World of Warcraft lead sometimes wishes Blizzard "hadn't called it Warcraft" because "it sounds intimidating," admits the MMO's executive producer and VP

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"We have a bigger vision than simply being an MMORPG"

World of Warcraft
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

World of Warcraft has been in the limelight recently, thanks to new expansion pack Midnight and Blizzard's plan to remove World of Warcraft combat mods – but developers have an even greater future in mind for the MMO.

They'd like for it to boast a bigger, more diverse audience, with executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale revealing as much to The Game Business during a recent interview. This extends to the Warcraft name in its entirety – not just the 2004 MMO.

"It's a fantastic IP. In my humble opinion, it's been underutilized, and I just want to bring it to as many people as possible," Longdale explains. How would Blizzard go about doing that?

One way, as Longdale puts it, would be to make it more "approachable" to folks. "And that means evolving what Warcraft means, what it is, and where it's going," she says. "We want it to be approachable."

The Warcraft name, however, doesn't make it sound too… well, welcoming to outsiders – and the IP executive creative director is well aware, apparently. Longdale describes how he brings it up to fellow devs.

"Chris Metzen is sometimes like, 'I wish we hadn't called it Warcraft. It sounds intimidating.'" Longdale doesn't necessarily agree, though: "But I'm like, nobody really thinks that about Warhammer.

It's an understood name." I'd argue she's correct here – not to mention the fact that Warcraft doesn't really have to sound "friendly," anyway. The storylines often deal with difficult topics, and, yeah, war. It's central to the IP, and I'm not alone in thinking so.

Reacting to Metzen's words, one fan uses official art from Blizzard in a post to argue that Warcraft is a fitting title. Featuring "one of the most badass orcs in Warcraft history with alliance heads hanging off his belt," the argument checks out – and, uh, the orc in question is literally named "Grommash Hellscream," so I personally get it.

Comments show fellow fans agreeing with the sentiment, although I do also understand where Metzen is coming from. With games like Final Fantasy 14 as competition, it's hard to present yourself as just a dark, gritty fantasy without some of the flair that makes other games so beloved.

Longdale gets into this a bit, stating, "We want people to come in, hang out, and have birthdays, weddings, raids, grand adventures, play with their friends, meet new friends" – you know, the more chill social activities MMOs are known for, too.

She concludes that Blizzard is "never going to stop doing the things people love, but at the same time, we have a bigger vision than simply being an MMORPG." Here's hoping that vision pans out nicely over the next decade or so of WoW.

"Made without crunch": World of Warcraft Midnight is the "the fastest expansion" Blizzard has ever made, with "no sacrifices to team health"

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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