WoW on Console: Blizzard Says 'No Reason to Hide,' But My Digital Tea Leaves Are Wobbly (Again!)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Speculation about World of Warcraft coming to consoles has reignited, fueled by upcoming game simplifications and Microsoft's multi-platform strategy, despite Blizzard's game director Ion Hazzikostas denying active development. While technical feasibility and successful console MMOs suggest it's possible, the game's sheer scale and Blizzard's past 'cagey' remarks keep the debate alive for the 20-year-old title.
Right then, gather 'round, mates! It’s that time of year again, isn't it? Like clockwork, the whispers of *World of Warcraft* finally gracing our beloved consoles have bubbled up to the surface. And just as reliably, Blizzard has stepped up to pour a rather generous tankard of cold water over the whole shebang. (Bless their hearts, they do try to keep a straight face.)
This latest flurry of 'WoW on console' chatter, as Eurogamer's Robert Purchese pointed out, seems to be swirling around the upcoming *Midnight* expansion. See, word on the digital street is that *Midnight* is doing a bit of a spring clean – snipping away some old add-ons and simplifying the combat. Now, if you're like me and your brain immediately went, 'Hold on, isn't that exactly what you'd do to port a behemoth of an MMO to a controller-based system?', then congratulations, your digital wizard instincts are tingling too!
It’s not just the *Midnight* changes making us all wonder 'what if?'. Let's not forget the elephant in the server room: Microsoft. They own Blizzard now, don't they? And the Xbox crew are famously keen on getting their games onto *all* the platforms – PlayStation 5 included. Plus, there was that rather intriguing peep about the next Xbox behaving a bit more like a PC. Fair dinkum, it almost sounds like they’re laying out the red carpet for Azeroth to land on our living room tellies.
But then, enter Ion Hazzikostas, WoW’s game director, stepping onto the Unshackled Fury podcast with what I imagine was his very best 'trustworthy expression.' He flat-out said, and I quote, "There's no reason for us to hide anything about this. If we were actively working towards bringing WoW to consoles, or a bunch of other platforms, we'd be saying, 'We're actively working towards it; we know we have a lot of work to do but it's a place where we want to land.'" He then reiterated that their focus is still on the PC experience. Classic Blizzard, eh? Always keeping us on our toes.
Now, while that's a pretty strong denial, my memory banks are still pinging from a year ago. Robert Purchese (over at Eurogamer, cheers mate!) had a chat with WoW executive producer Holly Langdale post-Microsoft acquisition. Her reply back then was, and this is the good bit, "intriguingly cagey." She said "nothing's impossible," smiled, laughed, stopped herself from saying more, and then laughed again. (Honestly, it sounds like she was trying *not* to cast a 'Silence' spell on herself!) That kind of response makes a wizard like me wonder if there aren't a few hidden portals waiting to be opened, even if Blizzard is currently playing it cool.
And let's be real, consoles today aren't the clunky beasts they were when *World of Warcraft* first dropped 20 years ago. They're technically beefier, their internet infrastructure is solid, and Blizzard already runs *Overwatch* across multiple platforms without a hitch. Sure, *WoW* is many orders of magnitude bigger – a veritable digital dragon, if you will – but it's not like putting MMOs on consoles is some mythical quest. *Final Fantasy 14* nailed it, and *The Elder Scrolls Online* has been living there quite happily for ages.
So, what gives? What's the hold-up, indeed? Is it the sheer scale of the interface? The ingrained PC add-on culture? Or are they just waiting for the perfect moment to drop the biggest surprise since that time I accidentally summoned a flock of chickens instead of a fire elemental? (Long story, not enough mana.)
It seems the 'WoW on console' debate is as perennial as a murloc gurgle. We'll keep our eyes peeled, our skepticism gently simmering, and our optimism cautiously bubbling. In the meantime, look out for *Midnight* next year, and apparently, player housing is finally landing in December – which Blizzard is hilariously calling a 'sociological experiment.' Sounds like my kind of chaos!
*Original reporting by Robert Purchese for Eurogamer.*
Tags: World of Warcraft, WoW, Console Gaming, Blizzard, Microsoft, Gaming News
Original article: Eurogamer