World of Warcraft to monetize experience buffs

Blizzard Entertainment will soon be rolling out an in-game store for its flagship World of Warcraft, testing the microtransaction waters with monetized experience buffs and a new way to obtain specific items. As revealed on the forums this morning by Blizzard community manager Bashiok, the new in-game store is a spiritual extension of its existing Pet Store, which sells pets and mounts for avatars. "We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game," said Bashiok, who noted that there would be "quite a bit of work involved in retrofitting" in order to integrate the store's items into the new system. The in-game store will be the initial staging ground for two new items, the experience buff and an alternative method to acquire Lesser Charms of Good Fortune, "in Asian regions, at the outset."