I don't know if you can really fault Blizzard for this. Early access is often felt to be the most valuable perk of preordering, so they probably sold a lot more of the higher tier preorders than before. And of course, probably spread the load on the servers out.
But I think it's left a bit of sour taste in the mouths of the player base. Blizzard is coming off two big successes in Dragonflight and the Pandaria Remix. I think splitting the current player base this way has dampened the enthusiasm.
Maybe it's just a vibes thing, but it just doesn't feel like a real early access in the community. Looking at Reddit right now, three of the four top posts are about the split.[1] It's not even angry posts, it's more a sense of resignation. But it really should be a sense of excitement. Kind of honestly, I'd even take the traditional "6 hour queue" and "servers on fire" posts.
Oh well, it will probably be forgotten in a few days. I actually haven't preordered, so I'll probably get the expansion after it formally launches sometime. Still, I can't help but feel that Blizzard tripped and squandered some of the momentum from Dragonflight.
[1] The fourth post is about Warbands, and how the poster has so many alts, he should have a Warchestra instead. Honestly, it deserves its spot.
I've been feeling kind of bitter seeing people treat it as "the real launch" and calling everyone else just "late". It really does play into making people who didn't want to pay for the most expensive edition feel lesser.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, it will probably blow over and then they'll just do it again in the next expansion. Still not a fan.
Yeah, I think more than "lesser", the feeling is "not part of the community". Maybe a sense of alienation.
DeleteOn the other hand, anyone who can't afford the expansion at launch, maybe getting it as a Christmas gift, probably feels the same thing. Maybe it's something we just have to live with.