Skip to main content

Blizzard creates cross-game economy for ‘WoW,’ ‘Overwatch,’ and ‘Hearthstone’

WoW Token Overview
Blizzard now lets players convert in-game gold from World of Warcraft into Battle.net credit that can be used across other Blizzard titles, including the popular Overwatch and Hearthstone, the company announced on Monday. The exchange is possible thanks to WoW Tokens, a currency introduced in 2015 that has now expanded.

As the video states, WoW Tokens can be purchased within World of Warcraft using real money, or in-game gold earned through quests, item auctions and more. As of Monday, those Tokens can then be converted into Battle.net credit in addition to being used to purchase more game time inWoW or transferred to other players.

WoW players can drag their WoW Tokens into the auction house interface to sell them for in-game gold, but to exchange them for game time or Battle.net credit, you can simply “use” the Token from your inventory. The game then presents a pop-up that lets you choose between World of Warcraft game time and Battle.net credit. Players with inactive accounts can buy tokens to exchange for game time directly from the character select screen.

“The Wow Token is an easy and secure option for players who would like to purchase some extra gold from other players, or would like to pay for their WoW subscription, pets, mounts, and other Blizzard products using gold,” the video said.

The practical effect of these confusing economics is that in addition to other possibilities, players can now trade their in-game gold for WoW Tokens, then use the Tokens to buy balance on their Battle.net accounts that can be used in other Blizzard games. So as Polygon points out, players who have accumulated lots of surplus gold in WoW or who have some gear they wouldn’t mind selling off can turn their investment directly into Overwatch loot boxes, Hearthstone card packs, and more.

Editors' Recommendations

Michael Rougeau
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…
Blizzard games hit with late-night DDoS attack
Genji slashes a robot in Overwatch 2.

Several Blizzard games suffered outages last night due to a distributed denial of service or DDoS attack. As reported by Dot Esports, players attempting to log in to Battle.net and play Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft were unable to find matches or connect with their friends. The attack was first reported around 10:15 PM EST last night as increased latency and connection issues in Overwatch, where some frustrated players were getting disconnected from competitive matches and suffering leaver penalties. Blizzard technical support officially declared the presence of a DDoS attack around 11 PM, and it lasted until about 3 AM this morning. It's not yet clear who was behind the attack.

After Overwatch players continued to disconnect from ranked matches, frustrated users poured into Blizzard's forums to complain about the issues. Queue times were extended, players were randomly disconnecting from matches, and few could log into Battle.net. I experienced this firsthand, as a friend and I tried to play Overwatch around 11 PM and were unable to see anyone on our Battle.net friends list or even get into a match.

Read more
Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 delayed amid leadership changes at Blizzard
Mercy and Winston standing side by side

Blizzard Entertainment announced delays for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 during an earnings call earlier today. The company presented a slide that provided an update on its creative pipeline, which explained that content planned for next year would need “more development time to reach its full potential” due to changes in "key creative roles."

https://twitter.com/stephentotilo/status/1455635542054477831

Read more
Hearthstone’s standout Mercanaries mode is smothered by the main game
Heroes from Hearthstone Mercenaries stand together.

Hearthstone has always been something that has fascinated me. As a World of Warcraft spinoff, it's steeped in the lore and characters that I grew up with and condensed it into a fun card game. I had a solid go of it when it first came out; I built my decks, constructed my cards, and even climbed the ranks of Hearthstone’s ladder. However, like most games, I eventually stopped playing. It could have been out of frustration or because I found a different game to focus on -- I honestly don’t remember because it was years ago. I did want to get back into it, but as the days turned to months, months to years, and one expansion to various expansions, I felt like I could not catch up.

Hearthstone Mercenaries Cinematic Trailer

Read more