As the level cap for World of Warcraft increases with each expansion, it's becoming increasingly annoying to start a new character. 90 levels is a lot to go through when you've already done it once or twice (or 5 times). The new expansion, World of Draenor, will attempt to solve this as it offers one free character boost (all the way up to level 90) for anyone who pre-orders it.
Perhaps, though, this is a test for a new feature which Blizzard explains "gives you the option to purchase a character upgrade directly." It's an intriguing idea that could actually help boost the number of players. By offering a simple way to boost characters, it could encourage newcomers to check out the game without being overwhelmed by a 90-level grind.
I just hope this option is a result of "player feedback," and not Blizzard simply trying to offset the losses caused by lower subscription numbers. If the latter happens to be the case, they might as well just call it a day and make WoW completely free to play. Blizzard says they'll have more details in the future.
[Blizzard]
