Rumors of World of Warcraft's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

World of Warcraft has 7.1 million subscribers, which means it probably isn't going to disappear any time soon. But a monstrous expansion followed by a sudden contraction—down to 7.4 million users, up to 10 million, back down to 7.1 million, all within six months—has pundits once again whispering that the writing is on the wall for the world's largest subscription-based MMORPG.

WoW hasn't had much cachet in a while. All the things that made it unique have been mimicked elsewhere, and often for much cheaper than WoW's 15 dollar per month subscription fee. It's possible, if not likely, that we already saw peak-Warcraft back in 2010, when the base topped 12 million.

And yet, after 10 years of seeing its innovations ripped off by the rest of the gaming industry, Warcraft-the-brand finally has something shiny and new that's sucking in the booming market of casual gamers: Hearthstone.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a free-to-play, Warcraft-branded collectible card game that you can play on your smartphone, and it's doing gangbusters: 30 million registered players and, according to the quarterly report, "the #1 download spot for mobile games in more than 25 countries." It's also a budding esport, with a $6.8 million international prize pool.

While Activision's cash cows are still the Call of Duty and Destiny franchises, it's got its eye on those casual gamers. Regardless of what happens to the mothership, Hearthstone may end up being WoW's longest living legacy.

The NASDAQ-traded company tried to put a positive spin on the quarterly financial report that revealed that WoW is bleeding subscribers by highlighting its outreach efforts to the casual gaming community.

In addition to its success with Hearthstone, the game recently added a token system, which allows WoW players to pay 20 bucks for a "game-time Token" worth 30,000 gold pieces. Gold, as always, can be used for in-game purchases, but now players can pay for their subscriptions using gold they've earned through game, or traded with other people.

Cynically, tokens could look like a way to wring ever more money out of a dwindling subscriber base—note that "price increases" are already part of how Activision is offsetting the subscriber exodus. Practically, it's a way to monetize the buying and selling of gold that has happened through shady off-site dealers since forever. But given that it's also totally optional, strategically, tokens might be one way that a game seemingly built for obsessives evolves for a world of casuals.

Hardcore gamers, used to earning their gold in the game, can now use their gold to pay for their subscription. People who play more casually, perhaps because they have a full-time job, can now buy and trade gold through a secure, Blizzard-endorsed conduit. New players can hit the ground running with a little bit of investment.

For its long-time devotees, or even those who have fallen out of love with the game over the decade, it might seem sad, but for Activision Blizzard, it's how life goes. Once upon a time, back in 2004, World of Warcraft was beginning life as a spin-off of another 10-year-old game. Even if this is the beginning of end of the World as we know it, Warcraft is probably going to be fine.