How can Blizzard mitigate the potential Alliance backlash at Blizzcon? (Spoilers?)

[Obelisk Kai]

Blizzcon 2018 is now under a month away. While Blizzcon this year belongs to Diablo of course, but there is a panel dedicated to what's next for Warcraft.

There now seems to be a set pattern for handling WoW at Blizzcon. Now that Blizzard has embraced the two year cycle per expansion, odd year Blizzcons will be devoted to the reveal of the new expansion pack whereas even numbered Blizzcon will be about setting out the roadmap for that expansion pack.

We already know from Jeremy Feasel's twitter that they won't be talking about 8.1 in the What's next presentation. So, based upon the 2016 what's next panel Ion is going to talk about patch 8.1.5 and patch 8.2, and at the end he might reveal where the expansion is ending up in 8.3 (I bet an attack on Silvermoon in a revamped Quel'thalas and Nyalotha rises from the sea but I am almost certainly wrong).

The 8.1.5 and 8.2 presentations will be where the real meat of the content will be. 8.1.5 will probably have Warlords timewalking and a few other things, but 8.2 is what we all want to hear about. Especially Allied races.

I believe that the plan regarding Allied Races is that by the time BFA ends, each side will have had six additions. Circumstantial evidence for this includes that the banners in the character creation screen on Allied races has space for three more options a side, and in the embassies there is room for about six allied race banners standing side to side on either side of the faction leader. Not definitive, but indicative.
Some will be reskins, alternate customizaton packages for existing races like Mag'har Orcs or Lightforged Draenei. Others will be brand new models or groups entirely such as the Kul Tiran Human.

If I am correct about six a side being added, then it will be a pair of Allied races each major patch. So far, the logic holds up with MH Orcs and DI Dwarves being unlockable in 8.0, Kul Tirans and Zandalari Trolls being unlockable in 8.1. If BFA follows the Legion patch, and Blizzard has said that is the plan, then there are two remaining major patches in 8.2 and 8.3 and so two more allied races a side.

Allied races is a feature that has generated a lot of engagement among the Warcraft community, at least according to Ythisens' in a personal capacity. If you check Wowhead you will see links to various discords as communities argue in support of their hoped for Allied races, creating artwork and holding in game events to demonstrate their passion. Many of these people are having fun while they fervently hope.

And now that I have set the stage, it's time to explain why we could heading for an emotional crash. And that is, while these groups are very passionate and have strong feelings regarding what they believe should be the next Allied race, what they are doing is ultimately of no consequence. They can't influence the decision over whether something will be an Allied race in BFA because the decision has already been made and was probably made a long time before we even knew Allied races were going to be a thing.

At a minimum pretty much everyone expects that Blizzard will announce the 8.2 Allied races at Blizzcon. And it doesn't matter if you love them or if you hate them, the Horde Allied race is almost certainly going to be Vulpera. And the reason we know it's probably going to happen is that too much effort has been spent creating the Vulpera model for them to be seen as a regular race of NPCs. While many players don't like the Vulpera, the level of interest in the forums is indicative that they are going to be a fairly popular and wanted addition to the Horde.

Which finally leads to the problem. There is no sign of the Alliance allied race. No group of NPCs equivalent to the Vulpera are out there. It's a void. We have whole communities of players out there networking with each other over their shared love of this Allied race or that Allied race, who are focused on Blizzcon and hoping that Blizzard will give them the Allied race of their dreams.

What happens then if Ion gets up on that stage, reveals Vulpera as expected and the Horde goes wild...and then turns around and reveals Junker Gnomes for the Alliance?

To explain, one of the longest standing requests for racial customization alongside brown skinned Orcs was for a mecha gnome, a hybrid between gnome and machine. It's sort of bubbled along for years in the background, never an immensely popular request but one that was always there and which we know Blizzard was aware of. For Blizzard, Allied races are primarily there to give spins on existing races rather than adding brand new ones. Most of the Allied races are such variants. Void Elves, Nightborne, HM Tauren, MH Orcs, LF Draenei, DI Dwarves, all of them so far are reskins of existing races. Kul Tirans are an outlier in that they are a completely brand new model, but they are also a variant of Humans. Vulpera will be the first brand new race added, but they are reskinned Goblins. Junker Gnomes, a variant of an existing Alliance race and one that has been requested for a long time, fits the pattern of what an Allied race is better than Vulpera do. Recently, a few snippets of information have given Junker Gnomes something no other Alliance allied race candidate had before.

Heft. Certain story developments on the PTR could be seen as laying the groundwork for a Gnome to receive significant augmentation. The Gnome in the Alliance war campaign has expressed she wishes she could be a robot. A datamined string from the beta talked about 'Junker Gnome island'. There is an abandoned Gnome settlement outside Boralus and a mystery of what happened there. It's not much in the way of evidence. But it's more than any other candidate has and it fits the pattern of all the previous Allied races.

But I've seen the Vulpera discord. I've seen the Sethrak discord. There's a High Elf discord. But there isn't a Junker Gnome discord. While I am sure there are people who will be very happy to see them, I can't help but feel that those other communities are going to be extremely upset at getting another version of a race that many in the Alliance regard as pretty much a joke. And that they will have that as the Horde celebrates Vulpera, feeding into the Horde bias narrative.

Junker Gnomes are not going to be a bad addition if they are the Alliance Allied race announced at Blizzcon. In fact, they are going to be a very good one given how Blizzard will be able to go crazy with the customization options. And given that every allied race so far is based in some way on an existing race, Gnomes were always going to get their variant at some stage. But that doesn't change the fact a lot of the Alliance isn't going to be happy, they will feel cheated out of a potentially more awesome race.

Blizzard has to see this coming. There is no way they can't see it coming. How do the manage the coming Alliance backlash?

Only thing I can think of is that they announce the 8.3 Allied races too. After all, we've known about Zandalari for nearly a year now and it'll be over a year since they revealed when we finally get them. But anyone else got any other notions?

[Great Destiny Man]

That's a lot of text just to say "People won't be happy if certain hypothesised races become allied races".

We have a fair few allied races already, so it doesn't really phase me too much if either side gets options that aren't very inspiring. Blizzard also will just chalk it to personal preference and move on, backlash or no.

[huth]

So you're wondering how Blizzard will deal with the hypothetical backlash to a hypothetical issue caused by a hypothetical cause in a hypothetical scenario?

And you didn't feel stupid writing that much about it?

[Crookers]

Junker gnomes will be dope as fuck though, plus mekkatorque will be one as well IMO that's how junkers get introduced, they save mekkatorque by turning him into robocop

[Obelisk Kai]

So you're wondering how Blizzard will deal with the hypothetical backlash to a hypothetical issue caused by a hypothetical cause in a hypothetical scenario?

And you didn't feel stupid writing that much about it?

I can see how you managed to get a post count of over twenty thousand if all your contributions are so pithy and empty of content.

[Deleted]

If they didnt show wildhammers or high elves they are fucked, tha lliance have less iconical races than horde so is more easy to full the alliance spot for allieds races.

DI LF VE KT and HE WD the 6 fir the 6 spots.

in the other case the horde have multiples races that can work, mok nathals, ogrees, centaurs, hozen, now vulperas, revantusk forest trolls.

but they will fuck ups and give us races that no one wants like void elves, gnomes robotics and the next stupid race that they invent.

[Lochton]

The Alliance? I am more pondering about the Horde. 8.1 looks to have another price on the Horde. Haha.

[Deleted]

I told myself the moment I faction changed to Horde for BfA to play with friends, if Vulpera ends up as a Horde allied race I will go back to Alliance and kill everyone I see because I hate the direction this game is headed, now adding furries to the list of silly playable races. WARcraft? Rofl.

[ls-]

Alliance backlash? They'll prob stfu as soon as Horde players will start shouting/screaming "For the Horde!" at them, again :P

[tyrlaan]

I can see how you managed to get a post count of over twenty thousand if all your contributions are so pithy and empty of content.

Maybe a less click-baity title that instead did a better job of explaining what you're going on about would curb some of the snarky responses you're getting.

[Orby]

There are still many races for Alliance and Horde who are actually allied with the Horde and Alliance lorewise

Horde

Taunka
Ogre
Hozen
Raventusk Trolls
Leper Gnome
Mok'Nathal

Alliance

Frostborn
Wildhammer Dwarf
Jinyu
Furbolg
Broken
Ethereal

Blizzard keep coming up with new races when we still have existing races not introduced yet.

[Phuongvi]

Alliance crying ovber horde favoritism ? What else is new, just stfu we don't care about your feelings

[Obelisk Kai]

Maybe a less click-baity title that instead did a better job of explaining what you're going on about would curb some of the snarky responses you're getting.

Snarky responses are par the course. That is often all some people have to contribute. And they deserve snark back in turn. Speaking of which, the title is fine and if you believe it only appeals to people who fall for click-bait well, you clicked it.

[Logwyn]

There are still many races for Alliance and Horde who are actually allied with the Horde and Alliance lorewise

Horde

Taunka
Ogre
Hozen
Raventusk Trolls
Leper Gnome
Mok'Nathal

Alliance

Frostborn
Wildhammer Dwarf
Jinyu
Furbolg
Broken
Ethereal

Blizzard keep coming up with new races when we still have existing races not introduced yet.

Thing is things like frostborn, wildhammer, Taunka, Raventusk Trolls, Leper Gnomes, and Mok'Nathal aren't really "new races" they are just re-skinns of old races. Nothing really new there honestly.

[Orby]

Thing is things like frostborn, wildhammer, Taunka, Raventusk Trolls, Leper Gnomes, and Mok'Nathal aren't really "new races" they are just re-skinns of old races. Nothing really new there honestly.

But so are the current Allied Races.

[Uncle]

I have a better idea: remove allied races as a whole, they make no sense and their introductions led to ridiculous stories.

[Fahrenheit]

Hoping it'll be Vulpera (H) and Sethrak (A). Junker Gnomes would indeed feel a little like a punch in the gut to be coupled with something as hyped (whether you care for them or not) as Vulpera. I don't have much faith though. I suspect the last two Alliance allied races are going to be Junk Gnomes and Lightborn Forsaken. Blah and blah.

[Tiwack]

Knowing Blizz, there'll be something for everyone. I think you're spinning Hype into disappointment and curious why and for what reason? Your sentiment is just one among millions so be careful with the conclusions you extrapolate from it. You obviously care a lot about allied races, while some don't and still will welcome anything gnome-related.

[Doffen]

Lightforged Forsaken will be one of the two last allied races for the Alliance.

[Thage]

Sorting through all that, I can safely say I'm down for Mad Max rust/cyber/dieselpunk gnomes.