The Burning Crusade Classic release date was announced last week. The game is coming out on June 1, 2021. The pre-expansion patch is coming on May 18th. Every player can choose whether they want to move on to the Burning Crusade Classic. You can also choose to stay within the Classic era realms.
Controversy met the announcement. World of Warcraft Classic fans is concerned that Blizzard Entertainment is releasing the game too soon. Also, the company is releasing a deluxe edition of the Burning Crusade Classic called the Dark Portal Pass. Included with the deluxe edition is a boost for one character to level 58. Characters also come equipped with journeyman riding skills, access to certain flight paths, and more.
But, controversy has marred the announcement. Fans are becoming increasingly concerned with recent decisions made by Blizzard Entertainment. These include layoffs, pay increases for corporate big-wigs, and tone-deaf decisions regarding player enjoyment within the game.
Let’s talk about the Burning Crusade Classic and the future of Blizzard Entertainment.
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Burning Crusade Classic Release Date
Discontent has been brewing within the World of Warcraft community for a while. With each new expansion Blizzard appears to move farther away from what made the company special. Fans feel invisible.
Systems are implemented within the game to increase player metrics. There is also a focus on monetizing every aspect of the game. According to Activision Blizzard’s 2021 first-quarter earnings reports, the company has made a whopping $2.8 Billion.
This has resulted in a game that looks great on the outside but is crumbling on the inside. Fans want to see World of Warcraft thriving, but it’s looking less likely with each passing day. The original developers who started Blizzard Entertainment have been leaving throughout the years. Blizzard is also failing to cleanse the toxic World of Warcraft community.
Competitors like Final Fantasy XIV are grabbing the attention of World of Warcraft fans. The fans are craving a rich fantasy adventure and challenging but fun gameplay. It’s becoming harder for WoW fans to justify spending $15 a month when other gaming companies are offering better incentives to play.
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Where Did These Problems Begin?
The Burning Crusade Classic release date is not where these problems began. Most fans will point to the merger between Activision and Blizzard Entertainment which occurred in 2008.
So we’re looking at the Wrath of the Lich King era here. Wrath was World of Warcraft’s most successful expansion. So the cracks began during that expansion, but it wasn’t the ultimate cause.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen Blizzard Entertainment in several entanglements. The Bltizchung incident made headlines a couple of years ago. Then there were the E-Sports teams and sexual harassment allegations. Recently, CEO Bobby Kotick received a $200 million bonus. But, after the backlash, he’s going to be taking a 50% pay cut instead.
Activision squeezes money out of every franchise they touch. Each franchise is left as a former shell of itself. Fans try to stay loyal to their favorite games. The company doesn’t make it easy. Famous franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk will never be the same. Activision has recently merged Vicarious Visions with Blizzard Entertainment. Vicarious Visions will no longer work on their own hits like Crash Bandicoot, but will now focus on Blizzard games instead.
These decisions are bad for Blizzard Entertainment, and World of Warcraft. They’re also bad for the gaming industry. Decisions like this aren’t made for the gaming community which supports World of Warcraft and other franchises. All of these choices are made based on money, and lining the pockets of the corporate big-wigs.
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What Can Fans Do About It?
World of Warcraft fans should be excited about the Burning Crusade Classic release date, but instead, we’re worried. Not only is the Burning Crusade Classic being released too soon, but retail WoW is experiencing a content drought. Shadowlands dropped in November 2020.
Admittedly, it was released during the pandemic, and World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas made reference to the unique challenges the development team faced.
The WoW development team had to complete Shadowlands from home. This is certainly a factor in content being delayed. But, the major problem is that issues related to player concerns like legendaries, catch-up mechanics, and PvP changes are being ignored. The developers are taking a tone-deaf approach to criticism directed at certain parts of the game.
Shadowlands content is really well-done. Zones look fantastic. Old characters make cameo appearances, and the story is interesting. But, the content drought is causing players to lose interest in the game. This affects group content like pushing for keys in mythic, and raiding. The increasing frustration is felt not only in the game but online on the WoW forums and social media.
Fans can speak up by unsubscribing from the game, but the risk is losing WoW in the process. If Activision Blizzard feels that running the game isn’t worth the money, time, or effort, then they could always take the expensive servers offline. Content creators have been chiming in with their concerns on Twitter.
Popular WoW streamer, Asmongold, shared his opinion stating, “World of Warcraft used to be a game that made you want to waste your time. Now it’s just a game that wastes your time.”
Check out the Burning Crusade Classic announcement trailer below:
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Burning Crusade Classic Release Date
What are your thoughts on where World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are headed? Maybe a feeling of doom is a bit much? Please feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.
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Blizzard Entertainment sent out its last beta invite wave today. Be sure to check your email and launcher to see if you got in. Learn more about the Burning Crusade Classic here.
World of Warcraft is also struggling due to a toxic community. Some of the toxicity within the WoW community displays a fraction of what is actually visible in the larger gaming community. Learn more about how Blizzard Entertainment is dealing with racism within WoW.
Also, botting has always been a huge issue within the game. Recently, Blizzard has tried to crack down on botting, but is it enough?
Thank you for hanging out at my hearth.
Happy Hunting,
Spyells