Summary
Blizzard has spoken on the popular topic of whether its long-running multiplayer online RPGWorld of Warcraftmight finally make its way to console platforms. The latest comments come from a leading member of the development team for the game, as the studio gears up to promote the latestWorld of Warcraftexpansion.
WhileWorld of Warcraftis by no means on the way out, the game is in many ways symbolic of an earlier era of game development, whenWorld of Warcraftand MMORPG competitorsseemingly led the way in PC-exclusive design. That era of exclusivity has passed, and many major online games are multiplatform, MMORPGs included.
Thus, the question was put toWorld of WarcraftVice President and Executive Producer Holly Longdaleduring an interview with Eurogamerat aWorld of Warcraftpromotional event. Could the beloved, nearly 20-year-old MMORPG finally be heading to consoles?
Blizzard Speaks Out About the Possibility of World of Warcraft on Consoles
When confronted with the question of whetherWorld of Warcrafton consoles could be happening, Longdale didn’t outright deny the possibility. During the interview, she said that “nothing’s impossible.” Indeed, things have come a long way in terms of console capabilities since the game launched in 2004. Consoles like the PS4, Xbox Series X, and even the Nintendo Switch have all hosted persistent online games, including full-size MMORPGs. Some are even direct competitors toWorld of Warcraftitself, likeFinal Fantasy 14and its presence on PlayStation and Xbox.
At the same time, Longdale didn’t confirm any plans or announcements regarding the matter. Despite conceding the possibility of bringing the game to consoles, Longdale was quick to put the lid on any wording that could be interpreted as a confirmation, saying that she couldn’t “say anything more” than acknowledging that possibility.With registration open for the beta test ofThe War Within, and a public alpha test soon to begin, the development team is probably too busy maintaining and upgrading the game to entertain much multiplatform speculation.
This isn’t the first time Longdale’s been asked aboutWorld of Warcrafton consoles. DuringBlizzcon 2023, Longdale said that the development team talks about takingWorld of Warcraftmultiplatform “all the time.” And now that Blizzard and its parent company, Activision, are fully in the stable of Microsoft, the company may be in a position to give the Xbox consoles a booth by making one of its most popular online games available there. But at the moment, at least, the company has no public plans to do so.
World of Warcraft
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World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It’s one of the highest-grossing franchises in history and is widely considered the most popular MMORPG ever made.
