Blizzard Likely Earned Over $15 Million with a Single Mount - Trader's Gilded Brutosaur

Posted 2025/01/30 at 11:39 AM by Anshlun

Reins of the Trader's Gilded BrutosaurData for AzerothRaider.ioDisclaimersMethodologyData for AzerothRaider.ioData for AzerothRaider.ioRaider.ioDreaming Hero: Dragonflight Season 3Thundering Hero: Dragonflight Season 1Estimating the Number of Accounts

Achievement

Players per Region

Total

Cryptic Hero: Shadowlands Season 3

1027

1340

117

2536

Thundering Hero: Dragonflight Season 1

1549

1935

141

265

3890

Smoldering Hero: Dragonflight Season 2

1310

1639

121

401

3471

Dreaming Hero: Dragonflight Season 3

1479

1861

139

502

3981

Achievement

Total Players

% in DfA

Accounts Estimated

Cryptic Hero: Shadowlands Season 3

2536

0.1689%

1,501,480

Thundering Hero: Dragonflight Season 1

3890

0.2479%

1,569,181

Smoldering Hero: Dragonflight Season 2

3471

0.2149%

1,615,170

Dreaming Hero: Dragonflight Season 3

3981

0.2623%

1,517,728

Average Number of Accounts

1,550,890

One issue with this approach is that Raider.io lists characters and Data for Azeroth accounts, meaning there will be discrepancies when an account has multiple characters that earned a given achievement.

Data for Azeroth Data is only updated on demand, meaning the percentage of accounts with the Brutosaur will continue to increase over the next few weeks, even if the mount is not on sale anymore.

We are not using data from Fated/Awakened Seasons as their participation is fairly lower compared to their expansions' regular seasons.

Our starting point of data is Shadowlands Season 3, as that is the first Season that doesn't have a faction split for the top 0.1% achievement, which could further complicate the estimate.

Calculating Revenue with Trader Gilded Brutosaur and Other MountsReins of the Trader's Gilded BrutosaurReins of the Trader's Gilded BrutosaurChaos-Forged BundleGrizzly Hills Packmaster

Mount

% Players

Accounts Estimated

Mount Price

Estimate Revenue Generated

Reins of the Mighty Caravan Brutosaur

4.1598%

64,514

N/A*

Reins of the Trader's Gilded Brutosaur

12.1407%

188,289

$90

$16,946,010

Chaos-Forged Bundle

2.6814%

41,586

$30

$1,247,580

Grizzly Hills Packmaster

4.8907%

75,849

$20

$1,516,980

*Players might've purchased WoW Tokens to buy gold for their mount, but there is no way to have that information.Future of Microtransactions in WoW

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Comments

Comment by SinR

i can 100% believe that.

Considering Sparkle Pony outsold SC2

Comment by vinvin

DAAMMNNNNNNNN BROOOOO !

Comment by Xalea

Yeah, I believe it too. However, it should be noted the functionality of the mount was the selling point (not just 'oh wow big dino mount') etc. It could've been a black cube and people would've bought it for the AH and mail utility. I hope Blizz has enough sense to realize that, but I kinda doubt it. I'm expecting a Sparkle Pony 2 mount priced at $75 and Blizz will wonder why nobody is buying it.

Comment by DadvsNub

In this situation, it’s more about utility. They put into game a utility item that represented a huge advantage to players then removed it. This type of FOMO plays right into their hands. Players jumped to buy it because they didn’t want to lose this opportunity for the utility this mount brings.

Comment by DadvsNub

Accidentally reposted my comment.

Comment by 7upyourz

I see you did note the wow token, but I assume the amount is probably closer to 10million. I don't know anyone that didn't use pure gold to buy the mount. I enjoyed this article.

Comment by TrueLucifer

well its the closest thing to a pay to win mount in the game. seeing as xaryu showed you were able to buy items mid arena match using it

Comment by Outdated

hopefully they can use that money to stop making spell animations that look atrocious

Comment by Poisonenvy

I HAVE the mount, but I didn't buy it. After Blizzard stole everything out of our guild bank, I stopped buying anything from the store anymore.

My guildees clubbed together to buy me the mount. I'd also been given a 12 month sub by one of my guildees which I've only just started, so until that is done, they're not getting any more money from me. And even then it will ONLY be for the game itself.

Comment by pipdockan

i can 100% believe that.

Considering Sparkle Pony outsold SC2

That's a rumor that is false. Starcraft 2 made $150 million first month

Comment by jobond83

WoW

Comment by epyonnext

The player base doesn't have an appetite for just expensive mounts. You couldn't throw in a spectral tiger at $90 USD and still hit those numbers. It's about the utility. You now have an AH, anywhere/anytime you need one. Utility moves markets in the MTX space.

Comment by twitchcannon

WoW is often my second screen, or my entertainment when on a walkpad - i'll often fish or farming stuff like cloth in follower dungeons or whatever as I'm doing something else. So I snagged this with tokens - well worth it imo. And I can still get tokens to pay monthly sub, so in the end it's not yet costing me anything. I'd never have directly paid the 90 USD for it - but i'll spend other people's 120 USD in tokens instead.

Utility moves markets in the MTX space.

And the only reason I got it. My fishers don't have to move from their spots; I've had a druid in Hallowfall ever since I got the mount. Just fishing while working from home, minding his business. Not having to deal with going back and forth or using toys to send mail to other toons to log them in to sell - 100% a game changer.

Comment by thirty8overhead

Pog, nobody can shame me for having disposable income and spending it on my favorite pastime.

Comment by Rellyne

*Players might've purchased WoW Tokens to buy gold for their mount, but there is no way to have that information.

It doesn't really matter, because tokens are not free. Someone paid for those.

Comment by Consecra

Eh, have played the game for like 15 years, basically never bought additional services and this thing is convenient as hell. Seems like a small price to pay. Just a damn shame that a majority of this will go into CEO pockets instead of into the game.

Comment by zulef

Everyone seems to have forgotten about the GB nonsense they pulled. They could restore everyone, a lot of people literally have the GB logs to prove what vanished. they just dont want to because support time or something.

Comment by Tharna

Considering Sparkle Pony outsold SC2

According to known grifter Thor, he'd certainly never just make something up tho right?

Comment by Rellyne

Pog, nobody can shame me for having disposable income and spending it on my favorite pastime.

You can still be accounted for part of the current problem in the gaming industry and all the problems specific to WoW regarding in-game rewards vs mtx in a sub based game with box price.

Nobody really cares about shaming you, but really blaming you, lol.

Comment by DrexOzzy

yea those numbers are going to be way off. at least 60%(minimum) of players used gold to buy the mount and not actual money. you apparently forgot the whole collapse of the wow token and there being a shortage on the AH because of everyone using gold and not money. it only costed roughly 2mil gold to buy the mount.

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