Could World of Warcraft finally come to console? The MMO's executive producer says "we talk about it all the time"
Nov. 4, 2023World of Warcraft exec says it’s “pretty well positioned” to finally bring the MMO to console
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When asked whether it was technical logistics or complexities that would hold World of Warcraft back from coming to console, Longdale isn’t so certain that this is the case. “Well, it depends on who you ask. I don’t think it is, frankly. I think we’re pretty well positioned, which is kind of why we talk about it.”
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As part of my conversation with Longdale, we touched on the challenges of balancing World of Warcraft expansions for legacy, lapsed, and new players – something which seems more precinct than ever, what with the Worldsoul Saga on the horizon and questions surrounding an Xbox release becoming louder.
“It’s a complicated question. And to your earlier point, for a console audience, the approachability is likely going to be different.”
“Right now, we’re focused on theWorldsoul Saga. But if that comes up then we’ll reexamine things but,man, we’ve got enough to deal with right now,” laughs Longdale.
“We’ve got these three expansions and we are so excited about them. But,yeah, of course. It would be very insincere to say that we’re not, like… of course we’re talking about that,” she chuckles again, before adding: “We are Microsoft now.”
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Longdale is keen to stress that the Warcraft teams have only had limited interactions withXbox Game Studiosin the weeks since the acquisition was finalized on October 13. When it comes to big questions surrounding World of Warcraft coming to Xbox Series X or even being introduced to Game Pass for PC, it’s too early to give definitive answers. “We haven’t actually had a conversation yet,” she tells me.
It’s still early days for Blizzard and Xbox then, but it’s clear that Longdale is genuinely excited and enthusiastic about the possibilities in the future. “Wouldn’t that be cool,” she says, as we discuss the prospect of World of Warcraft opening itself to new audiences in the shadow of its 20th anniversary. It would be, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+’s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you’ve definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.
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