World of Warcraft: rise to glory, ultimate downfall and… possible redemption?

World of Warcraft®

World of Warcraft is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

No guts, no glory!

Some of the biggest names out there adhere to this creed. But is it really all it’s cracked up to be?

Let’s find out.

Before we can start exploring all the nooks and crannies that make up this universe, its intricacies and the reasons for its current demise. We must begin at its roots. Blizzard Entertainment.

Founded in 1991 as Silicon & Synapse, Inc., they concentrated on porting games for other developing companies at first. Barely 2 years later, in 1993, the studio was renamed to Chaos Studios, Inc. and began developing their own games. RPM Racing, The Lost Vikings and Rock n’ Roll Racing being their first published games.

Blizzard Entertainment Rises, to Fame and Beyond

Enters 1994, a year of wonders, a year of glory. Renaming once again occurs, and Blizzard Entertainment is born.

Blizzard Entertainment®

Blizzard Entertainment is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

PCIn August and September 1994, 2 games were released; The Death and Return of Superman (August) and Blackthorne (September). Published by both Sunsoft and Interplay Productions respectively.

But then, in November of the same year, a legend was developed and put under the spotlight. Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. The very first of the Warcraft games, and the beginning of one of the most iconic series in PC gaming history.

Warcraft®: Orcs and Humans

Warcraft: Orcs and Humans is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Warcraft, an RTS must and a lore need

Warcraft 1 became quite a success and was able to make Blizzard monetarily steady for the first time, selling over 300 000 copies worldwide. It was also the first game which Blizzard was able to self-publish in North America.

The game’s story and script themselves were basically almost non-existent and the narrative was improvised. But it planted a seed, one that would grow to immeasurable heights. Many innovations to the RTS genre were put in place and subsequently used by other developers moving forward.

Their future main competitor, Command and Conquer, would come out only a year later in 1995. Their rivalry sparked a huge increase in the public’s interest towards RTS games and, in December of that year, barely 3 months after C&C, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness came out.

Warcraft 2 received critical acclaim, winning the majority of the biggest PC gaming awards of 1996. It lifted Blizzard Entertainment up there with the most praised developing companies of the time. By 2001, the game had sold over 3 million copies globally, making it a highly impressive commercial success.

Warcraft® II: Tides of Darkness

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

The game saw 5 expansions and addon packs released between 1996 and 1997:

• Beyond the Dark Portal (1996)
• W!Zone (1996)
• W!Zone II: Retribution (1996)
• The Next 70 Levels (1997)
• The Next 350 Levels (1997)

All of this prepared the ground for Blizzard’s next big thing at the time: StarCraft, published in 1998. But that is a story for another time, as it is more than just Warcraft-in-space.

The 2000s Come, Hell’s Bells Tolls

Between the release of Warcraft 2 and its subsequent expansions from 1995 to 2000, Blizzard did not slow down their pace, they did not sit on their laurels, quite the contrary. Those were important years, invaluable even. But for Warcraft, not as much.

Diablo®

Diablo is a trademark or registered trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

The year 1997 saw the emergence of one of the company’s most successful franchises to date and an epic saga in the history of gaming. Revolutionizing RPG video games, this polished gem had an unprecedented impact on the game industry at release. The masterpiece of which I speak, was Diablo.

Such was this game’s repercussions on the market, that Action RPGs, an already well-established genre, came to be widely known as Diablo-like games moving forward. Then, in the year 2000, Diablo’s sequel came out: Diablo II along with its renowned expansion Lord of Destruction, published in 2001. It cemented the series’ reputation and secured its legacy for generations to come.

But Diablo is not the main protagonist of this tale, oh no. Its story shall be told at a later occasion. At a time when you’ll stay a while and listen.

Warcraft III: The Reign of the Trilogy

3^rd of July 2002, the world is taken by a storm. A storm crafted by war and chaos. A behemoth capable of ravaging servers and decimating the games of its competitors in one fell swoop. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos comes to life.

Warcraft® III: Reign of Chaos®

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

A shining example for all to behold, Warcraft 3 was the first of the franchise to be 3D rendered. It emphasized on the story, the lore and its characters, much more than its predecessors. Mostly recognized as one of the greatest video games ever made, critics commended the game, review scores were through the roof and sales skyrocketed.

Close to a whopping 4.5 million copies sold in retail, and a million within a month of release, its success cannot be overstated, and its achievements cannot be undervalued. Warcraft 3 changed the name of the RTS video games.

Warcraft® III: The Frozen Throne®

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Thanks to this groundbreaking advancement, and its expansion Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the world of Azeroth was put in the spotlight and all eyes were now riveted unto it. Its champions, heroes, fantasy setting, races, lands, the feel of its story, the beauty of its music and audio design, its graphical style. We were all hooked, and we wanted more. Way more.

MMORPGs: the future at the tip of a click

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) as a genre began in their earliest days as the multi-user dungeon (MUD) genre first. Most of the earliest examples of MUD games were text-based. Players would create avatars to interact within the virtual world, giving them the ability to read descriptive explanations of NPCs, PCs, objects, rooms, etc. Players also had the ability to engage with one another by writing down commands.

The very first true internet multiplayer online role-playing game, MUD (MUD1), became accessible to the public in 1980. Although groundbreaking on its own and deserving merit for its accomplishments at starting the online gaming industry, MUDs were still only text on screen with multiplayer online components. That is, until 1991, the year of Neverwinter Nights’ release.

Neverwinter Nights, the very first fully graphical multiplayer online RPG, kept their servers online from the year of its inception until 1997. The player base grew stronger and stronger, year after year, reaching around 115 000 players near the end of its lifespan. The game’s critical reception was positive and favorable whilst still staying quite niche. But it is its players’ created communities, guilds, groups and events that kept it as strong as it was.

Finally, in 1996, the grandfather of all MMORPGs came out: Meridian 59. Graphically 3D and with a first-person perspective, the multiplayer online games were able to add the “massively” title to their names for the very first time. A highly lucrative, exponentially popular, captivating and fascinating genre hit the ground and vowed to stay on top for eons to come.

After Meridian 59, others followed suit, such as:

• Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds (1996)
• The Realm Online (1996)
• Terra: Battle for the Outland (1996)
• Tibia (1997)
• Ultima Online (1997)
• Clan Lord (1998)
• Lineage (1998)

But the real boost in public attention towards MMORPGs came with games such as EverQuest and Asheron’s Call, both released in 1999. Succeeding these, and the popularity they generated, other massive titles would soon follow suit. Ones such as Anarchy Online (2001), Dark Age of Camelot (2001), RuneScape (2001), EVE Online (2003), Lineage II (2003), MapleStory (2003), Dofus (2004), EverQuest II (2004), and many more. All these games still being active to this day demonstrate the longevity, resilience and loyal player base MMORPGs can easily have. The possibilities are limitless.

The PC Gaming world was truly evolving on a golden path, these were groundbreaking years for mouse and keyboard usage and the excitement was palpable. Many companies were looking far and wide for the online project that would put them on the map. The one that would set them apart from all the others and state loud and clear their intentions on the market.

2004 was not prepared for the hubbub that was brewing in the distance, the thunderous roar that would come crashing down on them and set the course for future generations.

World of Warcraft: how to wow gamers

Some could argue the most legendary MMORPG ever produced. World of Warcraft had been announced 3 years prior and was finally released on the 23^rd of November 2004 for the 10^th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. None could have predicted that such a game could one day be. That such a magnificent specimen could reach our shelves and our hard drives. Gamers were in awe and could barely contain their joy, their excitement. A new dawn had arisen, and the future was glowing quite bright.

The game launched with massive success and became the most played MMORPG of all time almost overnight. The intense hype towards WoW was such that within the very first day of the game’s release, they had sold close to 250 000 copies of the game in North America alone. In less than 24 hours, Blizzard had sold more of their new online product than any other PC game had ever been able to in the history of gaming worldwide. WoW also broke the record for most accounts created concurrently in a MMORPG.

It quickly became the MMORPG with the fastest growth recorded thus far. All servers were filled to the brim on the first day, being swiftly unable to meet the demands of such an extensive rapidly growing player base. Few at Blizzard could’ve expected such a positive and instantaneous reaction from the public on day one. Yet the team buckled up and created over 40 more servers by the following weekend. The first week saw over 350 000 copies sold.

Retailers were completely sold out on the day of release and most agreed that World of Warcraft quickly became their fastest selling PC product to date. Blizzard even had a hard time meeting the demand for shipping more to retailers.

All in all, the launch was more than just a huge success. WoW broke records left and right and quickly garnered a massive and loyal fanbase. Critics were praising the game as being proof, once again, that Blizzard knows how to deliver consistently. The following months and years saw World of Warcraft amassing more and more players continuously.

By 2006 it had sold 1.5 million copies and was still growing. By 2008, 4 years after the original release, WoW had well over 10 million subscribers worldwide. To put into perspective how monstrous of a commercial success this was; to have a game account you had to purchase a copy full price, and to subscribe and play on that account you had to pay 14,99$ per month. Finally, by 2010 the game had reached its peak with over 12 million active subscribers. 2014, Blizzard made the shocking announcement that over 100 million accounts had been created in the game.

World of Warcraft changed the MMORPG genre as we knew it. It redefined everything and most of its implementations were then used by other developers moving forward to create the best MMORPGs possible. WoW’s innovations were not invented but they perfected just about everything that made the already highly enjoyable genre. It refined the base ideas, polished the rough edges. It made everything objectively better.

The game was a highly addictive piece of hardware. Most of just about anyone with a PC in those days could say with certainty that they were addicted in some ways to World of Warcraft. Certain people became intensely obsessed to insane degrees and would even forget to eat, drink or sleep. Many would find that their life was just not fulfilling enough, they felt disillusioned and escaped in the fantasy world of Azeroth. The immersive quality of the game and the social aspects of it, with everything that could be accomplished and enjoyed made it possible for anyone to have a complete life separate to their real one. It was just that good.

Azeroth: faction conflicts, struggles alike

Set 4 years after Warcraft 3’s expansion, Frozen Throne, the world of Azeroth sees 2 main factions being born:

Those 2 factions would be the setting from which the players would create their playable characters. 4 races for each faction (8 total) and 9 classes to choose from, the choices of class you have depending on which race you decide to play:

In constant conflict against one another, the Horde and the Alliance wage war throughout the main continents of Azeroth: Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. Each faction vying for control and the ultimate defeat of their enemies. The Horde fighting to keep a foothold on this new world they have come to adopt as their own, and the Alliance protecting what they have always seen as being rightfully theirs. None willing to stand down in the face of overwhelming numbers, or strife itself.

Many iconic characters in the base game, its patches and updates, would come bolster the ranks of Warcraft’s storytelling and become legends in their own rights, being used in plenty other medias moving forward. Some heroes: Thrall, King Varian Wrynn, Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, Varok Saurfang, to name a few. And some villains: Onyxia, Ragnaros, Nefarian, Deathwing, Hakkar the Soulflayer, C’Thun the Old God, Kel’Thuzad, and many more.

How far can you expand before you reach your own behind?

The Burning Crusade

The game’s first official expansion, released in 2007, The Burning Crusade saw once again impressive numbers right from the start. 2.4 million copies sold on day one, and 3.5 million copies by the end of the month.

World of Warcraft®: The Burning Crusade®

The Burning Crusade is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Players were delighted to find 2 brand new races added to the roster: The Draenei for the Alliance and the Blood Elves for the Horde. Players were also given a brand-new playground in which to go adventuring and exploring to their hearts’ content. Outland, which was the Orcs and Draeneis’ planet of Draenor having been almost completely decimated by the Burning Legion.

Players could also now level up to 70 instead of the maximum level 60 of the base game. Many things were added, and Burning Crusade was a major success from start to finish, still considered one of the best expansions of all time.

With everything added, the lore of the universe was also boosted by the reappearance of a major character in the Warcraft series: Illidan Stormrage.

World of Warcraft®:
Wrath of the Lich King®

Wrath of the Lich King is a trademark of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Wrath of the Lich King

The second official expansion, released in 2008, Wrath of the Lich King was also met with gigantic success. 2.8 million copies sold on the first day, breaking records once again. It has been acknowledged as the main reason, with the following expansion, for the game’s 12 million subscriber peak of 2010.

WOTLK added the full new continent of Northrend on the original map of Azeroth instead of being separated from it this time. Approximately the same size as Outland from BC, this new continent was highly appreciated and praised by players, even today. The expansion also added the first completely new playable class: Death Knights. Players were required to have at least one character over the level of 55 to be able to create a Death Knight that would start at level 55 instead of level 1 like any other class.

Player level capacity had now been raised to maximum 80 instead of the 70 cap from the previous expansion. Wrath of the Lich King was an even bigger success than its predecessor and most fans, players and critics still consider it the best expansion the World of Warcraft has ever seen.

Lore was once again expanded upon intensively and the fan favorite Arthas Menethil, the Lich King himself, returned to the franchise under high praise, wielding his iconic sword Frostmourne.

Cataclysm

2010 saw the release of the third official expansion for the game and quite a massive one at that. 3.3 million copies sold in 24 hours and 4.7 million during the very first month. Another highly anticipated and commercially successful expansion, breaking even more records and demonstrating that WoW was still very much the hype train that it always had been.

World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm®

Cataclysm is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Cataclysm saw a massive overhaul and unprecedented changes to the world of Azeroth. The ancient Titan and dragon Deathwing having arisen, he created terrible destruction in his wake and entire landscapes of the original continents of Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms were forever changed. Lands were flooded, fiery cracks appeared spewing molten lava from the bowels of the earth and entire forests were burnt and wiped out. The beloved planet of old would never be the same again, for better or worse.

The expansion did not just destroy well-known lands, it also added others. Novelty areas like the watery depths of the Vashj’ir underwater zone, or the sandy dunes of the desertic Uldum.

The game now also included 2 new playable races: the Worgens for the Alliance and the Goblins for the Horde. The level cap was also once again increased but this time only by 5 more levels, bringing the maximum level to 85.

Critically acclaimed by reviewers and critics, an absolute success. Many players still think of Cataclysm as the beginning of the downfall of World of Warcraft. Whilst the expansion itself was a technical improvement, nostalgia tend to hurt people hard, and it did just that to some of the player base. Many thinking the game was starting to get progressively easier, more casual and less hardcore, easier to play by yourself instead of having to be social as the game was intended at release.

Player subscriptions started dropping throughout 2011, all the way down to approximately 9 million subscribers in 2012, just before the release of the next expansion.

Expanding for the sake of surviving

The next year following Mists of Pandaria’s release, the fourth official expansion of the game, Activision made the decision to acquire more than 50% of Vivendi’s shares in the company and making them no longer the main shareholders for Blizzard Entertainment.

Activision had bought Blizzard 5 years prior, in 2008, but Blizzard kept control of their products in leadership and in autonomy as a whole.

Sadly, this would no longer be the case with Vivendi’s shares being almost completely bought out and them becoming a very minor shareholder of the company by 2013. By 2016, Vivendi would have completely exited the building, leaving Activision in charge of everything.

Starting with the release of Mists of Pandaria, the game’s sales and, especially, subscriber count would keep steadily declining year after year, expansion after expansion. Rising back up as an expansion came out and then getting progressively lower as time went on.

Most players leaving as the lack of passion and love for the game and its universe would gradually give way to the greediness of microtransactions and useless overpriced products. Quick-buck gimmicks or full-blown scams, the business model of Activision (now Activision Blizzard publicly), was felt in stark contradiction to what players would normally think of about their favorite game of all time.

Where is the silver lining?

After all this, what can be expected of the future of this game? This monumental franchise that has influenced so many gamers and sparked a love of MMORPGs for so many more. Where can we expect it to take us from now on?

Will Activision ever learn from their mistakes? Or are they too far deep in the rabbit hole, enraptured and enamored by the sight of gold coins? Can the world of Azeroth one day be cleansed of greed, or will the Old Gods keep their tendrils tightly fixed around our wallets for eons to come?

It is not to say that new expansions are no longer commercial successes, quite far from it. World of Warcraft is still making heaps of money and sees fair amounts of subscribers still creating new accounts or reopening old ones as the years go by. For example, the eighth expansion of the game, Shadowlands, released in 2020 and sold approximately 3.7 million copies on day one. Breaking the record of most sold copies on launch day than any PC games before it, dethroning the long-reigning Diablo III.

The game is not bad per se, not at all. It is estimated that to this day, around 150,000,000 accounts have been created and it garners approximately 500,000 daily active players. The game still is a massively successful one, partly due to its immense reputation, and will possibly keep going for decades.

The gameplay is fun. The graphics are enjoyable. The music is beautiful as always. The game tends to be much more readily available to new players discovering it for the first time and looking to jump in. But the passion seems to be slowly dwindling, it has been for some time. The development team is different, and the mindsets are different.

For some people the game is fine, many even considering it to be better than it once was. Not everyone has the same tastes in gaming, and that is quite fine. That is what makes the gaming community so diverse and fascinating. There are tons of products out there, and there will always be anything for anyone. Everyone can find their way and discover something they will truly and intensely enjoy.

World of Warcraft is still able and willing to surprise us. In 2019, a long awaited and demanded addition to the game was made available: World of Warcraft Classic. Players now had the ability to swap between two versions of the game. The normal retail version with all the expansions to date, or a classic version going back to the very first WoW release.

This type of thinking is a breath of fresh air and shows us that Blizzard is still willing to listen to its fanbase and adjust where need be. WoW Classic was not sold as a different game, nor did it raise the price of subscription. With a normal subscription to the base game, players now could access the earlier version of the game separately with no further charge. There was no cash grab in mind there, just wanting to make the player base happy and content.

We want to see more of such initiatives, we want to be heard. We are the adventurers and the champions of Azeroth. The ones keeping it together, alive. Developers should always take criticism and roll with it. Not go with only the majority, not go with only their players’ wallets in mind.

The problems are not solved, most of them anyways. There will always be things to complain about, things that need to be fixed. Activision Blizzard still has a long way to go on the path of salvation, and the road is harsh and full of obstacles. But we need not lose hope, as there is still some. World of Warcraft might not be as ill-fated as some of its old counterparts. WoW most likely won’t end up like Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, may it rest in peace.

With Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, who knows what the future might have in store for us. With Blizzard now becoming a subsidiary of Microsoft Gaming, will we see positive changes moving forward? Will it get worse?

Or can World of Warcraft finally get the redemption it so rightfully deserves?