WoW Classic Summit Fan Site Interviews

WoW Classic Launches August 27th, Beta May 15th

Pre-order the World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary In-Game Rewards

Tips Out Interview - Layering Over Sharding in Classic
Tips Out sat down with John Hight and Omar Gonzalez on Classic.


  • The beta will only have a small number of players, but there will also be the stress test weekend in which larger pools of players can log in.
  • A new technology called Layering will be used to smooth the launch. It allows them to have multiple versions of each of the two continents running as needed. They are not cross realm and are only used so that an entire realm population isn't competing in one area at a time and to lessen login ques. The only way you can shift into a different layer is through party invites from others on your server who are in a different layer.
  • The technology tries to sticky you to a layer so that you see familiar names often. It also only exists to control population at launch and will not continue once numbers are stable.
  • The Classic servers will have new names to avoid confusion.
  • They don't have an exact server number yet, but are flexible.
  • In-game items from the Collector's Edition will be for retail only. They want to preserve Classic as it was.
  • If you have the original Collector's Edition of Vanilla WoW on your account, you can re-access the pet rewards, but they are not re-releasing them to those who don't.
  • There will not be tokens in classic WoW, but they will support realm transfer in Classic through the current in game service structure.
  • They are going to take community feedback and how the community is progressing to figure out when to proceed with the content phases.
  • Cross-realm PvP battlegrounds are included when they launch in Phase 3.
  • You cannot add a person of the opposing faction to your B.Net friend's list by right clicking them in-game in Classic.
  • If Classic is successful and the community wants it, other classic expansions could be on the table.


Forbes Interview with J. Allen Brack
Forbes sat down with J. Allen Brack to discuss Blizzard as a company and what is coming.


  • Blizzard Changes and Leadership
    • J. Allen Brack wants fans to know that the company has more in development than at any point in its history and their commitment to quality remains.
    • Mike Morhaime stayed on in an advisory role to Brack and told him all the things he was doing wrong.
    • They want the company to outlive all of them, and so it is only natural that at some point other people have to take over.
    • Mike Morhaime continues to be very supportive of J. Allen Brack and the company.
    • J. Allen Brack says the fact that two veteran Blizzard developers are now leading Blizzard should ease concerns that development has been overwhelmed by financial concerns in recent years.
    • Their core mission of creating amazing games for players with a commitment to quality has not changed with leadership.
  • Future Projects and Mobile
    • There are core games in development for PC and console in addition to mobile initiatives.
    • Skepticism of releasing games outside of PC has also occurred for titles such as Diablo III. It stems from people having pride in what their gaming platform is because they feel like the best games are on that particular platform.
    • The desire to have a Blizzard-quality mobile experience has continued to increase in both Blizzard and fan's minds depending on age and how long you've had a mobile phone.
    • Hearthstone on mobile was step one and this is step two. There will be other steps because they believe in mobile as a platform for gaming in the future.
    • This does not mean that they don't believe in console gaming and PC gaming as a platform for the future. They do.
    • Blizzard has been partnered with NetEase in China for almost 10 years, starting with World of Warcraft. They picked NetEase because the company is passionate for Blizzard IPs and shares the development-type culture. Diablo Immortal will be a Blizzard game and will use Blizzard values in monetization.
    • There is a team of developers helping NetEase with the game. It's a partnership. They are not just having NetEase develop it in China and slapping the Blizzard name on it.
    • Out-of-house outsourcing is not a strategic priority for Blizzard, but they have utilized it for other games such as StarCraft: Remastered.
    • Blizzard's goal is to creature something great, whether it's with a current IP or an entirely new one.
    • Something to work on is figuring out the challenges of having many different kinds of games in development to make intelligent decisions on the next steps for each project.


DenofGeek Impressions - No Unarmored Mounts in Classic
DenofGeek also got to attend the Classic Event and shared their impressions along with some information from Brian Birmingham, Lead Software Engineer, and Patrick Dawson, Production Director.

  • The Blood Plague bug from Zul'Gurub has been brought up by the team and it would be interesting and funny to bring it back when Zul'Gurub launches in Phase 4.
  • The original unarmored mounts from Classic were discussed, but ultimately it was decided not to bring them back in Classic because they didn't want to give players the incentive to rush through the leveling experience.
  • In game reporting will be in the game, but there will be a human element to it and not just automatic bans based on an algorithm.
  • The team felt it was important to make it easy to report abusive players, but understand the drawbacks of this system. If you feel you have been actioned inappropriately, you can reach out to customer service.
  • When asked if new level 60 content after Naxxramas could be developed, such as new 40 man raids, the team said anything is on the table and this is a love letter to fans. If the fans desire it, it will be considered. There are no plans as of now, but that bridge will be crossed when they get there. (*Note that in the GameReactor Interview, Ion says new content is out of the question for Classic)


USGamer Interview
USGamer also interviewed Brian Birmingham and Patrick Dawson. They had a small amount of new information.

  • They start from Patch 1.12 because it was the most complete version of the game. Bugs that are not gameplay affecting exploits are back in the game. There's no reason to take UI conveniences out and make things inconvenient just for the sake of inconvenience as long as they're capturing those core gameplay features: spells and abilities, old quests, and that aesthetic feel of the game.
  • The developers also stated that there are no plans for a content loop, with the Classic reverting to the first content phase after some time at the sixth phase. What happens after Naxxramas is unknown.


GameReactor WoW Classic Interview
GameReactor also got to ask a few questions while at the WoW Summit.

  • Ion Hazzikostas and Calia Shie both explained how changes to the overall concept and the addition of new content were out of the question since once altered that would make a Classic server something else entirely. (*Note that the DenofGeek interview says new content could be possible if the fans want it.)
This article was originally published in forum thread: WoW Classic Summit Fan Site Interviews started by Stoy View original post
Published on 2019-05-15 01:12 PM
56 Comments
Comments 56 Comments
  1. MoanaLisa's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Highelf View Post
    I really hope Classic stays Classic. It's own bubble.
    Yeah, me too. Classic Server. B.C. Server. Wrath Server. All separate from one another. So both quotes that are in dispute can be true. They can add to their legacy stuff without necessarily disturbing Classic 1-60.

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    Quote Originally Posted by steristumpie View Post
    Over 90% of you will be rushing to install Diablo Immortal when it hits. You know it,
    I know it, even Jon Snow knows it. Stop pretending. Stop the feigned outrage. Everyone sees through your bullshit.
    Nearly a year's worth of drama over a press/convention announcement that was not made in the right place or time. Yeah, it's over-reacting at its best.
  1. Isoge's Avatar
    Wait, pride? No, people despise mobile games due to the shitty monetization schemes, p2w crap that all current mobile games are riddled with. Pride has nothing to do with it.
  1. cerberus1838's Avatar
    When asked if new level 60 content after Naxxramas could be developed, such as new 40 man raids, the team said anything is on the table and this is a love letter to fans. If the fans desire it, it will be considered. There are no plans as of now, but that bridge will be crossed when they get there.
    It's good to see Brian Birmingham and Patrick Dawson actually care about the fan base unlike Ion "out of the question" Hazzikostas.
  1. Adreth's Avatar
    The original unarmored mounts from Classic were discussed, but ultimately it was decided not to bring them back in Classic...
    This makes me really sad... I missed them the first time around, was hoping to at least have a shot at them in Classic.
  1. Morg's Avatar
    Limited numbers of invites but dickheads like shroud get it over loyal fans.. feels good to support blizzard
  1. bullseyed's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Azgarde View Post
    Den of Geek interview:
    When asked if new level 60 content after Naxxramas could be developed, such as new 40 man raids, the team said anything is on the table and this is a love letter to fans. If the fans desire it, it will be considered. There are no plans as of now, but that bridge will be crossed when they get there.

    GameReactor interview:
    Ion Hazzikostas and Calia Shie both explained how changes to the overall concept and the addition of new content were out of the question since once altered that would make a Classic server something else entirely.


    Small indy company. I would assume they don't talk to each other in there. No wonder WoW is now a massive cluster*** if their own developer can't publicly agree towards each other. Amazing !
    Sounds more like a reading comprehension issue.


    The first quote says once classic has run its course and is going to die off because the final set of content has been farmed to death, they might end up adding new content to keep it alive.

    The second quote says they aren't going to stick new content in randomly while classic is still classic. Like a new raid between MC and Naxx is not happening.

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    Quote Originally Posted by FanaticDreamer View Post
    Mistake.

    If people want these rewards, why can't they be accessible?

    There are dedicated pet collectors who'd love these rewards. You were able to get old collector's edition rewards a few months ago when Blizzard had an old game sale...so why can't they bring them back for the 15th anniversary? It's dumb.
    Sounds like you have no idea what a collectors edition is.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Darknessvamp View Post
    Ha don't make me laugh, people wanted Hearthstone on Mobile because it fit as well as a quick way to deal with their Garrison and that was it. No one has been clamoring for Starcraft, Overwatch or Diablo on a phone and even less WoW in it's entirety.

    Oh wait let me laugh even harder. HAHAHAHA

    Let me guess, you think Asians aren't real people.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by The Stormbringer View Post
    In this case, it's not just "releasing games outside of PC", it's "releasing games not on PC at all". They don't seem to understand that fact.
    Due to the populations of China and South Korea, there are more players who want Blizzard games on mobile than PC. Perhaps Blizzard should listen to the majority of players and stop making PC games.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by MoanaLisa View Post
    Yeah, me too. Classic Server. B.C. Server. Wrath Server. All separate from one another. So both quotes that are in dispute can be true. They can add to their legacy stuff without necessarily disturbing Classic 1-60.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Nearly a year's worth of drama over a press/convention announcement that was not made in the right place or time. Yeah, it's over-reacting at its best.

    Probably won't be separate. Classic will be dead in 4 years, best case scenario. They'll run through all the classic content, you'll have full BIS everything on all your alts and the AH will be run by people with more gold than you can ever hope to achieve.

    So, by 4 years from now, they either need to be upgrading the classic servers to TBC, adding new level 60 content or shutting them down. Ion just knows there is no point in talking about that future state until we get classic launched and see how it goes.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Isoge View Post
    Wait, pride? No, people despise mobile games due to the shitty monetization schemes, p2w crap that all current mobile games are riddled with. Pride has nothing to do with it.
    Uh huh, that's why people were also butthurt about Diablo 3 on consoles right? Because consoles are known to be P2W?

    And who really cares if there is a P2W mobile game coughHearthstonecough that funds future development of Warcraft content?
  1. Ragu4's Avatar
    Some devs: not ruling out the possibility of classic content evolution based on player base and commitment.

    Ion: NO. You got your precious classic. Now go play World of Warcraft: The Three Kingdoms.
  1. The Stormbringer's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by bullseyed View Post
    Due to the populations of China and South Korea, there are more players who want Blizzard games on mobile than PC. Perhaps Blizzard should listen to the majority of players and stop making PC games.
    If they want to lose their entire audience in the West and all the good will they've garnered for over two decades, sure. However, if they realize that this is a bad idea, and that tearing your roots up to try and milk some far-flung profits isn't wise, then they'll try to find a balance.

    My suggestion? Just open a separate Blizzard HQ for Asia that focuses solely on Mobile games. They can port/localize them to the West as well, if they think it'll make them money (similar to what they currently do with their PC games for non-English speaking countries).
  1. Kaedis's Avatar
    I honestly don't understand the outcry about Diablo Immortal. It clearly has a market in Asia, at least, and probably in Blizzard's other major market areas as well. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was outraged as hell when they announced it, but that was mostly because they'd teased Diablo 4 so much, and then got on stage at the freakin' keynote, as the final reveal in the presentation...and then handed us a mobile knockoff of D3 that really amounts mostly to a Blizzard-themed reskin of an existing mobile game. My outrage was almost exclusively confined to how, where, and when they decided to reveal the game, not the game itself. The game is clearly a good business move, and the fact that they are largely outsourcing development is also a good sign, in my mind, since it clearly shows they aren't pivoting their overall company strategy towards mobile games (at least, yet).
  1. bullseyed's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by The Stormbringer View Post
    If they want to lose their entire audience in the West and all the good will they've garnered for over two decades, sure. However, if they realize that this is a bad idea, and that tearing your roots up to try and milk some far-flung profits isn't wise, then they'll try to find a balance.

    My suggestion? Just open a separate Blizzard HQ for Asia that focuses solely on Mobile games. They can port/localize them to the West as well, if they think it'll make them money (similar to what they currently do with their PC games for non-English speaking countries).
    There already is a separate Asia developer, as mentioned in the OP here that you apparently haven't read.
  1. The Stormbringer's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by bullseyed View Post
    There already is a separate Asia developer, as mentioned in the OP here that you apparently haven't read.
    NetEase? NetEase isn't a part of Blizzard. I mean an official Blizzard HQ, separate from this one, focused purely on developing things in mind for an Asian market.
  1. Valianthe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Adreth View Post
    This makes me really sad... I missed them the first time around, was hoping to at least have a shot at them in Classic.
    Yeah, I was too slow getting gold to buy the original epic mounts, and getting an unarmored Palamino was something I was looking forward to in Classic A regret for like 14 years.
  1. Arakakao's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Triggered Fridgekin View Post
    This has been the question I've been waiting to hear an answer to for some time. While I don't want them to extend their hand and have their arm torn off I hope that this will allow them to gracefully extend these classic experiences in to TBC and WotLK. I'm not crazy about vanilla but if they were to bring out a TBC server then that would be incredible.
    I'd love a Pandaria server...
  1. bullseyed's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by The Stormbringer View Post
    NetEase? NetEase isn't a part of Blizzard. I mean an official Blizzard HQ, separate from this one, focused purely on developing things in mind for an Asian market.
    That isn't how businesses work.
  1. alturic's Avatar
    Not white-knighting in the slightest, but I love how the "no changes" crowd completely forget how things were in classic, and yes 1.12 is still considered classic. While there is things implemented (auto-loot), there are very, very few things of substance that Blizzard has changed. I actually give them a shitload of credit with just how much they are sticking to the "this was like this in 1.12, so yea".
  1. Isoge's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by bullseyed View Post
    Sounds more like a reading comprehension issue.


    The first quote says once classic has run its course and is going to die off because the final set of content has been farmed to death, they might end up adding new content to keep it alive.

    The second quote says they aren't going to stick new content in randomly while classic is still classic. Like a new raid between MC and Naxx is not happening.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Sounds like you have no idea what a collectors edition is.

    - - - Updated - - -




    Let me guess, you think Asians aren't real people.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Due to the populations of China and South Korea, there are more players who want Blizzard games on mobile than PC. Perhaps Blizzard should listen to the majority of players and stop making PC games.

    - - - Updated - - -




    Probably won't be separate. Classic will be dead in 4 years, best case scenario. They'll run through all the classic content, you'll have full BIS everything on all your alts and the AH will be run by people with more gold than you can ever hope to achieve.

    So, by 4 years from now, they either need to be upgrading the classic servers to TBC, adding new level 60 content or shutting them down. Ion just knows there is no point in talking about that future state until we get classic launched and see how it goes.

    - - - Updated - - -



    Uh huh, that's why people were also butthurt about Diablo 3 on consoles right? Because consoles are known to be P2W?

    And who really cares if there is a P2W mobile game coughHearthstonecough that funds future development of Warcraft content?
    it doesn't though. It funds the shareholders poor empty pockets, and the games are massproduced crap aimed at the chinese market. If we are talking about money that funds future warcraft content, Blizz already has ALL the money from previous years of earnings. Nobody cared about diablo on consoles because it was mainly a pc game that got grinded to death when it was first released. And this was the shittiest form of a straw man argument. DI will be a mobile ONLY game aimed towards communist china. D3 was mainly pc, expanded to the other consoles way after it's release. And who cares? People that enjoy Blizz content on PC. Who doesn't care? Blizz, because mobile is more profitable due to less regulations, the mobile popularity in Asia and the ease of development towards mobile.

    And you might have read the text with rose colored glasses. They are aiming more towards the mobile market because of the untapped chinese market, and for funding more mobile content. Not warcraft content. If you want to dream, sure, go ahead and dream, and write walls of text defending blizz against any and all arguments with dreamy garbage not based on reality or facts but rather emotions, delusions and unicorn rainbow farts. But unless you can see a company for what it is, or what a company's main goal is, you should probably read up and get a reality check first before writing walls of text. Don't @ me.
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