Tag: World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft on iOS Still A Possibility


As a reasonable person, I’ve always said that the day that major MMOs like World of Warcraft and Everquest are readily available on mobile platforms will be heralded as the day productivity died. That being said, Blizzard will not accept no for an answer, and is always on the lookout for a way to bring World of Warcraft to the iPhone.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Senior WOW Producer John Lagrave discussed the challenges involved in bringing a massive online game to such a small platform, from UI to controls, to chat and beyond.

“So we certainly look at that, but we just haven’t solved it. What we’ve done with WOW on mobile devices is very simplistic: view the armoury, you check your auctions – not just on mobile but also on web.

So it might be a while before you are explaining to your boss that you were only late from lunch because the Lich King was tanking more damage than usual, but if Blizzard has any say in it that time will be sooner than you think.

(Source: Eurogamer)

Free Diablo 3 Ends May 1st: WoW Annual Pass


Diablo 3 is here! Well, the release date and ability to pre-purchase is. While many of you who subscribed to the World of Warcraft annual pass (monthly payments, but locked in for a year) did so for the free mount and beta access to Mists of Pandaria, you may have also done so for the free copy of Diablo 3 that comes with it. Possibly, I don’t want to assume anything.

Now that Diablo 3 has a release date, May 15th, Blizzard has announced that the promotion is coming to a close. If you want that free Diablo 3, you will need to purchase the World of Warcraft annual pass by May 1st, after which your commitment will only net you a free mount and beta access to Mists of Pandaria.

(Source: Battle.net)

Need A Scroll of Resurrection? Comment Below


If you’re like me, you would like to have a scroll of resurrection for the Cataclysm upgrade, free level 80 character, etc, but don’t know anyone who still plays World of Warcraft. Luckily for myself, I’m already subscribed to the twelve month annual pass and ineligible for this promotion anyway, but as a service to our good friends out there MMO Fallout is offering scrolls of resurrection.

For me to send you a scroll of resurrection, submit your realm name and character name in the comment box below. I need both, and this will only work if your account expired before March 4, 2012, and the reward will be transferred once you purchase a subscription. Your comment will be held in moderation and will not be approved, your username/realm will remain private and only visible to myself.

Note: The invitations were working before, but it appears that they are now restricted to my area. North America/Canada/Latin American players only.

Mists of Pandaria Dropping Support For Windows 2000


I apologize for this article being about two months late, but in a post on the World of Warcraft forums, Blizzard has announced that in preparation for the launch of Mists of Pandaria later this year, World of Warcraft will no longer be compatible with the Windows 2000 operating system.

In preparation for the upcoming release of Mists of Pandaria, updates to World of Warcraft will no longer support Microsoft Windows 2000. Microsoft ceased support for this version of their operating system in 2010. Players still using Windows 2000 are encouraged to upgrade prior to the release of Mists of Pandaria.

According to a user on the same thread, World of Warcraft is still playable on Windows 2000 by replacing OS .dll files with other versions. As a developer, Blizzard is widely known for ensuring that their games work on as many computers as possible, going as far as including operating systems long after Microsoft had ceased support. Still, all good things must come to an end, and users will have to upgrade if they want to continue playing.

More on World of Warcraft as it appears.

Blizzard Lays Off 600: But From Where?


Blizzard is a special case. If any other company were to lay off 600 people, I might put on my tinfoil hat and start predicting the incoming Chapter 11 apocalypse. Meanwhile, while the usual people are screaming of the impending death of Blizzard, it is worth noting that 90% of the layoffs are from the non-development side of the company without impact on the World of Warcraft development.

But there is one factor I wanted to talk about with regard to World of Warcraft, and that is how Blizzard has managed to do a complete reversal of expectations on income versus subscription numbers. In the past year or two since Blizzard’s figures peaked at twelve million, subscription numbers have dropped by nearly two million. Against what you might expect, Blizzard continues to post higher revenue from World of Warcraft thanks to the increasing sale of cash shop vanity pets and mounts.

So while a good few are referring to the layoffs as the death slide of Blizzard, I’m going to need more persuasion before I dust off the old tin foil hat.

Blizzcon 2012 Cancelled, Blizzard Too Busy


Since 2005, Blizzcon has been a place of reveals, a chance to check out new Blizzard games early, and an opportunity to see just how scantily clad a Blood Elf can get. However, in a nod to Blizzard’s current heavy work load, Blizzcon has been canned until 2013. Currently, of course, Blizzard is on full production of the next World of Warcraft expansion, the next Starcraft 2 game, Diablo 3, and the mysterious Project Titan, among other projects.

It’s easy to forget just how much work and money goes into a convention, that could be better spent on development and marketing. Still, no doubt players will be disappointed if they had a costume set up to show off this year.

Until next year, friends.

Falling Out #2: Healing Classes


Because we all know a guy like the Fighter.

Special thanks to Ryker from the Spriter’s Resource message board for the enlarged Final Fantasy sprites. Tune in for a new episode every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Video of the ____: Chuck Norris Allows World of Warcraft To Survive.


There are ten million people in World of Warcraft, because Chuck Norris allows them to live. This new ad went live during the NFL Chargers vs Bears game.

Warcraft's Cataclysm: World of Warcraft Continues Freefall


It’s been a year of discussing World of Warcraft’s peak and gradual downward shift. In the first quarter, Blizzard revealed that subscriber numbers dropped from Warcraft’s peak of over 12 million down to 11.4 million. By the second quarter, those figures had slipped down to 11.1 million. Despite this, Blizzard noted that revenue from the MMO was higher than ever, thanks to the sales of cash shop pets and mounts. The company pinpointed the loss of subscribers as directly related to the release of expansion packs, vowing that expansions would be released at a greater pace from now on.

According to Venture Beat, Blizzard is now reporting a subscriber number of 10.3 million in the third quarter, a loss of 800k subscribers since its last report. But put your pitchforks and torches away, Blizzard trolls, because despite the loss of over one million accounts this year, profit has reportedly tripled. So again, the people paying for sparkling horses and vanity pets are more than making up for the people quitting.

So what does this mean? I predict that World of Warcraft will settle just like Everquest did. It might not be number one in a few years, but it’ll still be healthy enough for Blizzard to keep the servers rolling, keep churning out regular updates and expansions, and everyone will be all hunky dory.

Until then, Blizzard will enjoy its seat at the head of the table.

Warcraft’s Cataclysm: World of Warcraft Continues Freefall


It’s been a year of discussing World of Warcraft’s peak and gradual downward shift. In the first quarter, Blizzard revealed that subscriber numbers dropped from Warcraft’s peak of over 12 million down to 11.4 million. By the second quarter, those figures had slipped down to 11.1 million. Despite this, Blizzard noted that revenue from the MMO was higher than ever, thanks to the sales of cash shop pets and mounts. The company pinpointed the loss of subscribers as directly related to the release of expansion packs, vowing that expansions would be released at a greater pace from now on.

According to Venture Beat, Blizzard is now reporting a subscriber number of 10.3 million in the third quarter, a loss of 800k subscribers since its last report. But put your pitchforks and torches away, Blizzard trolls, because despite the loss of over one million accounts this year, profit has reportedly tripled. So again, the people paying for sparkling horses and vanity pets are more than making up for the people quitting.

So what does this mean? I predict that World of Warcraft will settle just like Everquest did. It might not be number one in a few years, but it’ll still be healthy enough for Blizzard to keep the servers rolling, keep churning out regular updates and expansions, and everyone will be all hunky dory.

Until then, Blizzard will enjoy its seat at the head of the table.

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