Originally Posted by
Claymore
This is a line of thinking I've only recently started going down, so please forgive me for any thoughts that may be poorly-worded, or even poorly thought-out.
I don't think it would be a great revelation to say that, the Blizzard that exists today feels quite different to the Blizzard that existed in 2004 and prior. There are literally countless factors that could be attributed to that. Maybe times have changes, maybe the people there have changed... who knows.
However, I've noticed noticed recently that there seems to have been a pretty dramatic shift in the kind of people that Blizzard is trying to appeal to.
Back in the day, Blizzard made games that were primarily about "badass dudes doing badass things". All of the women were presented as hot, secondary characters to the men. A lot of that stuff probably seems dated today, but it's also part of what Blizzard's identity was; Blizzard's games were the Gaming equivalent of 70's and 80's Metal albums.
I think Overwatch is the most easily-identifiable example of Blizzard's shift in direction. Overwatch contrasts every other Blizzard IP is that it was almost Disney-esque, and as character backstories began getting revealed to be more and more "inclusive", it became clear that Overwatch was going for a very different vibe, likely chasing a very different audience.
Which is good, for a lot of reasons, but I think a particularly smart decision because it was such a contrast to their other existing properties.
The thing is, though, is that it would appear that Blizzard has begun moving all of its IP's closer to that sort of vibe, instead of keeping each franchise as it were.
I noticed the past several years -- without ever really putting it together -- that Blizzard's online store had stopped offering "cool" items. There are no more cool action figures, no more killer t-shirts or a lot of really cool artworks. Instead, we see a lot of women's clothes, more leggings than you can shake a stick at, and virtually all items and swag are "cute" instead of "cool".
Battle for Azeroth marked a decided shift in WoW, in which *only* female characters were being put into meaningful positions of authority, something seemingly carrying over into Shadowlands. Focus is put more on relationships than believable events, often at the expense of any sense of logic or consistency. Characters that would make sense or have history in the series are sidelined to make way for more female characters. The new book also makes it a point to make sure we all know that Matthias Shaw is gay.
It's a... strange situation.
It's not that any of these changes would be "bad", but they feel wildly outside of what "Warcraft" was. Are they reinventing the wheel? Or just updating the wheel for more modern audiences? I can't help but feel, it feels like perhaps Blizzard is trying to cater to an audience that simply isn't the core audience.
When Lord of the Clans came out, one of the "lessons" of that book is that, as a leader, it is Thrall's responsibility to wage war upon those who would threaten his people and their freedom. He wasn't a warmonger, by any means, but he also understood violence as the necessity as it is in the Warcraft universe.
I wonder, if Lord of the Clans was written today, would Thrall have reached the same conclusion? Or would he instead going to any lengths, risk literally anything, in the name of peace? Would the old Thrall be a case of "toxic masculinity"?
Because that seems to be how Anduin and Baine are written, and they can't help but feel horribly inconsistent with the franchise they star in. Anduin Wrynn, as he exists now, would not have survived in Wrath of the Lich King, nor would Baine have. I believe that is why so many players who these two in particular contempt.
But also, look at Jaina; the once voice-of-reason. Until Cataclysm, and then she became "a bad bitch". Sylvanas, too, fills that same role, although in her case that's kind of where her character started anyways. Anduin literally fills the exact same role that Jaina once did, but Jaina can no longer carry that role because... what? It would make Jaina look weak? They don't want another male character in a position of authority?
At least with Sylvanas, they've been generally consistent in terms of personality. I honestly find her a little insufferable how much she operates under "the rule of cool", that she can basically do anything and is always "one step ahead of everyone else", and something-something "four-dimensional chess". I actually thought the character would've felt a lot more 'human' and could've grown a lot as a character if, after Arthas died, if she had a legitimate break-down and maybe show some vulnerability. But nah; she hurls herself off a cliff, sees the afterlife and decides "No thnx!" and that's basically been her entire character arc. Gotta make sure she stays "cool".
I dunno. I may be totally off-base here. This all just really feels like it touches on some of the shift with Blizzard and what it seems to see the audience as. It feels like they're making WoW for a completely different audience than it used to be for, and I wonder if that is to blame for some of its issues now.