Summary
- Former World of Warcraft developer cashed in on $1,500 worth of free subscription time before being laid off from Blizzard.
- Adam Holisky secured nearly 10 years of free World of Warcraft subscription by redeeming his unredeemed codes.
- Holisky's power play means he won't have to spend anything on his WoW subscription until October 14, 2033.
One former World of Warcraft developer was able to redeem 10 years' worth of free subscription time before he was laid off from Blizzard. With some quick thinking on his part, this ex-developer cashed in on over $1,500 of World of Warcraft subscription time, and they won’t need to buy anything outside of expansions for the next decade.
Recently, a huge number of layoffs hit many of Microsoft’s studios, including the newly acquired Activision Blizzard King conglomerate. Over 1,900 developers were let go, including former Blizzard product lead for core technology Adam Holisky. A long-time player of the company’s games, Holisky’s first claim to fame was the creation of Blizzard Watch, a fan site dedicated to presenting news about games including WoW, Diablo, and Overwatch. Holisky ran the site until shortly before his employment at Blizzard.
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However, before Holisky was laid off from Blizzard after nearly five years, he was able to set himself up for the next decade. After he learned he was being let go from the company, he quickly redeemed all of his unredeemed WoW subscription codes before he lost access to them. By doing so, he secured nearly 10 years of free subscription time for World of Warcraft, which he proved in a post on his personal Twitter. Though he will have to buy any expansions that come out between now and then, Holisky’s power play means he won’t have to spend anything on his WoW subscription until October 14, 2033.
Former WoW Dev Got Over $1500 of Free Subscription Time
By breaking down the numbers, one can see just how much money Holisky saved with his quick thinking. Via the one-year subscription offer for World of Warcraft, the monthly sub fee is $13 before tax, for a total of $156 a year. His subscription doesn’t expire until October 2033, adding up to about 117 months of free game time, meaning he saved about $1,521 on World of Warcraft.
Needless to say, fans got a kick out of Holisky’s big score. Many of his fellow players are glad he was able to cash in on the free codes, and while they are sympathetic to his plight after being affected by the Blizzard layoffs, they are envious of his impressive subscription time. Some were worried he would get in trouble for doing so, but Holisky confirmed that free subscription time is a well-documented employee benefit he had simply not redeemed yet, so he wasn't breaking any rules.
Meanwhile, Blizzard itself is not through the storm yet. Former Call of Duty general manager Johanna Faries was recently appointed as president of Blizzard, so players will have to wait and see how she influences the company after the recent layoffs.
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It's one of the highest-grossing franchises in history and is widely considered the most popular MMORPG ever made.
