There’s been plenty in the works at Blizzard over the last year, with the company having been hit just as hard as any other game development studio as a result of the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
As the company continues to work remotely – 95% of the staff still doing so, according to J. Allen Brack in the fireside chat embedded below – the development team continues to push forward. In this most recent chat, Blizzard President J. Allen Brack shared quite a bit of information.
Normally, fans would be enjoying the BlizzCon event right about now, usually taking place at the very start of November. However, having moved the event online as a result of the pandemic, BlizzConline will be hosted in February instead.
Brack discussed plenty, but much of his attention was focused on World of Warcraft, and with good reason. Framed by a backdrop of Warcraft memorabilia, Brack discussed the delay of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and the way the game was currently operating.
“We recently announced our new Shadowlands release date, and we’re looking forward to getting the game in your hands on November 23rd,” Brack stated. “Delaying the release was a difficult decision, but we felt it was the right one.”
Brack continues to discuss their appreciation for the positive feedback that the developers received after having to delay the launch. While everyone was quite disappointed, the developers were nonetheless met with an understanding player base that wanted a good game more than a quick one.
The president of Blizzard also discusses the many changes that are active on the game, such as the current leveling squish. Insisting that the developers are focused on the best experience that they can craft, Brack also highlights the new leveling experience of Exile’s Reach.
Perhaps most importantly, Brack states, is the great number of visits that players have made to the barbershop since new customization options were added to the game. With players given hundreds of customization options and even the ability to swap genders, the barbershop has never been busier.
To that end, the tally that Brack gives might not catch most players off guard, as many of us likely added to the tally. Either way, ten million visits to the barbershop have been made since the release of prepatch.
Brack’s fireside chat is a solid substitute for the updates we may have expected from BlizzCon, but it’s a good thing we’ll be able to see BlizzConline in a few months. With so much in store for the coming year, it seems like Blizzard has a strong spell ahead of them.
