The life or death of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft

A screenshot of Shadowlands.

A screenshot of Shadowlands.

     Almost 16 years old, Blizzard Entertainment’s role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW) has seen its fair share of changes. Whether it has been new expansions added to the game, or a player base always hungry for new content, Blizzard has always seemed to deliver. With the delay of Blizzard’s newest expansion, Shadowlands, originally set to release in late October 2020, many long-lasting members of the community are wondering how long it will be before they see any new content from the popular game developing company.

      Blizzard has done an excellent job of reeling in viewers and players throughout the years. They’ve used their expertise in game development to attract millions of people, which, in return, had made them millions of dollars in revenue. Although WoW is still a very popular game after all the years it has been out, the player base it had when it peaked hasn’t been the same; it has slowly gone lower and lower over time.

     Junior Oliver Morgan commented, “I believe that the release of Shadowlands will be a momentous occasion, since the previous expansion, Battle for Azeroth (BfA), set the stage for Shadowlands with many cliffhangers in the story.”

      Shadowlands will expand on many in-game storylines and events, and in return, will draw in new players, as well as older players who have been patiently waiting for the new content.  A lot of attention will be drawn back to WoW and help create that same feeling the game did when it was at its peak.

     Junior Mason Stull said, “I think it is exciting for the game since it can try and revive their series from their most recent slump, but I haven’t seen much aside from a trailer, but it looks like a good expansion.

      There are many reasons why people have continuously played WoW throughout all of the years. With so many parts of the game you can focus on, and so much to do, it is hard for the game to get boring. Some of these focus points include farming for mounts, gold, and moving through all of the quests throughout the game. That would be a bit difficult though, considering there are upwards of 20,000 quests in the game. This being said, there are many ways to play WoW, and you can start anywhere. This leaves a lot of opportunity open for anyone who is willing to explore the game.

      When Shadowlands is released in late 2020, players all around the world will finally be able to get their hands on the new content Blizzard has to offer. This expansion will create an experience that can only be deemed good or bad by the player base. This judgment will decide if the game will continue to live, or die with the lowering monthly subscriptions.