Blizzard finally relents to years of fan pressure with World of Warcraft Classic

Blizzard finally relents to years of fan pressure with World of Warcraft Classic

Shock announcement comes at outset of annual Blizzcon event.

Sam Machkovech – Nov 3, 2017 4:01 pm | 230

We were wondering when they'd finally get around to this. Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard’s annual Blizzcon event in Anaheim, California, kicked off on Friday with various game-related announcements, but the most surprising one dug back into the company’s history. Finally, fans’ requests for a major turn back of the World of Warcraft clock are coming to life in the form of World of Warcraft Classic.

“Before I get to the big news today, I want to talk about ice cream,” WoW Executive Producer J. Allen Brack told the Blizzcon crowd. “I understand that for some of you, your favorite flavor is vanilla.”

This was a reference to “vanilla” WoW servers, which players have logged in to behind Blizzard’s official back to play earlier, pre-expansion versions of WoW. After countless shutdowns, arguments, and meetings over the past few years, along with petitions begging the company to make a paid version of what they wanted, Blizzard is finally relenting with its own official take on the concept.

No release date, footage, or other gameplay details have yet been revealed, though Blizzard may disclose more about the project during various Blizzcon panels this weekend. Instead, Blizzard showed fans a trailer that rewound various cinematic clips from the game’s expansions before showing a familiar-looking bearded dwarf walking in the snow from the game’s very first edition.

World of Warcraft Classic reveal trailer.

“Fans of World of Warcraft around the world, we hear you,” Brack told the crowd. “I am pleased and also a little bit nervous to announce the development of a classic server option for World of Warcraft. This is a larger endeavor than you might imagine, but we are committed to making an authentic, Blizzard-quality classic experience.”

He followed with a cheeky promise to “reproduce the classic gaming experience, but not the actual launch experience.” Brack mentioned that Blizzard had auctioned away the game’s original server blades in a charity auction years ago, then he said with a laugh, “we’re probably going to need those back.” Based on what we know about Blizzard losing original game assets in the past, we aren’t sure if he’s joking.

Battle for Azeroth trailer.

For those less keen to revisit the game’s vanilla version, Blizzard also took the opportunity to reveal Battle For Azeroth, the game’s seventh expansion pack. That packs in two new continents, a new level cap, and other features. Sadly, the Blizzard Classic team didn’t have announcements of any other projects in the works at Blizzcon this year. (C’monnnnn, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness!)