Preface this article with a slice of onomatopoeia: Gulp.
For quite some time now, Blizzard has, on a quarterly basis, brought out word of its total subscriber numbers for the long-running World of Warcraft franchise as part of its earnings report. Now, the company has pulled back on those reins and won't be offering such announcements any longer.

The official explanation as to why comes on the heels of its last announcement at 5.5 million total subscribers, with one simple remark: "There are other metrics that are better indicators of the overall Blizzard business performance." Blizzard will instead trot out "engagement" metrics to talk World of Warcraft health. Just what those "engagement" metrics are, meanwhile, weren't discussed, and may well not be until the next quarterly report.

This almost certainly looks like a red flag to just about everybody who's looking. You're walking into holiday shopping season, all the big numbers are coming out, and what do you do? You refuse to report those numbers coming out of holiday 2015, instead sticking to some arcane formula you won't talk about any more.

Reference my earlier onomatopoeia: gulp.

The numbers as they stand are bad enough for two: 5.5 million subscribers as of September 30 represents not only a loss of 100,000 subscribers over that quarter, but a new low for the last nine years. With a new expansion, Legion, set for a beta release soon--it's set to be shown at BlizzCon--not announcing subscriber numbers is downright unnerving. Historically, a new expansion brings in fresh subscriber numbers, so why would Blizzard shut down the announcements of such numbers at a time when said numbers are most likely to spike?

The most obvious solution--though not necessarily the right one--is that the numbers are on a downward slope, and this might be the first time that history gets bucked and a new expansion doesn't bring in the subscribers. Possible, absolutely...and if true, a sock in Blizzard's credibility. It's also something of a reflection on the wider market; look how many MMOs from Elder Scrolls Online to Guild Wars II and beyond don't have subscription fees. World of Warcraft may just be the latest one to throw over subscription fees in favor of microtransactions and the like.

Admittedly, one of these explanations is a disaster. Another is a statement on the broader market. Another is one that may not have been mentioned here. Just which is the real one isn't clear, but it's going to bear watching all the same.