World of Warcraft is a behemoth. And despite competitors flocking to its doors trying to steal the player base of this nearly 20-year-old game, Blizzard’s MMO still holds its own. So much so that we wonder if the only thing that could one day “kill WoW” won’t eventually be the development of WoW 2!
However, MMOs have weathered a few storms over the years. Some could have spelled the end of the game, if developers and players hadn’t stuck to the fence.
LFR Mode: When Blizzard Labels a Game “Unofficial Demo”
November 29, 2011
Blizzard has always had to play a very delicate judging role between casual players and casual fans. The thing is, finding a good balance for such a large community is almost impossible. If a game is too hard, the amateurs run away, but if the hardest-working people aren’t rewarded, discontent rises as well.
In 2011, Blizzard incorporated the LFR (“Live Raid”) feature, which allowed very casual players to participate in raids by snapping their fingers. All this with a much lower difficulty to reduce the usual setup and requirements for these high-flying instances.
For many veterans, this extreme generalization risks alienating WoW from its highly rewarding hardcore side. The MMO then seems to be moving toward a more casual feel that contrasts sharply with its initial reputation.
Cute pandas and mascots
September 25, 2012
Mists of Pandaria It is the first expansion that was received very tepidly by fans. The community does not understand this thematic choice on Blizzard's part. Pandaria and its Asian setting struggle to seduce the Pandaren, just like its inhabitants. Many fans believe that this new race is a mistake, far from the setting of Azeroth. However, the Pandaren play a real role in traditionsand integrating it into an MMO game is in no way incompatible.
Another detail that caused a lot of buzz with this expansion was the arrival of Pet Battle. The added feature is reminiscent of duels between Pokemon trainers, and it also seems to tarnish the MMO gameplay.
Warlords of Draenor and its empty updates
February 24, 2015
The 2010s have certainly been a bumpy decade for Blizzard. After Mists of Pandaria, WoW branched out into Warlords of Draenor, one of the least played and most criticized expansions in the entire history of MMORPGs. WoD generates very little enthusiasm for several reasons; new areas, states, and even traditions It's completely trivial compared to what MMOs have managed to do so far. The “housing” feature in the base camp was also rather poorly received.
But what decides the fate of this faltering extension is the content of its updates… or rather the “lack of content”. The highest point in this desert crossing is February 24, 2015. Update 6.1, whose central feature is the arrival of the selfie camera to WoW…
The “pay to win” spectre
April 7, 2015
In 2015, Blizzard hit a new problem: monetization. Pay to winThe company introduced WoW Token at this time, and the feature was immediately received very poorly by loyal fans, and for good reason: it allows you to exchange real money for gold, at any time.
So far, MMOs have remained far from the specter of Pay to winBut all the dams burst at once. Thus, a wealthy player in real life could theoretically buy the best items in the game with the sheer power of his wallet in the blink of an eye, without devoting effort and time to an MMO.
The era of all the scandals of a strong snowstorm
July 28, 2021
Recently, Blizzard has been going through a very bad period. In 2021, the company suffered various setbacks that affected many of its games. On July 21, 2021, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Blizzard is sued for discriminating against female employees and fostering a workplace where sexual harassment goes unpunished. A slew of misogyny and harassment scandals are uncovered. WoW finds itself at the center of a provinceand Shadowlands has become one of the least played expansions in history.
