In-Game Realities: Current Topics and Hotspots in World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft is almost the same age as the online gambling industry; it turns 20 this year, although the franchise will celebrate its 30th anniversary. This is by no means a small feat, especially given the fact that it is one of the most successful franchises in the gaming industry. Fewer brands, including the likes of Ice Casino online, FIFA, and Need For Speed, enjoy the level of success World of Warcraft has in the iGaming spaces.

Before reaching these significant milestones, Blizzard, the company behind the game, went big at the BlizzCon 2023 event. It unveiled a new mobile game, teased looming Hearthstone and World of Warcraft Classic updates, and publicized three new WoW expansions, which will be part of the Worldsoul Saga.

Building the Worldsoul Saga

In the coming years, the notable thing hardcore World of Warcraft players should be looking out for are the new expansions that will be incorporated into The Worldsoul Saga. These include The Midnight, The Last Titan, and The War Within. At the BlizzCon 2023 event, John Hight,the General Manager of the franchise, detailed why the story needs to be narrated across three expansions and not just the one that will be unveiled during World of Warcraft’s 20th anniversary (this year).

In the 20 years that the game has existed, it has consistently received expansions, and there seems to be no signs of it slowing down anytime. This was backed by Hight’s clarification of a question that has been asked in many forums regarding the culmination of The Worldsoul Saga. In a statement at the event, he said the expansion of the Worldsoul Saga is just the end of the significant chapter but the start of something big that will last for years to come.

When will these expansions to The Woldsoul Saga happen? What is known as of now is that players can expect ‘The War Within’ to be released by the end of the year (2024). There’s no clear date or information on when the remaining games will be released. While Hight couldn’t be more specific about the release of the other worlds, he said players should expect significant production improvements, which will help Blizzard deliver content at a more predictable rate. Some senior World of Warcraft developers echoed this sentiment in different platforms, attended by many stakeholders in the iGaming niche. The associate design director Maria Hamilton confirmed that content for The Worldsoul Saga expansions is currently in development.

Building Warcraft to Last

Of course, there is more to Warcraft than the latest expansions for their main MMO. There is the throwback World of Warcraft Classic that will be introducing new seasons as well as re-releasing the Cataclysm expansion. On the mobile platform, there is Hearthstone, which received an expansion, and a duo version of Battlegrounds that will be released in 2024. There is also Warcraft 3: Reforged, which, according to Hight, has received significant improvements to make up for the rough launch it had. There is also the Warcraft Rumble.

The game was unveiled after spawning from a small team within the larger segment of the World of Warcraft developers. Saraf and Hight elaborated on how they intend to make WarCraft the place players always want to be and how the mobile platform could be a significant entry point for many. Still, they intend to make the game to have its own thing going on and feel customized for mobile. This is something that they seem to have achieved, as every single review across the iOS and Android platforms seems to be positive. Blizzard is keen on building on this success and letting the game live on just like World of Warcraft and Hearthstone have. This implies Warcraft Rumble is expected to be in full swing by the end of the year when the important updates will be made. According to Saraf, there are “active discussions,” although the company is preparing plans as the interplay between all these games is being experimented on, WarCraft Rumble is marketed, and we edge closer to the actual anniversary.

Final Thoughts

All in all, World of WarCraft is going through a lot of changes aimed at improving the gaming experience. Examples include incorporating new systems for progression and rewards, addressing content concerns, and focusing on offering a more seasonal play model. Yet, despite all these new changes, there are still technical concerns and challenges about difficulty and balance. Nonetheless, statements from various team members within Blizzard and the general manager shows that this is only the start of what will be a big thing in the future. Hight believes what is doing is establishing the foundation for upcoming developers, and hope to replicate the success that companies such as Disney have achieved.