Scandal? WoW director says early access to next expansion won’t provide “long-term benefit.”

Game news Scandal? WoW director says early access to next expansion won’t provide “long-term benefit.”

WoW: Three expansions announced

At the beginning of this month, BlizzCon took place: an event organized by publisher Blizzard, the father of World of Warcraft and Diablo, among others, to talk about upcoming projects involving its licenses. A conference that returned face-to-face after two years of Covid and the postponement of the 2022 edition. The chance to see Xbox gaming division boss Phil Spencer speak after the completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King .

It was also Chris Metzen who took the stage at the Anaheim Convention Center during the opening ceremony on Friday, November 3. A personality with a strong reputation, as today we owe a large part of the Warcraft universe to him and his creativity. It was therefore natural that it was he who announced the future of World of Warcraft with not one but three expansions. They will be part of the me-Monde saga, starting with the next one: The War Within, scheduled for 2024.

WoW: a new pre-order formula for expansions

An expansion that will be released very soon! In fact, Blizzard is already going all out, as pre-orders are available. On this subject, the editor innovates because it is the first time in the history of expansions that the current one is included in the pre-order of the new one. If you pre-order The War Within, Dragonflight will even be part of the bundle, regardless of your edition. However, the heroic and epic editions also have their own advantages:

• Basic edition (€49.99) : The War Within expansion; the Dragonflight expansion; a sesame for level 70 and 500 deniers for the counter.

• Heroic Edition (€69.99) : The War Within expansion; the Dragonflight expansion; a sesame for level 70; 750 deniers for the counter; the Algarian Storm Rider Mount with dynamic flight; the Storm Rider transmog costume set

• Epic Edition (€89.99) : The War Within expansion; the Dragonflight expansion; a sesame for level 70; 1,000 deniers for the counter; the Algarian Storm Rider Mount with dynamic flight; the Transmog Storm Rider Costume set, beta access and three days of early access to War Within; the Bourrasque mascot; the sandbox storm griffin toy; the hearthstone effect in deep lurker soil.

It is also the benefits of the Epic Edition that are a source of controversy: early access to the game, three days before release, would give players who pay more early access to the content. Something that can give them an advantage, as daily quests, reputations or even obtaining special currencies are determined by time. In this Reddit thread, some even point out that this is what makes WoW so charming: exploring the world and adventuring with everyone at the same time.

“I wish we explained it more clearly”

To reassure the players, it was director Ion Hazzikostas who spoke on this subject. In comments submitted by PC Gamerin particular, he explains that Blizzard tries to make every offer interesting, but that he regrets the lack of communication about this early access announcement:

The immediate concern we knew we had to address, and I honestly think I wish we had explained this more clearly when we announced it on the web page as part of the pre-sale process, was the limitations associated with early access.

Furthermore, he adds that this early access simply allows players to not be too underwater when the expansion releases, so they can take their time before attacking the end-of-game content. He even supports the fact that he “in the long run there will be no difference‘between someone who had early access and someone who didn’t. According to him, the release of The War Within season 1 will even make it impossible to distinguish between the two. Final response to the extension’s release, scheduled for December 31, 2024.