Blizzard rules out WoW 2, bets on World of Warcraft: Forever

Blizzard has directly addressed the long-standing question of a World of Warcraft sequel. In an interview with IGN, senior developers argued that a 'WoW 2' is unnecessary because the new World of Warcraft: Forever project already provides a revitalized experience. They also pointed to the immense technical and financial hurdles of starting over.

Blizzard used its recent BlizzCon event to announce World of Warcraft: Forever. This project, also called Classic Plus, is a reimagined and expanded version of the original 2004/5 game. It is designed to offer a familiar yet distinct path from the existing modern and Classic versions of the MMO.

What World of Warcraft: Forever includes

The game will feature a substantial amount of new content built upon the vanilla WoW framework. The graphics have received a major overhaul, though players can toggle between the new look and the original style. New additions span the entire game world.

New zones will be introduced, while original zones are being expanded. Players can expect new dungeons, raids, and a new battleground. A new playable race called the Skyborne is being added, along with new race and class combinations. The update also brings 100 new quests, new skills and talents, and fresh items and rewards. Professions and reputation systems are getting new content, and there will be account-wide perks.

The case against a sequel

WoW executive producer Holly Longdale stated on stage that the future of WoW: Forever is "untold." She suggested it may explore stories that could have happened or never happened in the original timeline. This alternate path is a key reason developers see little need for a full sequel.

Principal designer Kris Zierhut explained the team's perspective to IGN. He highlighted the game's continuously improved engine and server infrastructure developed over 25 years. "Why would you throw that away and start over?" Zierhut asked. He argued the existing technology is "second to none." Zierhut also questioned the narrative need for a sequel, noting the team loves the ongoing story. Modern WoW is currently in the middle of its Worldsoul Saga trilogy of expansions. "It's really hard to say, 'Well, what would a WoW 2 give you that World of Warcraft: Forever isn't already giving you?'" he said.

The practical and financial hurdles

The report outlines significant practical barriers to creating a WoW successor. Building a game of the required scale would take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Blizzard's experience with the rocky transition from Overwatch 1 to Overwatch 2 demonstrated the risks of forcing a player base to migrate. The phenomenal success and sheer size of the current World of Warcraft also make following it an immense challenge.

Blizzard has previously attempted and failed to create a successor with the sci-fi MMO Titan, which was eventually scrapped and its assets used for Overwatch. With Blizzard currently developing Diablo 5, a new open-world StarCraft shooter, and maintaining its other live games, a WoW sequel seems an unlikely priority. This is especially true given parent company Xbox's recent cost-cutting measures, including significant job cuts.

World of Warcraft: Forever is planned for release on Mac and PC. No specific launch date was provided in the source report.