As the excitement for BlizzCon 2013 mounted to a fever pitch, a single sentiment seemed to ring for fans and journalists alike – BlizzCon just wouldn’t be BlizzCon without some sort of groundbreaking revelation, gigantic expansion, or massive launch. In previous years, huge expansions to popular franchises, complete sequels, and total overhauls of core game mechanics have all been announced at BlizzCon; with the backlash for Diablo III’s auction house, falling subscriber numbers for World of Warcraft, and the rumored cancelation of Project Titan, BlizzCon 2013 was set to be a “make it or break it” convention. The short story? Blizzard made it, and they made it big.
World of Warcraft – New Expansion, Revamped System
Blizzard’s flagship title, World of Warcraft, has been and likely will be for the foreseeable future a juggernaut in the MMO genre. That being said, subscriber numbers have been falling, with many fearing that the World of Warcraft was not as untouchable as once thought. Any fears were put to rest during the keynote speech from Mike Morhaime, when the new expansion for World of Warcraft, Warlords of Draenor, was announced. The title, a modern harkening back to pre-Cataclysm style World of Warcraft, features elements of time travel, and brings a long-desired level cap increase to level 100. As part of this new expansion, the world of Draenor, home of the Orc and Draenei races, has been rendered truly and beautifully, featuring much of the iconic art that so defines the staple races of the Horde.
Most spectacularly, Blizzard has included a new Garrison system in the next expansion, where you can construct a customizable stronghold, gathering NPCs to populate and curate it while you are away adventuring. Introduces alongside this new system, and to almost as loud an applause, is a batch of new character models for all races and characters. The changes, which were likely made to match the darker tone of Warlords, were greeted with great fanfare. Look for these changes soon at our World of Warcraft mega-wiki, Wowpedia.
Blizzard apologies for Diablo III’s Auction House
For those who are more “dungeon crawling” than “instance raiding”, Diablo III had some great news: “Two months ago we announced we were getting rid of the auction house,” – and with that statement from Michael Morhaime, the crowd erupted into a loud frenzy. “We’re going to make it right, and we’re not going to stop there.” The Auction House, a controversial inclusion into the already controversial Diablo III, allowed players to sell in-game items for cold hard cash, a move that many felt made Diablo III a “pay to win” game. While it was often chastised for that particular negative, the feature was also likely responsible for the always-on DRM that crippled launch day copies of the game and became an internet meme of its own. Blizzard’s announcement that the Auction House is dead is not only reassuring to the gamers, it is downright wonderful to the community, a community that Blizzard is famous for taking care of and loving that has been feeling more and more neglected. Check out our Diablo Wiki for more information.
Heroes of the Storm Whips Up a Storm of Excitement
When Blizzard let the rights to DOTA slip over to Valve, resulting in the creation of DOTA2 in 2010, many thought Blizzard would be announcing their own MOBA in short order. While that didn’t happen during BlizzCon 2011 or 2012, Blizzard showcased Heroes of the Storm this year to the excited crowds of the convention hall. Positioning the title as a “Hero Brawler”, game director Dustin Browder stated the game was inspired by BlizzCon itself. “When we came to BlizzCon, we were inspired by the art hanging on the walls, by the banners showing these characters together,” Browder said, implying the game is as much inspired by community as by personal interests. “When we had the chance to make one of these games our own, we just couldn’t resist.”
While many believe DotA2 to be too firmly entrenched to be overthrown, many fans suggested that having what amounts to a Battle Royale with our favorite characters from Blizzard lore more than makes up for that lost head start. Considering fan reactions during the cinematic, which featured Arthas from Warcraft III, Nova from StarCraft: Ghost, and Jim Raynor himself, that may not be too far from the truth. Gamepedia is the leading resource for all Heroes of the Storm info via our Heroes of the Storm Wiki.
The Bottom Line
Blizzard has always been first and foremost about the community, and this BlizzCon showcases that dedication the best – responding to the desires of the fans and the dislikes of their critics, Blizzard has now positioned themselves in a new path of development for their flagship title, has firmly injected themselves into the MOBA arena, and is rectifying past mistakes and improving a game that has already been released, something that is far too rare these days. Blizzard hit a home run this BlizzCon, and with the conclusion of Day One, hopes run high for Day Two of one of the greatest conventions of all time.