With its new update, World of Warcraft makes a 180 degree turn and offers a very different game mode from what we are accustomed to…
The famous MMORPG World of Warcraft will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Yet, despite its age, the game continues to bring players together, thanks to regular updates and events. This month, Blizzard decided to innovate by taking inspiration from the genre most popular with young people.
World of Warcraft goes Battle Royale
No, you are not dreaming: World of Warcraft does indeed include battle royale in its “Plunderstorm” update. In this mode inspired by the world of piracy, 60 players will compete until only one remains. These fights will take place in the area – the Arathi Highlands – and will last around fifteen minutes. As in Fortnite and its storm, the playing area will gradually shrink, making confrontations inevitable.
In Plunderstorm, there will be no Fortnite-style building, dancing, or gunplay. Each player will have to use skills specific to World of Warcraft to defeat the others. Many rewards are up for grabs. On the official website, we discover, for example, the Lord of Plunder’s Parrot mount, the crab mascot Bubulle or ornamental brigand objects. If you want to explore this PvP mode, it’s very simple: you just need to have a subscription to World of Warcraft. The good news is that you will be able to test it without ever having touched WOW before, and without knowing this universe. However, this update will only be available for six weeks, starting March 20. There is no guarantee that it will later be integrated into the base game.
Other similar events in the future?
With this event, it looks like Blizzard is trying to experiment with new styles of play, thanks to new teams. Remember, in 2022, Blizzard acquired the Proletariat studio. The latter is best known for having developed Spellbreak, a free battle royale. It is therefore very likely that these employees found themselves working on Plunderstorm.
Last year, several Blizzard developers expressed their wish to try new mechanics with a season system, even if it meant abandoning the MMORPG in its current form. “[Ce système] will allow us to experiment, to try certain things within reasonable limits and ideally to learn lessons: what could we do in the seasons to come? Are there any changes or aspects that players like so much that they could be incorporated permanently?“, Timothy Jones told PC Gamer.