WoW Loses More Players, Oh My!

In the news this week, Blizzard reports another loss of 300,000 subscribers. This comes closely after last quarter's report of losing 600,000 users with a half year total at over 1 MILLION subscriptions. More on this after the break...

So, after careful consideration, this warlock doesn't really care. See, Blizzard still has 11 MILLION customers paying for the game. In my honest opinion, a 9% loss of paid subscribers can safely be accounted for. A drop in the subscription numbers doesn't really account for the game going to hell. It isn't necessarily because another game has drawn players away. (As a casual player, I am not that fickle. I am not about to restart my entire characters, just for flash.) For example:

1. Cost - During this odd economic situation in the US, a lot of people are re-evaluating their finances. People who are looking for means to save some money. Sometimes, this means the Warcraft subscription. Renew subscription or eat? Buy the Expansion or pay the mortgage?
   
2. Window Shoppers - Cataclysm was advertised to the hilt. TV, Print ads, blogs, game sites, magazines, newspapers. You couldn't look at a piece of media without Blizzard's logo on it. We are far enough into the year that those people brought into the game via this media blitz have either decided to stick around or move on. 

This is not the end of the world as we know it.. This is the thinning of the heard. People who want to play, will continue to play. Everquest has been around since 1999 and still has an active community. Warcraft has the same (or even better) staying power. As we watch more people let their renewal run out, subscription counts will go down.

What I haven't seen is how many people are signing up?