On September 25th 2012, it came down to that ultimate day. People bursting out of their basements, seeing the light of day for the first time in a year, and once again getting a World of Warcraft expansion: The Mists of Pandaria. You know this day, it still occurs far past WoW’s prime. It’s the day we see a new kind of gamer emerging. I’ll go on the record saying I represent a BIG MMORPG house. A big one, in all caps, B-I-G.
But not WoW.
At least not for me, not any more. It’s not that I don’t like the game or its expansions, it’s that I just don’t care. There are a lot of fond memories I have of WoW. You know, before it was broken? This is back in the Vanilla/Burning Crusade days when the path to level 60 wasn’t something that took you five minutes. Now it’s all about the end game. It’s all about the grind. It’s all about doing the same dungeon multiple times to get the best gear, and Blizzard still hasn’t figured it out. I’m not going to rant on WoW endgame because it’s just like endgame for anything else. Doing it is fine, if you actually complete EVERYTHING, then there is something wrong with you.
And that’s what Mist of Pandaria is – another exercise in endgame. Sure, it’ll sell alright and sure everyone will be camped out at their towers for another year, but why? To play a game that’s almost a decade old? A game that has totally broken itself through years of patches? A game that is outclassed in every way by the MMORPGs it influenced? A game where you have to do instance after instance of the same bosses with different groups to get your valor points? Yeah, no thanks. I have Guild Wars 2.
I’m not going to support this anymore and neither should you. I’ll go back to supporting what I’ve been supporting since Cataclysm came out; namely a new WoW game. WoW may be holding its own against time, but it’s not going to stand the test of time. It’s taken on the form of Everquest, something that so many people have invested so much of their lives in they can’t just walk away from it, kind of like a marriage gone horribly wrong. WoW is no longer a game to play, it’s just a game that’s there. Blizzard as a business is sustaining its #1 fan base by releasing these updates. It’s not bringing new players in like it used to and eventually, like Everquest, the players will leave and the game will be a novelty.
And there will be no sequel to World of Warcraft.
WoW was the most accessible MMORPG of its time, streamlining the process and making the genre break into the mainstream. Times are different now. Now people are improving on the WoW formula. Now they got their subscriptions, they are filling their addiction quota, and while several complain about the lack of a sequel, Blizzard doesn’t care and they shouldn’t–they get their million of dollars per month no matter what I or anyone else says. Despite all the innovations, I’m still waiting for the best MMORPG of all time. WoW isn’t it, nor was it ever. It was simply the most accessible.
If they are waiting for a reason to do a sequel, I get that. If they are in a room huddled up trying to figure out ideas to incorporate in code, fine, I’ll take this expansion. Except that they aren’t doing any of that. They are taking advantage of fans by holding off because they know they can. They know people are going to continue playing a decade old, broken game.
For the longest time I thought there was class in this. I imagined a world where Blizzard would realize the time has come for a revamp of the world, the code, the graphics, and the gameplay for no other reason than to give the gamers what they want. It turns out they are a business just like any other. they’ll ride this chariot as long as they can because it’s still making them money. Square-Enix wishes they had a game that did this while they ignored fans for the Final Fantasy VII remake.
They won’t listen to me, they won’t listen to their subscribers–but they’ll listen to our wallets. Which is why I’ve deactivated my account. As much as I once respected the game, I’m done. Only then will The Blizz get the hint. With that said, I’m telling all you WoW players, if you want a sequel–stop playing. Deactivate your account, don’t reactivate it to play the expansion, because that’s what Blizzard wants. They will only listen to your wallets, so take a stand. If you want that WoW sequel so bad, show them you want it.
Besides, there is always Guild Wars 2
What do you think of the new WoW expansion? Do you think they are going in the right direction or do you think the game is completely broke after all this time? Leave a comment below to share your opinion!
About the Author
