What is With Blizzards Obsession With Removing Content?

In the last few days we have been bombarded with announcement after announcement of things that are being removed from game.  All things that are added to the flow of removed content we have been hearing about for a while that lead at least me to question what is with blizzard obsession with removing content.

From the original announcement of warlords and the months there after when we found out all the things that were not being added for the expansion, which by not being added could be construed as being removed, such as flying, scenarios, daily quest hubs and rares that can be killed over and over among other things.  All things that are, without a doubt, content in one way or another, all being removed or not added.

We have also known for quite some time that challenge modes for the mists dungeons were being removed but even for the most jaded of players would have to admit that was understandable.  It does not warrant spending the time and effort to rebalance them to compensate for the removal of hit, expertise, dodge, parry, spirit on most gear and vengeance, among other things like various abilities they were designed for people to have.  But an argument can be made, and has been by many, that it should have been left in anyway.  Sure if it became harder, it would be harder, and if it became easier, it would be easier, but why remove it.  Not sure I agree with that, but after seeing their wholesale removal of so many other things that followed, maybe I could be convinced to agree with them.

There are also things that were changed because they were required to be changed if they wanted to stay relevant.  Things such as the proving grounds and the brawlers guild.  While they are still in game, due to the stat  and ability changes mentioned above, they were redesigned and boosted to the new expansion.  So they are still in game, but all the achievements from the previous incarnations and all the progress made in them will be wiped completely.  So people are having that removed.

Many argue, and rightfully so, if they got up to rank 4 or 8 or 10 in the brawlers guild that progress should not be removed.  They can redo them at 100, but if you were a rank 10 fighter you should still be a rank 10 fighter.  Sure they can update it so new players can experience it and the experience can reflect the changes to abilities and stats but why take away the progress people have made through it already. 

Same goes for the proving grounds.  If someone managed bronze, or silver or gold, or endless 30, why is their effort completely dismissed and they need to do it again to get the recognition for having done it, which is more so needed as you need a silver to queue for heroic dungeons now.  Don't get me wrong, it will take all of 10 minutes to get sliver after you hit 100, but the fact remains, why remove your progress?  Basically it would be akin to removing the fact you did SoO on normal when it was current so you can unlock heroic and then once the new expansion comes out you now need to run it again on normal should you want to do it on heroic.  If you have already done it, you have already done it.  Why make people do it again?  Adding content some might say but is more like adding content by removing content?  This one I can get behind when people complain about it.  It is fine to update content but it is not fine to remove personal progression, unless of course you are blizzard and have an obsession for removing things lately. 

Then we get to the new flurry of announcements over the last few weeks and even more so few days where it seems every blue post is about removing something from the game.  From the announcement that they were removing valor and justice as currency, which makes no sense what so ever, to the most recent announcement of the removal of justice heirlooms which makes even less sense. 

The idea that this current raid tier there was no valor gear was one of the biggest mistakes in recent history of the game, so it is no stretch to say that removing valor completely just compounds that mistake.  Blizzard seems to forget that the vast majority of the players do not raid, even at the LFR level, and valor gear was their only means of personal progressions.  If you want people to continue to pay for a monthly subscription having something like valor gear that someone needs to work every week toward getting is a great motivator to keep them subscribed.  But blizzard is obsessed with removing content so they removed the main form of personal progression for the vast majority of the player base by removing valor, justice, and the gear they used to purchase with them.

Then we hear about the conversion of justice heirlooms to gold and later the idea that they will just remove justice heirloom gear completely.  Once more going along with the obsession to remove content instead of adding it.  Some might ask how it was content but that is rather simple.  When people wanted heirlooms they needed justice. So they would go and do things that got them the justice they needed, thus buying heirloom gear created content by making players have the need to do something to get it.

They did say they would add something back at a later date, but that still does not give them a reasonable excuse for removing content once again.  They plan on added a raid tier, so why not remove all previous raid tiers?  Doesn't sound appealing right?  So why remove old heirlooms because they plan on making new ones.  That goes back to the amazing miscue they had when they rereleased ZA and ZG and removed the old ZA and old ZG.  One of their "lets remove content" moves from 3 or so years ago.  This shows that blizzards whole, lets remove content idea, is not new, they are just stepping it up to a whole new level now, sort of like, lets see how much content we can remove all at once.

There was also the announcement that they are removing the legendary quest line come the next expansion which leads me to ask a simple one word question, why?  There really is no reason what so ever to remove it.  I read their response that they wanted to make it feel like something that is a reward for those that were there to experience it.  Well guess what blizzard, it was a reward for those that were there.  For everyone else it would be going back and doing it to experience the content, the fun, the story, or just to give them something to do.  It is a form of content going back and doing things and it is a very important part of the game and something that does actually keep people paying that monthly fee.

Is blizzard aware of the number of people that goes back to old raids to get old legendary items?  I know of many, myself included, that go back and do old content just for the sake of doing it.  To get an old legendary just to give me something to do.  Going back and doing old content is excellent content.  People go back to farm legendary items, mounts, pets, gear, you name it.  People go back to enjoy a bit of nostalgia.  People go back to experience it on another class.  People go back to see stuff they were not around for when it was new.  Old content, old quest lines, old legendary items, are content.  Removing the legendary quest line is removing content for those people that might want to go back and do it at a later date.  It is content that will keep them busy for a long time going back.  It will keep them active and more importantly it will keep them playing and thus paying the monthly fee.  So why remove something that people can go back to get later, it makes no sense. 

Their argument that they want it to feel like something special for those that were there is nothing short of vacuously wrong.  It was something special for me, because I did it when it was current, I did it when I needed it, and it takes nothing away from my enjoyment of doing it or getting it when it was current if some guy goes back to get it four years from now.  Him getting it in four years did not take away from what I did, so blizzard saying they are removing it so my cloak(s) feel more special is absolutely disingenuous.  Blizzard just wanted to remove content, because for some reason they are obsessed with removing as much content as they can instead of leaving it in game for others to go back for later.

Which brings us to the garrosh heirlooms.  Why are these being removed?  This, just like the legendary quest line, makes no sense.  Leaving them in the game means people will want to go back to get them.  People will want to farm for them, to get complete collections of them, just the way they would with the mount when the time comes if they were not lucky enough to get one when it was a 100% drop.  Leaving the heirlooms in would have made sure that SoO was a raid that people would go back and farm for many years to come in groups or solo when the time came where people were capable of doing so.  It would have created a great deal of content by letting them stay in game so people could go back to get them but instead blizzard has to remove them and in effect remove content once again.

I am having a hard time understanding why blizzard, with warcraft being a monthly subscription game, would remove stuff that would most definitely keep people subscribed because it would give them something to do.  I just do not understand removing things that keep people subscribed.  Where is blizzard going with this because I do not understand.  Keeping old stuff in game is good for the game.  Removing it is bad.  So why is blizzard so obsessed with removing content when it is bad for the game for them to do so?