20 years ago, World of Warcraft wrote the book on MMORPGs

If you think about a massively multiplayer online game, world of warcraft Often the first thing that comes to mind is for a good reason. Since its launch on November 23, 2004, Blizzard's MMORPG giant has dominated the market and delivered consistent content year after year through 10 expansion packs. Many games have tried to break it, but world of warcraft It's still the undeniable king of the MMORPG genre.

Over the past 20 years, world of warcraft It sent ripples across Azeroth. From the infamous south park In the episode, he officiates his daughter's wedding dressed as Jaina Proudmoore, and Jamie Lee Curtis studies the bloodborne epidemic incident by epidemiologists. wowThe impact of Leeroy Jenkins' iconic meme on the U.S. House of Representatives world of warcraft The spirit of the times cannot be refuted. But if it weren't for its massive success as an MMO, it might never have entered popular culture in the first place.

World of Warcraft became the framework for the MMO genre

MMORPGs before and after World of Warcraft

world of warcraft MMORPGs weren't the first to be created. Runescape, final fantasy 11, eve online, Maple Story, star wars galaxyand two lineage and EverQuest The games are just a handful of dozens of previously released titles. wow. Many of these games are still active in some way, but none of them have reached the level of success. world of warcraft have.

The term MMORPG was coined in 1997 by Richard Garriott, the creator of classic MMORPGs.
ultima Online,
7 years ago
wow
Release of .

This was the reason world of warcraft It codifies what an MMORPG truly is. You'll find world PvP, factions, instanced dungeons, customizable avatars, mounts, and other RPG elements. wow It's not new, but it's between the innovation that builds on these systems and the history that's built on a decade of history. warcraft rts games, world of warcraft It quickly became not only the most popular MMORPG, but also one of the most successful video games of all time.

In this way, world of warcraft Although it has firmly established itself as the king of MMOs, its reign has not been undisputed. Over the years of their rise, the rising stars of the genre have been dubbed by the community as:wow killer.”

The famous “Wow Killer” in MMO history

Of course, none of these titles will succeed in murder. wow; It's the same game Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Onlineand old republic All were successful and boast healthy communities to this day. final fantasy 14 was able to reach the top world of warcraftThis is the average number of players, albeit over a short period of time.

final fantasy 14
temporarily ahead
wow
It gained popularity in the critically acclaimed MMO.
Darkbringer
Expansion – coincidentally happened at the same time.
wow
not popular
Shadowlands
2021 Expansion and Controversial Blizzard Lawsuit.
world of warcraft
Afterwards, it was a box office success and regained first place.
dragonflight
and
war within
.

In fact, the only thing that can truly kill world of warcraft is world of warcraft itself. As can be seen from the following high scores: Wrath of the Lich KingReleased wow classicAnd the comeback has begun dragonflightAnd by the low point Warlords of Draenor, Battle for Azerothand ShadowlandsVery little has been affected. world of warcraft's players are just as important as its own content.

Competition fostered internal innovation. world of warcraftBut no game has come close to killing it, nor is it likely to ever do so. In fact, by inspiring Blizzard to implement quality-of-life features already found in its competitors, such as the player housing system. world of warcraft for midnight “There is a higher possibility of expansion.”wow Killers' helped MMOs grow in the same way it influenced them, by shaping the genre as a whole.

World of Warcraft's past, present, and future

World of Warcraft

in other words, world of warcraft It was almost nothing like what fans got. Early promotional materials showed Orcs and Humans playing together, and characters were originally able to gain reputation with any faction, even those on the same side. while world of warcraft After 17 years, cross-faction play was finally possible. This feature might have been part of the base game in another life.

Moreover, according to the previous world of warcraft According to 3D level designer Johnathan Staats, the Ogres were originally going to be one of the first four Horde races, while the Pandaren were going to be part of the Alliance. The latter eventually appeared in the game as a neutral race, but the ogres were replaced by trolls at the 11th hour, making them still unplayable.

than burning crusadeThe first expansion was initially planned to be a South Seas adventure featuring Nazjatar. However, due to technical constraints related to water, we moved away from the idea and later revisited some of these ideas in . Battle for Azeroth. Between these are early versions of Emerald Dream and Shadowlands, world of warcraft Extensions such as Warlords of Draenor,world of warcraftThe winding road could have led somewhere completely different. Then again, wow Today's version is almost unrecognizable from 20 years ago. I can only imagine what it will be like in another 20 years.

What could happen to World of Warcraft?

now, world of warcraft We stand at the dawn of a new era. Chris Metzen, one of the minds created warcraft 3 and wow Today, he returns to Blizzard as the franchise's creative director. World Soul Saga – world of warcraft's first true multi-expansion narrative – off to a strong start with a faster-than-ever development cycle and met with an overall positive response.

Additionally, more than a year after the fallout, Blizzard and NetEase have mended their relationship, bringing millions of Chinese people on board. world of warcraft The player returns to the fold. if world of warcraft If it continues to maintain momentum, it could eventually surpass the 12 million subscriber peak it reached by the end of the year. Wrath of the Lich King In 2010.

World of Warcraft Subscriptions and Earnings Information

• maintain wow A 20-year subscription costs $3600, excluding expansion purchases, WoW Tokens, or bulk subscription discounts.
• In Chinese rather than monthly subscription wow Players pay the equivalent of approximately ¢10-15 per hour of play. So for a typical $15 subscription, you can buy 100 to 150 hours in China.
• world of warcraft The current number of subscribers is approximately 7.25 million, which is the highest level ever. corpsIt is estimated at 1 billion.
• In 2017 wow It grossed a total of $9.23 billion. It is estimated that by 2024, it will reach approximately $15 billion.

world of warcraft I'm almost old enough to legally drink alcohol in the United States. He is actually a child born to a couple who met in the United States. wow You are now old enough to begin your own journey in Azeroth. It's been a cultural staple for so long that it's hard to imagine a world without it. world of Warcraft, But fortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.