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World of Warcraft finally gets an iPhone AND in-the-browser app: Remote Auction House!
Yup, it's been a long time coming, but the out-of-game value-added services for World of Warcraft are finally emerging. The subscriber base has seemingly stagnated at a meager 13 million, and Blizzard [or Activision...] is looking for other creative ways of milking its bulbous bovine. First we saw in-game vanity items -- like pets and mounts -- and now we're actually seeing the start of an out-of-game service: "World of Warcraft Remote." Its first app, Remote Auction House, has begun its beta testing today.
There is both an in-the-browser Web app and a downloadable iPhone app. Both are free to use now, but once beta testing is complete you will have to pay $2.99/month to bid and buy. Browsing the Auction House will be free for everyone. The service is also only available for a handful of US WoW realms at the moment, but Blizzard plans to expand the beta test to include all realms as soon as possible.
I can't help feeling that WoW has become Blizzard's playground. The slow-moving behemoth with a vast, granular player base is ideal for testing out new features like this. I wouldn't be surprised to see Diablo 3 and Blizzard's still-unannounced next-generation MMO ship with a slew of "offline" features. Rest assured, Remote Auction House is just the tip of this iceberg.
Comments
5
Subscribe to commentsThrushMay 19th 2010 11:02AM
$2.99/month when I'm already paying $14.99/month!? No thanks. I'll probably check out the free web-based version out of curiosity, but they already get enough of my money.
Sebastian AnthonyMay 19th 2010 11:09AM
Ah, but you can make an awful lot of gold with an app like this -- and then you can use the gold for other things...! Like trading it for game cards...
steven.roseMay 19th 2010 3:27PM
Thanks for the information. I've been using the CIBC banking app for a couple of weeks now. It's great!!
MTHIRTYhas just shared a widget with you on behalf of CIBC
steven.roseMay 19th 2010 3:29PM
http://cibcswitch.com/mobile.aspx
http://www.mthirty.com/transparency
KrazyCalvinMay 19th 2010 9:52PM
I dont see how this could possibly make any money at all unless it includes the ability to manipulate current auctions. The idea of grinding the ah in wow means you have to have access to both the AH and the mailbox. what good is cancelling out an auction if you cant go to the mailbox and repost. I manage a stock of about 800 glyphs over two accounts soooo until you post a windows mobile program that i can use to remotely access my computer and see/manipulate my client you arent helping!