A few days ago, I came across an article on WoW Insider entitled Should WoW have a customer loyalty program?, which gave me some pause in thinking. As mentioned within the various comments, other mmo’s have similar reward systems in place to honor those who have been a loyal player, so why not incorporate it within WoW. I think that raises a great question, one that I have thought of from time to time, even having discussions over guild Vent about having such a reward system in place when we have celebrated in game the WoW anniversaries over the years.
Obviously, as one who has played since launch (original beta if you want to be exact), I would totally welcome this type of aspect into the game. It goes with a simple business lesson I learned years ago when I worked for Trader Joe’s. You want to keep your returning customers happy, for they are the ones that come into the store on a regular business and are the lifeblood of the store. Sounds simple, but there really is straggly and method to ensuring that the loyal customers remain loyal. The same holds true for any company, including Blizzard.
It goes without saying that there must have been thought out the years a lot of internal discussions about what type of “perks” or things would be available for those who would qualify as one who was a long standing player if such a system was put in place. Obviously, special mounts, tiles, gear, non combat pets, tabards, toys are all simple categories that come to mind. Maybe a unique structure for one garrison. Perhaps a special quest line involving certain racial faction leaders or certain historical figures of the Warcraft canon. There are a lot of really interesting, fun and cool things that could be put in place for such players.
I think at this point after playing for so many years continuously, it really would rock to see Blizzard implement it within the game. There are enough of us to warrant such a loyalty program. Obviously, it would open up to those players who would play long enough to met the requirement to take part within it, so there would be yet another incentive for players to keep enjoying the game. It’s high time for Blizzard to introduce such a welcomed perk as a sign of thanks for those who have been so steadfast and constant to WoW.
I, for one would love to see it happen!
