Summary
World of Warcraftrecently held a retrospective panel at a Games Developer Conference that reflected on the rise, fall, and recovery of the MMO over the last several years. During the lecture,World of Warcraftadmitted to the mistakes it made duringShadowlands, and revealed the subscription trends between each expansion.
Like any MMO,World of Warcrafthas experienced plenty of highs and lows over its long lifespan. However, few expansions drew as much criticism asShadowlands– thedivisiveWorld of Warcraftexpansion from 2020that precededDragonflight.
World of Warcraft is Bouncing Back from Shadowlands
One of the most insightful parts of the panel was Hight’s reflection on the shortcomings ofShadowlands. The accompanying slide admitted the setting of the expansion was not accessible, that the Jailer – theill-fated antagonist ofWoW: Shadowlands– was underdeveloped, and that well-known heroes were diminished in the narrative. Likewise, gameplay systems stagnated, didn’t change to match player expectations, and involved too much borrowed power. Lastly, long gaps in content and lack of transparency led to the community feeling unheard byWorld of Warcraft.
While most of these sentiments have been widespread among the playerbase, seeingWorld of Warcraftadmitting to its mistakes is a huge deal for many fans. Blizzard’s self-identified “old stubbornness” duringShadowlandswas a major factor in the drop in subscriptions, so seeing the company correct course from these missteps is a big step in the right direction for regaining the trust of its community. The numbers clearly prove it, consideringDragonflightis the first expansion in years to actually gain players after its launch – even if some of the success can be attributed toClassic. Either way, it seems likeWorld of Warcraftis in a better place nowthan it has been in a long time.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
WHERE TO PLAY
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the ninth expansion pack for the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.Dragonflight features an overhauled user interface, raises the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class.
