World of Warcraft Shadowlands release date will be near the holidays. On May 5th, Blizzard Entertainment had it’s first quarter 2020 earnings conference call. So far 2020 has been a great year for Blizzard and World of Warcraft. Both Classic WoW and modern WoW saw substantial growth during the pandemic due to stay-at-home orders. Classic WoW saw an increase in the East, whereas modern WoW saw an increase here in the West.
Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack praised the development team for their hard work during the pandemic. The WoW development team had to begin working from home. This meant they had to set-up complicated computer equipment in order to create the game we all love. Collaborative group work is harder to do from home, but the team has found a way to get it done. Despite the difficulties caused by the recent worldwide crisis, Brack said that Shadowlands is still on track to be released in Quarter four of this year. Quarter four includes the months of November and December. So we can expect to see the new expansion around the holiday season.
The company has also helped health care workers during the crisis. Chief Executive Officer, Bobby Kotick, explained how Blizzard Entertainment has provided health care professionals with a variety of resources. ‘These resources include faster and more effective testing and the use of tools like convalescent blood transfusion as a possible method of immunization.’ He also said the company has increased direct support for military families by millions of dollars.
Affiliate Disclosure
Since I share awesome products with people like you, naturally my content may contain affiliate links for products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking one of these links, I’ll earn some coffee money (or game time *gasp*).
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please refer to Paid for Advertising.com which explains affiliate marketing in more detail.
World Of Warcraft Shadowlands Release Date
Financial Successes and Social Misses
World of Warcraft has seen continued success since the release of Classic WoW in 2019. Classic WoW renewed interest in the franchise. The game has seen a mix of returning and new players. Modern WoW which the fandom refers to as ‘retail WoW’ has faced criticism for its story, gameplay, and lack of social interaction.
Despite all of those problems, both Classic WoW and modern WoW have shown impressive financial growth during Blizzard’s first quarter. Chief Financial Officer and President of Emerging Businesses, Dennis Durkin, spoke positively about Blizzard’s increased revenue.
“Blizzard revenue was $452 million, increasing 31% year-over-year, reflecting strong growth for World of Warcraft and the release of Warcraft III: Reforged in the quarter. Operating income was $197 million. Blizzard’s operating margin was 44%, significantly higher year-over-year primarily due to strong revenue growth, “said Dennis Durkin, Chief Financial Officer and President of Emerging Businesses.
Want to show love for your faction? Then check out the SUIBIAN World of Warcraft Horde/Alliance Banner Flags on Amazon.com
Financial Successes and Social Misses Continued
Besides the World of Warcraft Shadowlands release date, there’s also a new interview going around. This week, a recent New York Times interview with former Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime has been getting attention.
Morhaime was president of Blizzard Entertainment until 2018, but he left the company the following year. New York Time’s Seth Schiesel interviewed Morhaime during the digital GamesBeat Summit in April. During the thirty-minute interview, Morhaime discussed the game industry, MMO’s, and what he’s been up to since he left Blizzard. Here are his thoughts regarding the social aspect of modern WoW.
“As World of Warcraft evolved over the years it actually became less social because in an effort to achieve more accessibility we had to remove some of the reasons why you had to play with the same group of people over and over. It takes away some of the reasons why some people play and why they would want to continue playing,” said Mike Morhaime, co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.
Morhaime also addressed concerns that the fandom has about the sense of community missing from the company. The recent controversies from the Blitzchung incident to the Warcraft III Reforged disappointment have left fans wondering if the things that made Blizzard special have eroded.
“The games and the players and community are the most important things. If they (blizzard) can keep prioritizing those things they’ll continue doing right by those players. Players need to let them know when they don’t think they are,” said Mike Morhaime, co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment.
Do you love the Banshee Queen? Then check out the Home Decor Art Movie Poster Of Sylvanas available on Amazon.com.
Financial Successes and Social Misses Continued
During the conference call, the current president of Blizzard Entertainment, J. Allen Brack, didn’t just discuss the World of Warcraft Shadowlands release date. He also addressed the concerns related to the social aspect of modern WoW. His comments are interesting in light of the recent interview with Morhaime, and especially because Classic WoW and modern WoW are essentially two different games at this point.
“It’s been fortunate to be an engineer (on World of Warcraft) as a very social experience and that is true today as they were launched. Over time, we listen to the feedback from the community, and the game has evolved to what we now call the modern game, which has really expanded the breadth and the depth of gameplay as well as making it easier to kind of fine friends, group up, make progress or play alone, all within the social environment,” said J. Allen Brack, President of Blizzard Entertainment.
World of Warcraft and the gaming industry has evolved over time. There’s a possibility that had modern WoW not changed then World of Warcraft wouldn’t be online right now. No matter where your opinion falls on the social aspect debate, WoW in any form is a fun experience. If you’d like to check out the full interview with former Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime, feel free to watch the video below.
World Of Warcraft Shadowlands Release Date
What Are Your Thoughts?
How do you feel about modern WoW’s social aspect? And, does it measure up to Classic WoW in terms of social experience and fun? Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Don’t forget to check Warcraftlover weekly for World of Warcraft news and content. If you enjoyed this news update please share it with the social media icons on this blog post. Also, if you love Warcraftlover’s content feel free to learn more about how to support Warcraftlover.
At the moment, World of Warcraft (modern WoW or retail WoW) has a 100 percent leveling buff which is active until the Shadowlands pre-patch. Other leveling buffs like heirloom gear and rested experience do stack with the 100 percent leveling buff.
World of Warcraft also has a 100 percent reputation buff which is active until May 18th. Now is a good time to unlock allied races or finish Pathfinder for Draenor and/or the Broken Isles. Don’t forget to opt-in to the Shadowlands beta. The beta invites are random but don’t miss your chances of getting into it if you’d like to check out the new content in Shadowlands.
Thank you for hanging out at my Hearth.
Happy Hunting,
Spyells