Blizzard wants you to play Wow Forever “wherever you want, and at some point on whatever you want”
By (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
World of Warcraft: Forever serves as a fresh entry point to the 22-year-old, cherished MMORPG, yet it is bypassing Xbox despite Microsoft‘s ownership of the development team, and the absence of smooth game pad support feels like a lost chance.
We addressed this in a recent dialogue with Blizzard for our World of Warcraft: Forever Big Preview, and the reply we received appears to imply that the studio has console ambitions for its latest MMO. “Enjoy it wherever you wish, and at some future point on whatever device you desire,” series executive producer and VP Holly Longdale informs us. “However, the initial phase of that journey is ensuring game pad functions effectively with World of Warcraft. We believed Forever was the ideal starting point.
“And, you know, considering the current trends when we hear about [Xbox] Project Helix, etc., I think platforms will become more widespread. Honestly, we just aim to enable playing it anywhere.”
Longdale then highlights examples of individuals running World of Warcraft: Forever on portable devices like the ROG Ally X and even a modified Nintendo DS as evidence that when she mentions “anywhere,” she genuinely means it.
“I believe that working on game pads will provide players a great deal of versatility that transcends consoles,” she states.
Of course, this communication from Blizzard mirrors Xbox’s “play anywhere” initiative, which allows you to engage Xbox games on console, PC, and handheld without needing to purchase them individually. The significant inquiry with any title owned by Xbox, including World of Warcraft: Forever, is whether it will ultimately become available on rival platforms like PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2, but that feels like a question for another time as it hasn’t even been affirmed for Xbox yet.
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