World of Warcraft Might Let You Trade Gold for Game Time

Blizzard has revealed it is exploring the possibility of bringing into World of Warcraft in-game items that extend players' subscription time. Posting on the Battle.net forums, community manager Micah "Bashiok" Whiple wrote up a list of features Blizzard was working on over the next year.

Among those listed is the possibility of giving players the opportunity to buy "tradable game-time tokens" which can be exchanged in-game with other players for gold. According to Blizzard, this would grant players a "way to use their surplus gold to cover some of their subscription cost" and give other players the option to earn gold via a "legit and secure system."

A similar model is already used in Carbine Studios' MMO WildStar, which was released in June this year. The game features an in-game item called C.R.E.D.D. which adds 30 days of subscription time to a player's account when used. C.R.E.E.D. can be traded in WildStar's Community Exchange, and is also available to purchase via real money.

Other features listed include integration with Twitter to send out screenshots, an Heirloom tab, and additional end-game content. World of Warcraft's most recent expansion, Warlords of Draenor, launched last month and resulted in a surge of subscribers that pushed the MMO past the 10 million mark.

What do you think of the introduction of a tradeable in-game item that extends subscription time? Let us know in the comments below.