World of Warcraft III, or as it’s being labled; Warcraft III: Reforged, released this week. And well, the internet and fans alike, have firmly ripped it a new one.
Following the initial announcement that Warcraft III would be getting much needed improvements, many looked forward to it.
This could have been a fun nostalgia romp through the younger years of gaming.
However, the game was released, and it is falling apart at the seams. Almost literally in this case.
The game is currently sitting at a dismal 0.5 (good lord) on Metacritic. By the way, that score is off of 15,000 people. It is not a minority of people.
Context is Important Right?
What the hell happened here? Are people freaking out for good reason? Actually yes, it turns out that this game is being ripped apart for good reason.
Firstly is that the game itself, does not even launch from the system it’s installed on. Nor does it launch from Blizzard’s Battle Net app.
No, see it launches from the Chrome browser application. Doesn’t make any sense? Yeah, it sure doesn’t.
On top of this the game has not delivered on several of the promised features. Which you can find listed here.
Numerous (and I mean numerous) reports of crashes and framrate issues.
If you dare brave the salt sea, here’s just a few of the reviews to look over.
What Exactly Prompted A Release of A Seemingly Incomplete Project?
In an interview after the BETA for Warcraft III: Reforged, the devs seemed to take an interest in fixing bugs.
Unfortunately, the devs have been awfully silent on concerns of missing features and crashes.
If you peruse the official Twitter page for Warcraft III: Reforged, you will find a lot of promotional content. You will not find any releases or statements about the feedback and reviews.
Rumors are circulating that several devs were outspoken in not wanting the game to release yet. However, as they are just rumors I would not put much stock in them.
After all, there’s bound to be enough vitriol in 15,000 people to circulate untrue rumors. Just take them with a grain of salt.
A Record Year for Blizzard/Activision. Just, not the Good Kind of Record
Blizzard/Activision have been at the center of controversy for pretty much all of 2019. Warcraft III, is just the latest in a dog-pile of bad PR and bad game design.
It began at BlizzCon 2018 when the next Diablo game was announced to be a mobile game. Angering many of the hardcore fanbase, it has since then released to middling reviews.
What kick started the firestorm was the developer’s flippant excuse to the angry fans. Something that will go down in the annals of meme history.
This was made only worse when in 2019 Blizzard banned an E-Sports player for taking a side in the Hong Kong controversy. They also responded by refusing him his prize money for his winnings.
While Blizzard did eventually walk back a good portion of their decisions, the damage was done. Blizzard was on very thin ice.
The prelude to this happening was Bungie’s split from Blizzard/Activision. A split that reportedly would cost Activision a lot of money.
Eventually Activision helped regain morale a little bit with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. But it seems that morale was short lived.
You Reap What You Sow
Make no mistake. Blizzard/Activision was a pioneer in gaming. Creating one of the most profitable business empires in the world.
However, they have been plagued by bad business decisions and poor PR for the better part of two years. They’ve failed to communicate well with their audiences.
These decisions seem to have culminated into what Warcraft III: Reforged is. An unfinished mess, that will take much more than a good PR person to fix.
Undoubtedly Blizzard/Activision will recover from this, in some form or another. But with the Modern Warfare train out of the initial hype, and no major releases, it is hard to say.
Blizzard needs to learn its lesson. Regardless of what side of the issue you fall on, Blizzard has talented people. And those talents should not be wasted on mediocre efforts.
For more updates, be sure to check back here!
