Open Letter to Blizzard Entertainment from Mark Kern

[Surfd]

You make a few mildly good arguements, and then totally ruin it by constantly referencing the fallicy of implying that "the majority of the playerbase" has quit WoW over their change to Purple Pixels and raid loot.

WoW has lost hundreds of thousands of people. For almost as many reasons. Purple Pixels and Raid challenge difficculties are a tiny fraction of the total varying reasons people have quit WoW. And for every handfull of people who leave, there are handfulls of people who join. There are also handfulls of people who burn through an expantion as fast as they can, and then just leave till the next one comes out. Trying to pin WoW's success or failure on a single item like Raids is about as dumb as trying to pick a single ingredient out of a Meal with 100s of ingredients and claiming that "this one" is the one that made the meal work.

It would actually be fascinating to see the numbers on exactly how many people got one of those Wolf Rider statuettes for staying subbed the entire 10 years, cause I bet that number of us who have played for the full 10 is probably shockingly tiny compared to the number of people who have played WoW over its curent lifespan.

[TyrianFC]

I don't want classic servers because I dont want to see people enjoying a version of the game that I won't be playing.

If the current state of the game isnt good enough for me or you (enough to actually play it - instead of resorting to vanilla), then I want Blizzard to improve the current and future content. I dont want Blizzard to have a happy subsidy of players enjoying classic vanilla experiences, whilst forgetting that the most important thing is actually making current and future stuff for the game. People are being naive in under-estimating the ongoing support this will require, which naturally will be pulled away from other areas where it should be focused.

[ManiaCCC]

I don't want classic servers because I dont want to see people enjoying a version of the game that I won't be playing.

If the current state of the game isnt good enough for me or you (enough to actually play it - instead of resorting to vanilla), then I want Blizzard to improve the current and future content. I dont want Blizzard to have a happy subsidy of players enjoying classic vanilla experiences, whilst forgetting that the most important thing is actually making current and future stuff for the game. People are being naive in under-estimating the ongoing support this will require, which naturally will be pulled away from other areas where it should be focused.

Maybe game can't be salvaged. Maybe concept of WoW is so old and rigid, that no matter what will change, playerbase will keep shrinking. Maybe only chance for wow to gain players again is suck it up and just make these pristine/vanilla servers, so players can just play old good WoW for nostalgia/hardcore experience or just for community. Dying WoW wont help to your vision of wow, however revitalized income and playerbase may.

[Relapses]

Maybe game can't be salvaged. Maybe concept of WoW is so old and rigid, that no matter what will change, playerbase will keep shrinking. Maybe only chance for wow to gain players again is suck it up and just make these pristine/vanilla servers, so players can just play old good WoW for nostalgia/hardcore experience or just for community. Dying WoW wont help to your vision of wow, however revitalized income and playerbase may.

The game is hardly at a point where the only thing Blizzard can do to entice new players is to reintroduce old content. Legacy realms might happen in time, but I don't think the best time is when they're trying to hype a brand new expansion and movie. Perhaps if they fuck up Legion so much everybody quits, I'd agree with you. In the meantime, however, it's a ridiculously contrived viewpoint to say things like the game "cannot be salvaged" just because you personally don't like the direction Blizzard has gone with it.

[Seezer]

I don't want classic servers because I dont want to see people enjoying a version of the game that I won't be playing.

If the current state of the game isnt good enough for me or you (enough to actually play it - instead of resorting to vanilla), then I want Blizzard to improve the current and future content. I dont want Blizzard to have a happy subsidy of players enjoying classic vanilla experiences, whilst forgetting that the most important thing is actually making current and future stuff for the game. People are being naive in under-estimating the ongoing support this will require, which naturally will be pulled away from other areas where it should be focused.

You can do both. Because Legacy just needs turned on. No development needed. And if you don't want other people to be happy because you aren't, that's kind of pathetic.

This does not need much support at all. The nost guys paid for it out of their own pockets and did it with a very small team. Trying to invent excuses is just you saying "I want to win the argument. Not sure why I do though.".

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The game is hardly at a point where the only thing Blizzard can do to entice new players is to reintroduce old content. Legacy realms might happen in time, but I don't think the best time is when they're trying to hype a brand new expansion and movie. Perhaps if they fuck up Legion so much everybody quits, I'd agree with you. In the meantime, however, it's a ridiculously contrived viewpoint to say things like the game "cannot be salvaged" just because you personally don't like the direction Blizzard has gone with it.

People are going to play legacy servers. Whether it's Blizz doing them or someone else doing them. There are private servers up now. So the demand is there. It would cost Blizzard to not make them. Because either they do nothing and not profit for their own shit, or keep having to pay to go after these people legally.

It's ignorant to ignore the demand. Blizz has heeded demands from much smaller groups of people in the past. And this is one of those situations.

[Vichan]

You can do both. Because Legacy just needs turned on. No development needed. And if you don't want other people to be happy because you aren't, that's kind of pathetic.

This does not need much support at all. The nost guys paid for it out of their own pockets and did it with a very small team. Trying to invent excuses is just you saying "I want to win the argument. Not sure why I do though.".
.

You really don't know what you're saying do you? It's nowhere near as simple as a flip of the switch

[Bapestar]

I don't want classic servers because I dont want to see people enjoying a version of the game that I won't be playing.

If the current state of the game isnt good enough for me or you (enough to actually play it - instead of resorting to vanilla), then I want Blizzard to improve the current and future content. I dont want Blizzard to have a happy subsidy of players enjoying classic vanilla experiences, whilst forgetting that the most important thing is actually making current and future stuff for the game. People are being naive in under-estimating the ongoing support this will require, which naturally will be pulled away from other areas where it should be focused.

This is incredibly toxic. The rest of your post is the same weak, paranoid, argument you guys keep making. Blizzard is not stupid, they are more than capable enough to put the appropriate resources, into the project. While not taking away from current and future content for the game.

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You really don't know what you're saying do you? It's nowhere near as simple as a flip of the switch

That is not what he meant lol.

[Vineri]

The game is hardly at a point where the only thing Blizzard can do to entice new players is to reintroduce old content. Legacy realms might happen in time, but I don't think the best time is when they're trying to hype a brand new expansion and movie. Perhaps if they fuck up Legion so much everybody quits, I'd agree with you. In the meantime, however, it's a ridiculously contrived viewpoint to say things like the game "cannot be salvaged" just because you personally don't like the direction Blizzard has gone with it.

Perhaps the people who actually want the old content back are not the same as those who want new content?

The current game is flawed, to many. I don't subscribe, but I will subscribe to a legacy server. In a heart-beat.

I'm not looking forward to new content, nor do I even care what easy-to-get purples you have or can get next year.

[Eliseus]

Everything I wrote about Kern earlier in the thread remains factual. I don't like the guy and I personally think he's riding a wave of displaced anger to spearhead a movement which mostly amounts to little more than a self-effacing ego trip, but I will concede the man is at the very least persistent.

I don't like the guy, therefore factual.

[Surfd]

You can do both. Because Legacy just needs turned on. No development needed. And if you don't want other people to be happy because you aren't, that's kind of pathetic.

That is not what he meant lol.

Really, cause I would love to know how you would interpret that quote any other way. He literally has absolutely no clue what he is talking about. If it was that easy, blizzard would have done it years ago.

[Thimagryn]

Really, cause I would love to know how you would interpret that quote any other way. He literally has absolutely no clue what he is talking about. If it was that easy, blizzard would have done it years ago.

There's obviously a lot more in play than that when you factor in the community as a whole, their current and future business models, and the investor risk involved to fund and maintain an old version of the game that has little growth potential. There's bugs to fix, server code to rewrite and update, customer service to dedicate and more.

So sure, Blizzard doesn't have to develop a game that's already made, but they have to come up with tons of solutions to make the game work and function for today's playerbase. That's why Pristine servers would be a much more cost effective solution for them to propose.

[Deleted]

So sure, Blizzard doesn't have to develop a game that's already made, but they have to come up with tons of solutions to make the game work and function for today's playerbase. That's why Pristine servers would be a much more cost effective solution for them to propose.

But nobody wants Pristine realms. And this is one of the main problems with the current WoW dev team. They only think what is cost effective for them, not what is best for the players. You can see this in every aspect of the game since Cata. Take raids for example, Ulduar was the last proper raid they made with tons of effort and passion and detailed work going into it. Afterwards they (I think it was GC) even said they'd never make something like that again, and since then all the raids have been formulaic and shallow -- but no doubt very cost effective.

[stomination]

I don't like the guy, therefore factual.

I guess ppl should not complain about Trump either.

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And they make dumb as fuck decisions like wrapping up stories only in Mythic mode

I think ew're talking from the same page, just a piddly semantic difference. I imagine the gratification from killing a WoW boss would go up considerably if they survived more than about a week in the relevant mode.

Yea I kinda do wish the tiers would last longer than a month and a half.

[Svisalith]

Blizzard designed the game to appeal to mass market. They are still trying to find that balance (in my opinion) with things like LFR and mythic difficulties with normal/heroic as an in between. Now, I'd be fine with them removing normal or heroic, but not both as there is a progression to it.

I'm not asking for them to remove normal or heroic

I think there are 2 main mistakes here

1; No content gating of any form

2; Strong rewards for blitzing easy difficulties, even if you're clearing the previous content a difficulty or 2 up and even if you can clear the current content on a higher difficulty. ilvl increase, tier sets, some very strong trinkets and legendary ring tomes made blitzing 13/13n on week 1, 2, 3, 4 extremely rewarding.

[Deleted]

I bet if legion fails they will try legacy servers. Their subs must be at a all time low and seeing that people want their old game, when they are about to release a new exp should be a bit troubling. I bet they will adress this after Legion and focus on the expansion first.

[Deleted]

It takes away from it.
Even if they spend 1 employee on Legacy that would be better spend if the employee got the devs for the current game coffee.
Why? Because people don't care about classic.
Unless you want to tell me that people are totally going to pay a monthly fee for a game that:
1. Is 10 years old.
2. Hasn't changed and never will.

I can't talk for anybody but myself. I will pay to play this 10 year old game again. Even though it will never change, unless they bring out a separate TBC server a year or so later, then I will roll a toon there as well.
And it is not nostalgia, because I played on Nostalrius for months before it was shut down. So, I know what I am talking about.

Now, if there are other players that feel the same as I do, I cannot guarantee

[Deleted]

I can't talk for anybody but myself. I will pay to play this 10 year old game again. Even though it will never change, unless they bring out a separate TBC server a year or so later, then I will roll a toon there as well.
And it is not nostalgia, because I played on Nostalrius for months before it was shut down. So, I know what I am talking about.

Now, if there are other players that feel the same as I do, I cannot guarantee

I feel the same and after playing on private servers for a while I can't even touch retail.

[Baronthefirst]

I feel the same and after playing on private servers for a while I can't even touch retail.

World of Warcraft was just a better game and there is nothing wrong with that. Now I didn't play on Nostalrius but it would be just about goodbye to current WOW for an official Vanilla legacy server. Hell just never having to deal with the LFR crowd will improve my game enjoyment. All of these quality of life changes the game never needed GONE! Oh what a happy day in deed.

[ManiaCCC]

The game is hardly at a point where the only thing Blizzard can do to entice new players is to reintroduce old content. Legacy realms might happen in time, but I don't think the best time is when they're trying to hype a brand new expansion and movie. Perhaps if they fuck up Legion so much everybody quits, I'd agree with you. In the meantime, however, it's a ridiculously contrived viewpoint to say things like the game "cannot be salvaged" just because you personally don't like the direction Blizzard has gone with it.

buddy. It is not about my perception of the game. I actually don't mind most changes they made in WoW for past years, however, game is losing steam and you can't deny it. And actually quite fast if you ask me. I believe that there is no real way to undo this..so how to at least get as many players as possible? If there is demand for vanilla servers, I say it is blizzard best shot right now.

[McNeil]

I can't talk for anybody but myself. I will pay to play this 10 year old game again. Even though it will never change, unless they bring out a separate TBC server a year or so later, then I will roll a toon there as well.
And it is not nostalgia, because I played on Nostalrius for months before it was shut down. So, I know what I am talking about.

Now, if there are other players that feel the same as I do, I cannot guarantee

I'm feeling the same aswell. I only played Nostalrius for a week or so and got to level 15 on an undead mage, and it was the most fun I had since WotLK. Vanilla and WoD are basically different games, despite sharing most of its assets.

It also had nothing to do with nostalgia of me finding vanilla better than retail, its just some poor overused excuse that never made much sense as vanilla is somewhat playable today.