The most controversial feature of World of Warcraft's next expansion, The War Within, is undoubtedly the pre-order bonus that promises early access to the game.
The Story So Far | Prepare for The War Within
The early access bonus was first revealed at BlizzCon 2023 and was immediately met with disappointment from fans who accused Blizzard of selling an “artificial privilege” and promoting exclusionary tactics towards players who didn’t have the $90 to spend in what is essentially a FOMO tax.
Today, WoW players once again addressed the controversy surrounding The War Within early access in a thread on the subreddit, pleading with Blizzard to stop "normalizing" the idea of letting people in early.
“Don’t be fooled, this is not paying for early access,” said the thread’s original poster, a user named Praetor192. “This is when the game comes out, this is launch. You are paying to not play the game late, and this is an inexcusable business practice that should not be tolerated. The only way to prevent this from getting worse and worse in the future is to vote with your wallet.”
