ( http://u s.blizzard.com/suppor t/article.xml?locale= en_US&articleId=2 9845 )
The Pet Store FAQ:
Why are you introducing this service?
What does this mean for the future of WoW? Check out our WoW Player's Guide To Microtransactions.
The Pet Store provides a new way for players to obtain unique companion pets outside of the game, which is something that has been requested by many players who enjoy World of Warcraft's non-combat companions.
Will more companions be available for purchase in the future?We plan to add more pets to the Pet Store in the near future. Keep an eye on the official World of Warcraft website and the online Blizzard Store for details.
Where can I go to purchase these pets?You can purchase these in-game companions by visiting this link or heading to the online Blizzard Store, where you'll find the Pet Store pets under the Collectibles tab.
Will I be able to acquire these Pet Store pets by questing, through holidays, on in-game vendors, or by any other in-game methods?No. Pets purchasable through the Pet Store will not be obtainable through quests or other in-game means -- they're only available through the online Blizzard Store.
How do I redeem a Pet Store pet once it's been purchased from the Blizzard Store?After you purchase the pet, you'll receive a code that can then be redeemed on any World of Warcraft account via Battle.net Account Management. You don't need to redeem the code on the same Battle.net account that made the initial purchase – feel free to send the code to a friend as a gift.
Will these pets count toward pet-related achievements?
These Pet Store pets will count toward the total number of pets a character has for achievements like Plethora of Pets or Lil' Game Hunter.
Will these pets help me in combat?No, these pets are strictly cosmetic. They have some fun animations and sound effects, but they will not help you in PvP or PvE.
What characters will receive the Pet Store pet that I purchase?Once you redeem your code on an individual World of Warcraft account, every character on the account will receive the pet in their in-game mailbox (including any characters you create in the future). If you wish to purchase the pet for multiple different World of Warcraft accounts merged with the same Battle.net account, you will need to buy a separate pet for each World of Warcraft account individually.
**Please Note** If a character transfers off of the account where the pet is bound the pet will be lost.**
How long will these Pet Store pets be available?The Pet Store pets are available only to players on realms located in North America, Europe, and Korea. A Battle.net account is required in order to redeem the pet.
Charity Pet
What charity will I be supporting when I purchase the Pandaren Monk pet?
Donations from every sale of the Pandaren Monk pet through December 31, 2009, will be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. To find out more about this charity, please visit www.wish.org.
How much of every Pandaren Monk pet sale will go to charity?For each Pandaren Monk sale, we'll donate 50% of the $10 purchase price to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information on this charity, visit www.wish.org.
How long will you be making this donation?
We will continue to make a donation for each Pandaren Monk pet purchased until December 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
Will the pet still be available for purchase after the donation period is over?
Yes, you will still be able to purchase the pet after December 31, and we do not currently have any plans to remove this pet from the Pet Store. The Blizzard Store purchasing page will provide information on any changes to availability.
Does this mean you'll be introducing more services like this in the future? Will you be introducing the ability to buy epic weapons/etc. in the future, for example?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.
Patch 3.3 is the last major patch of Wrath of the Lich King. With the new Icecrown Citadel 5-man dungeons and 10/25-man raid arriving soon, patch 3.3 will deal the final blow to the Arthas. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3 will keep you updated with all the latest patch news.Filed under: News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 23)
Goriath Nov 4th 2009 3:27PM
I do believe this is what's refered to as "Jumping the Shark"
Reech Nov 4th 2009 3:30PM
No, jumping the shark is jumping the shark. Wow's been adding transactions for a while now (server change, race change, etc.) this is just one more way to get money - and hey, it's good that they get money, 'cos then the game will stick around a bit...
ZMES_Matt Nov 4th 2009 3:42PM
I'm kind of getting that same feeling, but I do think it's an amazing way to raise money for charity. I'll probably go ahead and buy a Panda for my GF as it's inevitable that she'll get one anyways. :P
I would feel much better about this feature if money was donated -everytime- a purchase was made of -any- pet, not just a limited time thing on one pet.
Jonathan Nov 4th 2009 3:45PM
Yeah, I was whole hog against this after reading the headline. Once I got down to the charity part, I 180'd. I would most certainly buy a vanity pet or two if $5 on each is going to charity. The fact they're account bound is icing. I am 100% for this.
Michael Nov 4th 2009 4:16PM
How? This isn't any different to buying loot cards, except for the fact that it cuts out the middle man. That's a *good* thing.
Don't like it, don't buy it.
Rhabella Nov 4th 2009 4:18PM
"I do think it's an amazing way to raise money for charity"
Though you are right, only 50% of the proceeds go to charity. 50% of the proceeds to send a packet of information to an account...really?
How gratious of Blizz! After all is said and done, they wont even have donated the man hours required to design and code the pet.
pnm326 Nov 4th 2009 4:25PM
Pfft. Whatev. I'm down.
*alt-tabs back to Farmville*
joggoms Nov 4th 2009 4:39PM
Getting closer to Blizzard selling gold. Mounts are the obvious next step. And it's all fine by me. Blizzard would be foolish to leave money on the table by not doing this.
Veranilla Nov 4th 2009 4:40PM
How exactly is this "jumping the shark?"
And I don't know what's a more ridiculous comment... that offering in-game noncombat pets that you buy with the same money that pays for your subscription fees and expansions is somehow "selling out" or ruining the game in some way. I guess this concept is just too "casual."
As for the other comment, about being against it but then deciding it's okay because it's for "charity..." What if a cut of the money made with all gold farming goes to "charity," would that be okay too? Simply because something goes to this nebulous idea of "charity" suddenly turns the thing into embossed gold?
Having worked with both the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society for blood drives and 5k runs during college, and having seen peoples' donations squandered on garbage, corporate-controlled "research," marketing, advertising, and fat paychecks for "charity" execs, there is a reason I now only donate my time and money to small, local groups. Who do not advertise.
Yeah, I got me a little K'T, and the thing is wicked sweet. ;) Good job, Blizzard!
It is innovations like this that keep the game from becoming stale.
Moonkinmaniac Nov 4th 2009 4:56PM
Hey, in other games ppl buy stuff and then sell it in game for gold. Could that happen in this case? I suppose the code could be sold. A bit unsettling.
qoa Nov 4th 2009 5:48PM
Honestly, just like with the whole "SOME OF EVERY BOTTLE OF WATER WE SELL GETS DONATED TO HELP GIVE WATER TO THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES" thing that Starbucks did a few years back, you're better off just donating 10 dollars to Make-A-Wish if you really care about the cause. Rather than just posting that you do.
TL:DR Donating 10 dollars to Make-A-Wish is better than 5. If "doing the right thing" is your real concern and not virtual property.
vaag256 Nov 4th 2009 5:53PM
Well, I hope they keep it at pets\vanity items at least.
If this game is going to become like runes of magic,
where paying members can buy 'experience potions' etc then I'm out.
Thundrcrackr Nov 4th 2009 6:12PM
The "charity" part of this is nothing more than a gimmick to get WoW players warmed up to the idea of Blizzard doing micro-transactions. (And i'm talking about in-game ITEM transactions. The current account/toon altering transactions are SERVICES. I wish people would stop lumping the two together, they are entirely different.)
But at any rate, real money transactions for in-game items are just another way for Blizz to milk money out of us. They knew it wouldn't be received well by a lot of people so they added the charity element to appease us, but this is such a piddly charity that even I am surprised.
"Some charity better than no charity" you say? If you do this for the charity, you are wasting half of your money. 50/50 is horrible when it comes to charites. There are much better ones out there.
If you do this because you don't mind that Blizz is beginning to implement micro transactions to get more money out of us, then by all means, do it.
It will start with non-combat items like pets/mounts/toys, but will eventually include gear, even epics. Blizz has been giving us more ways to gear up toons than ever before lately (heroic epics, crafted epics, PvP epics, rep epics, emblem epics, world drop epics) and there is no reason to believe they won't eventually throw in a few real-money epics as well.
I always said i'd quit the game if they started doing this, but honestly, other games are already doing it and more will begin to in time. It may eventually be tough finding a game that doesn't do this. For every person it pisses off, there will be one person who buys into it, making it totally worth it for them to keep doing it, so idk...
Noah Nov 4th 2009 8:49PM
@Moonkinmaniac
I don't think that it can be sold for gold in game, because it appears to bind to your character/account.
Bubsa Nov 4th 2009 8:50PM
THIS is jumping the shark?
Then what the hell was the race change/faction change pullava then?
Plastic Rat Nov 4th 2009 9:54PM
Take note folks, you can pull off just about anything if you first couch it as 'For Charity (TM)'.
"OMFG BLIZ IZ BRINGING IN MICROTRANZACSHUNZ!!!! NOOOOOEEZZZ!!!"
"Oh, wait, it's for charity, that's ok. You can all put away the pitchforks and go home now."
Honestly, the stench of Kotick is strong with this one...
Hoggersbud Nov 4th 2009 10:42PM
LOL, a shark they jumped over on the first day?
What do you people think the pets in the Collector's Editions are? Oh sure, you got a few other things, but let's face it, the pets have been sold from day 1.
pot Nov 4th 2009 11:35PM
Apples and oranges.
eyeball2452 Nov 5th 2009 2:31AM
Totally what I was thinking. This is definitely the moment where Blizz jumped the shark.
Micro-transactions don't work with MMOs. Granting XP items for pre-orders don't work with MMOs.
Jeremiel Nov 5th 2009 5:11AM
Quoting vaag256:
"Well, I hope they keep it at pets\vanity items at least.
If this game is going to become like runes of magic,
where paying members can buy 'experience potions' etc then I'm out."
Whilst I do agree with this, I think the problem to many of us is that now Blizz have started selling in-game items, where exactly are they going to draw the line?
As a collector of mounts and a friend of many vanity pet collectors, this /could/ go the way of damaging our fun somewhat. Two vanity pets isn't something I'm going to get too het up over, but it does leave me a little uncomfortable. If for example a 150 Mounts achievement were to come out with Cataclysm, and by this point there are 10 mounts for sale in the Blizz store, that's going to make the achievement much easier for those who can shell out some real life cash for in-game items, and may even lead to it being balanced with this in mind, leaving it much, much harder for those of us who can barely afford our subscription each month.
I'd be more comfortable with them selling experience potions myself - You can already buy three-times quicker levelling through Recruit a Friend, after all.
I am a fairly serious raider, and I agree that selling just vanity items is better than selling epics, or course, which I trust that Blizz would never do. However, vanity items are still a big, big part of the game for some of us. I just hope this store stays... minimal, I guess. If they keep it to the odd charity or promotional item, then that doesn't bother me so much.