Would now be a good time for Warcraft 4? [Spoilers]

[Susanoo]

Now that we know time works differently in the Shadowlands, our characters will be gone from Azeroth for an unknown period of time. That amount of time is not know to us at this point, but will progressively be expanded upon as we receive more content patches.

It is wishful thinking, but I believe the time skip would be an excellent time for blizzard to create and develop Warcraft 4. There is an explanation as to why the adventurers are gone and it would be a good time to establish new hero’s and villains in the expanding WoW universe. Warcraft 4 is exactly what WoW needs to create new characters that players can get attached to and kill off some of the old characters. Essentially, it would bring the lore together and pave the way for future expansions just like Warcraft 3 did.

Would you like to see a Warcraft 4?

[rayvio]

yes. a time skip would be the perfect way to do it
and as much as I still enjoy WoW it'd be nice to get a new RTS Warcraft

[Chromell]

How strong are RTS games going right now for WC4 to be profitable, though?

It might be that the sheer WoW and WC communities might be enough to make it a success. Who knows?

[Saltysquidoon]

Would you like to see a Warcraft 4?

No, not with blizzard's current form.

Also, there is a less than zero percent chance of Acti-blizzard ever releasing a story focused RTS on the PC as a flagship title ever again.

[kranur]

Do they need to hang a poster that says that WoW will continue as long as people play it and there will be no WoW2 or another Warcraft game?

Cause they literally said that.

[Protar95]

Do they need to hang a poster that says that WoW will continue as long as people play it and there will be no WoW2 or another Warcraft game?

Cause they literally said that.

If there is a timeskip it leaves them room for a possible WC4 without having to move onto WoW 2. Not saying it's likely but WC4 does not need to equal WoW2.

[Budong]

Maybe Warcraft 4 could be the 'what happened while you were away' story. We could play through the game to find out everything that transpired and have an active hand in it. WoW would pick up where War 4 leaves off.

This of course assumes there's a big enough time jump to house an entire games worth of story. There is potential here I think.

[McNeil]

As much as I would like to see a WC4, I very much doubt it will happen considering that the RTS genre is kinda dead and the best we getting are remakes and remasters. Not to mention how much damage WC3: Reforged caused. They could always try to make new campaigns in Reforged instead and maybe try to actually fix the game in the meantime.

[kranur]

If there is a timeskip it leaves them room for a possible WC4 without having to move onto WoW 2. Not saying it's likely but WC4 does not need to equal WoW2.

I said or ... as in they're not considering any other warcraft game as long as wow is still going

[Kolvarg]

How strong are RTS games going right now for WC4 to be profitable, though?

I mean, if we're being real, any game Blizzard of any genre will very likely be profitable just for brand sales and free advertising they get, even after all the PR blunders they've had in recent years.

With that said, profitable doesn't cut it for modern Blizzard, so while WC4 would almost surely break even, the profit margin long term would likely just no be good enough.

Also, there is a less than zero percent chance of Acti-blizzard ever releasing a story focused RTS on the PC as a flagship title ever again.

Yeah. I mean, even Diablo 4 is going more MMOish. I guess there's a chance they would make a Warcraft 4, but they would for sure include features to make it essentially a viable "game as a service". It's all about the MAUs and microtransactions.

Sadly, I think Blizzard has grown too large and greedy to invest any decent amount of resources into anything they can't milk for the long term.

[Hugnomo]

I think it would be a cool idea in terms of advancing a plot in a better vehicle and then having WoW back from Shadowlands to this new wc4 established setting a few years later. But how would they do it? Even imagining that they had the resources and foresight plotwise to do it, would they release it at the end of Shadowlands? During content drought? And then 10.0 would continue from wacraft 4?
Though I'm not the biggest fan of RTS I think it would be amazing to have a single player, story driven warcraft game in the same vein as warcraft 3, which was so rich that we're still exploring its lore to this day.

[Mojo03]

Sounds like they could do it after SL if there is a time leap.

They could also base it somewhere else in the galaxy, like people (Turalyon maybe?) get sent to another world to fight the void lords and it ends up being an introduction to another world/heroes, etc. Or maybe at another time in history. It's all viable.

Yes RTS is kind of a dead genre, but what has even come out other than SC2, that has even tried to re-invigorate the genre in the last 15 years? Can't think of anything.

It's defiantly viable, since RTS games are made by smaller teams, and they could do a lot with skins and mini games. It's not COD money, but it's still something profitable if done well I'd imagine.

[Kolvarg]

Though I'm not the biggest fan of RTS I think it would be amazing to have a single player, story driven warcraft game in the same vein as warcraft 3, which was so rich that we're still exploring its lore to this day.

I love Warcraft 3, and I like RTS in general, but to this day I still dream of a 1st/3rd person open-world RPG in the Warcraft universe. Think The Elder Scrolls: Azeroth.

I was super disappointed that they didn't go ahead with the rumoured "Dark Souls-style" Diablo 4.

[Zylos]

I love Warcraft 3, and I like RTS in general, but to this day I still dream of a 1st/3rd person open-world RPG in the Warcraft universe. Think The Elder Scrolls: Azeroth.

That is literally what WoW is. Have you heard of it?

[Saltysquidoon]

That is literally what WoW is. Have you heard of it?

But I want to play as a gun-wielding night elf warlock that can use paladin abilities and be a loyal soldier to the void lords!

[Kolvarg]

That is literally what WoW is. Have you heard of it?

Even though I forgot to specifically mention it, the example I give should very clearly indicate that I'm talking about a singleplayer story-based game Which is evidently not literally what WoW is.

[Orby]

After Warcraft 3 reforged the Blizzard high ups probably took it as a sign that we didn't want a RTS ignoring the fact that it being an RTS wasnt the reason it got shit on, but thats corporate for you.

[VinceVega]

After Warcraft 3 reforged the Blizzard high ups probably took it as a sign that we didn't want a RTS ignoring the fact that it being an RTS wasnt the reason it got shit on, but thats corporate for you.

Tbh financially they should wait for the reforged stuff to be next to forgotten and wow not throwing a profit anymore.
Warcraft 4 would ONLY work if wow would not get another expansion. Which will rob Blizz of their main income.

Or skip one expansion for WC4... with the same outcome. RTS is not popular anymore. And won't be for a few years.

This will not happen. Not in the next 8-10 years.

[Jonnusthegreat]

I would LOVE for Shadowlands to be the final WoW expansion. This "timeskip" would be the PERFECT time to launch a Warcraft 4.

After Warcraft 4, launch WoW 2. We need a reset, and squishes aren't doing it.

[Orby]

Tbh financially they should wait for the reforged stuff to be next to forgotten and wow not throwing a profit anymore.
Warcraft 4 would ONLY work if wow would not get another expansion. Which will rob Blizz of their main income.

Or skip one expansion for WC4... with the same outcome. RTS is not popular anymore. And won't be for a few years.

This will not happen. Not in the next 8-10 years.

I do not wanna be 47 by the time the next Warcraft RTS comes out lol.