Blizzard just made it possible for players to purchase the Trader’s Tender for real money! The decision to monetize the Trading Post drastically has left the community spewing with rage. Blizzard previously announced that they aren’t going to monetize the Trading Post, and the complete flip of events paved the way for a ton of “raised eyebrows”.
What are Trader’s Tenders In World of Warcraft?
The Trading Post was introduced to World of Warcraft in 2023, as a cosmetic collecting feature. Players can carry out and complete various tasks within the game to earn a set number of Trader’s Tenders each month. These Trader’s Tenders can be used to purchase cosmetic items from a rotating pool in the Trading Post. However, the amount that a player can earn is very limited!
Data miners were able to locate and identify certain assets within the game files of World Warcraft that hinted a monetization. However, when these rumors came out earlier this year, Blizzard denied the possibility of such a scenario ever occurring as it would upset the delicate balance between pay-to-win and free-to-play. The statement had significant value as it was announced by the game director Ion Hazzikotas.
This breach of trust between the players and the management of World of Warcraft has led to full-on warfare on Twitter. Heavy accusations are being pelted at the upper management of Blizzard for ruining such a fun and player-friendly feature.
Just how bad is the monetization?
As of now, Blizzard is limiting the purchasable bundle of Trader’s Tenders to just one per account. This does limit the amount of Trader’s Tenders that a player can amass through purchases. However, this doesn’t mean that a player cannot use multiple accounts to buy more items and trade them to their main accounts later on! Which is a massive exploit of the system.
The Corsage Pack available within the in-game store allows the player to obtain 200 Trader’s Tenders along with 2 wrist accessories.
So what’s the big deal?
As of now, the monetization of the Traders Post is certainly within acceptable limits. However, players are worried about the future. Many users are accusing the game director of fancy lawyer talk, as what he said is technically true.
Hopefully, Blizzard will be able to balance out the monetization to benefit both the players and the company. While it is true that the player’s needs are the priority, the company needs to make money to keep the game alive. Therefore, we do hope that Blizzard manages to keep both sides of the board satisfied.
