Entertainment released a game of the MMORPG genre entitled World of Warcraft. Although thirteen years have passed since then, the popular WoW still has a lot of fans around the world. Thousands of people sit in front of their computers every day to move to the land of orcs, humans, tauren or dwarves and experience the next adventures in Azeroth. The developers are currently planning the next, seventh, addition to the game. How is it that despite the passage of so many years World of Warcraft is still on the market and still succeeds? Why do we keep playing or returning to this title? And how has WoW itself evolved over these thirteen years? I'll try to find answers to these questions.
Well, Come to the Jungle
Blizzard, when releasing World of Warcraft, already had a large group of fans of this title. In 1994, the strategy game Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was released. Later, two more parts were released. In this way, the Americans created their own universe and the history of Azeroth, the world inhabited by humans, elves, dwarves, tauren, trolls, gnomes and goblins. Through the actions of the Burning Legion, orcs, draenei, and undead also appear on the planet. World of Warcraft begins four years after the events of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The world is divided into two warring Horde and Alliance. The person starting their adventure in this world has to choose one of the sides of the conflict, decide which race and class they want to play.
What was amazing for those years was the vastness of the world. The player had two huge continents to explore. While many games made us follow a set path, WoW made us feel unlimited. In addition to gaining levels and better equipment, we could also do many other things: collect flowers, sew clothes, forge weapons, cook, or fish. The most important thing, however, was that we were not alone in Azeroth. We were accompanied by a lot of players from around the world, with whom we could complete tasks together or stand up to fight against them. Constant conflict between the factions and the possibility of pvp (player vs player) is for many the most attractive element of the game.
Time for an Upgrade
World of Warcraft was undoubtedly a success and Blizzard did not intend to give up on this title, but to follow the blow. A year after the game's release, the developers announced an add-on that was released on January 16, 2007. The Burning Crusade broke sales records. Approximately 2.4 million people around the world bought it in just 24 hours. Players could now play one of two races: blood elves or draenei. Azeroth expanded by another continent, and players got new professions and flying mounts. While in the base there were some restrictions on the classes, because only in the Horde we had shamans and in the Alliance paladins, TBC made these restrictions disappear. Not everyone liked the changes. There was even a video made, in which the Horde marches through Orgrimmar singing a song to the tune of Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd about the Horde not needing elves and paladins. The protest did not bring anything, but blood elves became one of the most popular races in the game.
The next few years brought more supplements. A success was the release in 2008 of Wrath of the Lich King, which presents the story of Prince Arthas, considered one of the most interesting characters in the world of Warcraft. Many players already know him from Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and now have the opportunity to face the Lich King in WoW. In addition to skirmishing and exploring the history of Arthas, players can, for example, play a new class, the Death Knight, or explore the next continent.
Unfortunately for Blizzard, both Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor are no longer as beloved as their predecessors. World of Warcraft is still popular, but the number of players is declining. Although the additions bring us new lands, abilities, races and classes, and the story is still interesting, we can hear more and more voices of dissatisfaction. Players complain that the game is becoming outdated, that the ideas, such as expanding your own garrison, are not very attractive, and the pandarens do not fit into this world. However, many voices will say something completely different and still plenty of people will sit in front of the monitors with pleasure. Blizzard in turn improves the graphics and our characters become more realistic.
Finally, on August 30, 2016, the Legion add-on appears. The developers return to the roots and to the war with the Burning Legion. Being able to fight the eternal enemies of Azeroth and visit Argus makes players start coming back to WoW. Legion is selling much better than the previous three expansions and is being received very well by critics.
Meanwhile, Blizzard is already announcing the next addition, Battle for Azeroth, and looking at the trailers, players are starting to rub their hands together.
Time is money, friend
As the goblins from Warcraft say: "Time is money, my friends." For thirteen years, World of Warcraft has brought Blizzard record profits in the gaming market. The title has earned over nine billion dollars! And it's still making money. In addition to new additions, players must subscribe to the game, so Blizzard's account continues to grow money. Enthusiasts also like to visit shops and buy various gadgets associated with the game. In addition to figurines, T-shirts, mugs or badges, we can also buy such things as bathrobes, keyboards or replicas of weapons from the game. On the market we can also find many "board games" based on the world of Warcraft, such as simply World of Warcraft or Monopoly: World of Warcraft. In 2016, Blizzard also released the movie Warcraft: The Beginning. While it didn't make a huge profit and was received quite critically, gamers loved it and are hoping for sequels. However, books and short stories from the Warcraft universe, of which we already have twenty-four, were much more warmly received.
It's not only the creators who make money on World of Warcraft. WoW has become a profitable business for many people. We can pay real money to a group that will help us level up or do it for us, join us in a fight against other players to get the highest title, go through the toughest dungeons with us to defeat the worst enemies in the game, or help us while trying to get the desired mount. The next way of business is to earn virtual currency in Warcraft and sell it for real cash.
There are also people who bet on youtube and by creating videos related to Warcraft they earn through subscriptions and views. Ideas are sometimes different. Oxhorn or CarbotAnimations create funny animations related to the game, and youtubers such as Gaming Cat or Kargoz will show us how to play a particular class or how to get money faster in the game. There is even a Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain team that has created songs and videos with singing characters from the game.
