How healthy is World of Warcraft's future?

[Low Hanging Fruit]

I think it still has plenty of time but it is creatively bankrupt. You will know when it is getting close when a new expansion hits and the bump that comes with it is tragically low because that is what they even make the game for anymore. Once that spike becomes a hump is when they will start to re-evaluate the purpose of pumping out expansions and putting it into maintenance mode. Again, it will still be a while down the road I think. But that day is getting closer and closer.

[Deferionus]

Maintenance mode is still aways off, but the game's best days are definitely behind it. I feel like the devs are currently purging the soul from the game. Any time I have seen products get this "clean up" treatment it always makes the product worse.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Frankly I think 10.0 is a last chance. The winds of change are blowing at Blizzard, and the specter of a full Activision takeover is not far off. Ion's record thus far has been, honestly, abysmal. Legion is the only expansion I'd call good, and even that is "good not great." If they can't turn this ship around with 10.0, I think the house gets cleaned and the focus shifts from being a good Blizzard game to maximizing Activision's profit.

[Dracullus]

I'm begining to think your "or even indicate" wasn't entirely in good faith.

Bad data is no better than no data. Do you also believe Classic has X more players when you see X more Molten Core kills without thinking how raiding changed between those two?

Pugging is just one thing. What about M+. What about LFR participation. What about PVP, now we have vendors, in Legion is was RNG hated by almost everyone. Finally what about casual part of game? Casual gear - in 7.3 farming for random Normal token, in 9.1 220 takes no effort at all. What about aging community who often pick mount farm over raid?

I showed you my arguments, I even pointed out what would be better for measurement. You are calling it bad faith without even responding to these arguments.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

My biggest complaints about the game itself have absolutely nothing to do with most of the recently announced minor changes to the game. SL is fucked because of terrible systems, changing a few jokes and renaming some quests is not going to fix the clusterfuck of terrible core systems that SL is built around. The ripcord isn't even going to fix it, because it still fails to address the terrible zone layout (having every zone separate, thus requiring you to be funneled through Oribos every time you change zones gets to be a major waste of time if you're playing more than 1 character).

Does nothing to address the ugly aesthetic of Korthia and the Maw, the terrible lack of balance between Covenants, the massive RNG+grinding required for PvE gearing, and the abundance of tedious yet unrewarding content. SL is completely fucked for me and nothing they do, short of removing Covenant powers+Conduits entirely and at least doubling the loot drop rates in 5man and raid content, would get me to give it another chance.

[Osmeric]

Bad data is no better than no data.

If anything, the numbers I have given you may understate the seriousness of the situation, as they don't track non-raiding (or LFR-only raiding) players at all. There is reason to believe casual players have been bailing out at a higher rate, as M+ was made harder and casual PvP has been eviscerated.

[Local Skinwalker]

given the amount of things they are doing to remove toxicity , and the steps being taken to remove/change/update things in the game that can promote that culture , i'd say it's to become very healthy.
Much like the human body when it is sick....attack the source of the sickness, remedy it, and you become healthy again

[Varitok]

given the amount of things they are doing to remove toxicity , and the steps being taken to remove/change/update things in the game that can promote that culture , i'd say it's to become very healthy.
Much like the human body when it is sick....attack the source of the sickness, remedy it, and you become healthy again

A dick joke in Un'goro crater from 14 years ago isn't the thing stopping WoW from having good content.

[Local Skinwalker]

A dick joke in Un'goro crater from 14 years ago isn't the thing stopping WoW from having good content.

you're right. That alone is not the thing.
also, it is worth noting that one's Opinion of what content is good or bad is just that

[confety]

The game has the potential of being awesome again if the developers start working into the game instead of searching for schlongs.

I just want the game to make me want to log in again to have fun instead of having to grind an arbitrary obnoxious system designed by weirdos.

I think the latest changes are cringe and stupid, a waste of resources much needed in the games development and a rude thing to do to the people that made the game in the first place, but it shouldnt make the future of the game worse.

These developers now that seems to be unleashed to do whatever they want to the game have forgotten how they get there in the first place. They have to remember they are working on a game that was already made, it was good and it was loved, and continue from there, not burn half of it because they have the sexual mentality of a 12 year old boy.

[Ragerre]

given the amount of things they are doing to remove toxicity , and the steps being taken to remove/change/update things in the game that can promote that culture , i'd say it's to become very healthy.
Much like the human body when it is sick....attack the source of the sickness, remedy it, and you become healthy again

Seems much closer to the decay process after a parasitic infestation, if we were to use such kind of analogies.

[Drusin]

Yeah, it says a lot about the state of the game when browsing the forums, official or otherwise, is much more entertaining than actually playing the damn thing.

Well I didn't say that but to each their own

[Dacia Ultan]

The big issue is the ethics scandal. The removal of innuendo is a weird irrelevancy; the half-assing of content could be solved by bringing in more people with genuine passion for the work (and, to be honest, started with the half-assing of Argus—which could have and probably should have been an entire expansion in its own right—in Legion).

[GratsDing45]

My biggest complaints about the game itself have absolutely nothing to do with most of the recently announced minor changes to the game. SL is fucked because of terrible systems, changing a few jokes and renaming some quests is not going to fix the clusterfuck of terrible core systems that SL is built around. The ripcord isn't even going to fix it, because it still fails to address the terrible zone layout (having every zone separate, thus requiring you to be funneled through Oribos every time you change zones gets to be a major waste of time if you're playing more than 1 character).

Does nothing to address the ugly aesthetic of Korthia and the Maw, the terrible lack of balance between Covenants, the massive RNG+grinding required for PvE gearing, and the abundance of tedious yet unrewarding content. SL is completely fucked for me and nothing they do, short of removing Covenant powers+Conduits entirely and at least doubling the loot drop rates in 5man and raid content, would get me to give it another chance.

I know this is unpopular opinion but the friction of zone layout and systems, the dark aesthetic of Revendreth ,Maw Korthia and Torghast are probably the things that make this game feel like it wasn't made by a whole team of woke snowflakes. I feel like it will be the last of it's kind, and the next expansion will be SJW land, a "realm reborn" like wanted. And the devs will listen and consider ALL player feedback. Warcraft name might be changing soon as what kind of sjw wants to work on a game with the name "warcraft" sounds like advocating for it. This might make the game healthier but I don't know if it will be the game for me

[Hotmail]

Strange poll. WoW has been in maintenance mode since Cata.

I guess option 2, although I wouldn't exactly say that good things are coming. It's going to be the same thing over and over until everybody has gray hairs.

[Mr Crix]

The big issue is the ethics scandal. The removal of innuendo is a weird irrelevancy; the half-assing of content could be solved by bringing in more people with genuine passion for the work (and, to be honest, started with the half-assing of Argus—which could have and probably should have been an entire expansion in its own right—in Legion).

I think blizzard has for a time at least enjoyed protection from a lot of their bad decisions from a very vocal religiously supportive fanbase.

The scandal crushed that fanbase and now there isn't really a buffer to stop a negativity spiral towards the company. The changes feel aimed at trying to win back the people like that.

They dont feel aimed towards the people who would still play the game even if it required a random person be killed via a blood ritual.

[Chilela]

Boostwhales will probably keep it financially afloat, but between the continued tarnishing of Blizzard's reputation and their miscues to "fix" the problem, and other MMOs starting to become bigger players in the market, the era of Blizzard being the lone king of the genre is, beyond a reasonable doubt, over.

However, I don't see it truly entering a "Dying" phase for a while longer. It has, and will continue to have, a sizable playerbase, especially given the age of the game at this point, though the expansion cycle seems to be more about huge swaths of people coming at launch in hopes that the new expansion will be the one to bring that "Old WoW feel" back, becoming disappointed, and leaving in droves over the next couple months, leading to a slow decay in subs until the next xpac hits, then rinse and repeat. It's definitely been in a state of decay for a while, but dying? Nah, not yet.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Not to be dramatic but it is funny how every big company, game, empire always seems to follow the Greek/Roman decline path. Starting small and ambitious, slowly building a game/company/country that is culturally and technologically a leader. Then once the comfort stage sets in, these entities being on top of their respective markets/region, thats when the corruption and decline starts. Bad decisions, ignorant populace/player/consumer base leading to the inevitable decline and loss of prestige/land over years of internal strife and corruption. Eventually the barbarians/competitor is at the gates and populace still thinks the invaders are about to be pushed back any moment. Dramatic I know but the principle of the respective declines always seems so similar.

The refusal to question any Blizzard choices by diehard fans is why the game is on the decline. It's sad since I want WoW to be great.

It's more of a general franchise/corporate lifecycle:

• Someone authors a book, or a small group creates a show or a game. It gains a cult following.

• That thing builds up over the years and becomes a respectable franchise. This is the golden age of the franchise. The company is growing.

• The original creators leave, usually by either selling off the franchise or the corporation, or they spent a very long time at the company and decide it's time to retire. This leaves the franchise in the hands of suits who do not care about the franchise and begin running it into the ground.

• Die off phase. The fans of the original are being alienated and leaving. The new folks running the franchise are unable to bring in enough new people to offset the attrition rate.

• Franchise eventually dies and goes cold.

• Reboot phase 5-10 years later, trying to prey on the nostalgia of the oldtimers and the name brand recognition of the franchise to the general public.

[Soon-TM]

The big issue is the ethics scandal. The removal of innuendo is a weird irrelevancy; the half-assing of content could be solved by bringing in more people with genuine passion for the work (and, to be honest, started with the half-assing of Argus—which could have and probably should have been an entire expansion in its own right—in Legion).

I doubt it will happen with the crappy wages that Blizz used to pay. In the past, they could get away with it due to their reputation as a 'dream workplace'... I don't know how much of that reputation will make it past 2021.

[Watchers]

wow is dead for me at the moment blizz is being so political correct.

Unless they release new classes/specs.