Project Lore

Blizzard's decision to release pay-for vanity pets several months ago was met with open controversy. Chief among the players' concerns was the idea that they seemed to be taking their first steps down the road towards charging for virtual content, a business model that has become standard fare in Asian MMOs. Even console gamers have been faced with the threat of paying several dollars for a code that would unlock content on the game disc they already bought.

Even getting beyond that issue, though, Blizzard was chided for their decision to give only half the proceeds from the sales of their Pandaren Monk pet to charity (not to mention they were keeping the full take of companion pet Lil' TK for themselves).

People felt like this was disingenuous. If they weren't going to give all the profit, why bother giving any at all?

Regardless of how you might personally feel about the issue, there's little denying that $1.1 million dollars is a weighty figure. According to a press release from Blizzard, that's the amount of money they raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation via sales of the Pandaren Monk pet through December 31, 2009.

PHOENIX -- February 17, 2010 -- The Make-A-Wish Foundation today announced receipt of a $1.1 million donation from Blizzard Entertainment, a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software. The donation is based on 50 percent of the total sales during November and December 2009 of a special in-game pet, the Pandaren Monk, for Blizzard's award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft^®.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Blizzard made the presentation during a special ceremony at the company's headquarters in Irvine, Calif. Blizzard invited 15 wish children who are also gaming enthusiasts and their families to enjoy an exclusive learning experience with the World of Warcraft development team, including an inside look at how the game is created.

"We've had a long relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and we're proud to support the priceless work they do for children," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "This donation also reflects the spirit and generosity of our players -- their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this possible."

The contribution will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, which serves children with life-threatening medical conditions in the United States and its territories, and Make-A-Wish Foundation International, which grants the wishes of children outside the United States in 35 countries.

"Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment and World of Warcraft players around the world, we will be able to grant the heartfelt wishes of even more courageous children with life-threatening medical conditions," said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. "This heartfelt generosity is helping us bring hope, strength and joy to children when they - and their families - are facing an unimaginably difficult time in their young lives."

So does that mean it was a success? Subjectively? Of course, a charity just earned gobs of money.

Objectively? My rough math tells me that Blizzard sold about 220,000 copies of the Pandaren Monk during the promotional period. That seems like a shockingly small portion of the subscriber base, but let's remember how high the profit margins on virtual items are (sales minus the amount of time it took for the modeler to create it).

Don't forget that Blizzard hasn't asked us to pay for anything as patently unfair and gameplay-changing as an Unwither Ring, at least not yet.