When Blizzard first set out to remaster Warcraft 3, one of the most beloved and influential strategy games of all time, it probably didn't expect it to end up as the lowest user-rated game on Metacritic. However, that's exactly where Warcraft 3 Reforged has landed, with its user-score of 0.5 narrowly beating out previous title-holder Day One: Garry's Incident.
Back in 2018, when the remaster was first announced, few fans would have believed that Blizzard could so badly mess up the updating of one of its most beloved games. Yet the finished product has not only managed to, but has even affected those veteran Warcraft 3 fans who are still playing the original version 18 years after its release, whether or not they bought the remaster.
So, what went wrong? How did one of the biggest game studios in the world fail to adequately remaster its own classic hit? And why did the result arouse such anger in the Warcraft fanbase?
What Was Promised
Blizzard first announced Warcraft 3 Reforged at Blizzcon 2018, with a slick cinematic trailer followed by a stage presentation and later a full panel discussion. The initial reaction to the announcement was overwhelmingly positive, with many fans glad to see Blizzard returning to its roots and one of the games that propelled it into the studio it is today. Speaking before an audience of delighted fans, Blizzard highlighted what it believed to be the four key changes in Warcraft 3 Reforged:
- "Upgraded UI and a World Editor"
- "Remastered maps and campaigns"
- "Fully remodeled characters and animations"
- "Support for up to 4K resolution"
Alongside these points, a large part of Reforged's mission was to bring the locations within Warcraft 3 more in line with the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Although both the games' characters retained the same appearance as they went from Warcraft 3 to World of Warcraft, many of the locations that first appeared in the former were radically altered. Blizzard's plan with Reforged was to re-build these locations to make them recognizable to WoW fans, which long ago surpassed Warcraft 3 as their signature title.
What went wrong
On January 28, Warcraft 3 Reforged launched on Windows PC and MacOS to an immediate backlash from veteran fans. The very first complaint that many had didn't even come from those who'd purchased the remaster, but instead from the die-hards still playing Warcraft 3. The fact that Reforged had been built to allow cross-play with owners of the original Warcraft 3 mean that the 2002 game also needed to be altered to match. To enable this, owners of the original were slapped with a massive 30gb patch before they could get back into the game they'd been playing for 18 years.
To make matters worse, once the patch had been downloaded, many classic players discovered that the game was now missing features that it had possessed for almost two decades. Features like automated tournaments, player clans, LAN and offline play, ranked ladder battles, and more have simply been removed, with no word from Blizzard whether this is temporary or permanent.
The second point of contention came in the form of the game's cutscenes. Blizzard showed off a snazzy new version of one of these at its first announcement, claiming that the rest would be upgraded in a similar style. This didn't happen, and in fact, the new version of the cutscene shown off at Blizzcon didn't even make it to Warcraft 3 Reforged. Instead, the cutscenes play out just as they did in the original Warcraft 3, with the only difference being the remastered textures and animations.
Fuel on the Fire
The remastered animations that Blizzard promised back in 2018 aren't even fully integrated, leading to some jarring moments. Due to engine limitations, and as a product of having to get the game to run alongside the 2002 original, the frame-rate for unit movements has remained untouched. This gives the on-screen characters of anyone playing Warcraft 3 at a high frame-rate the appearance of stop-motion animation. A problem exacerbated by the remastered frame-rate and 4k resolution, as the smooth camera movements highlight the jerky way in which the units move and attack.
The upgraded UI, another of the key changes that Blizzard outlined at their announcement panel, is also absent. This was actually announced at Blizzcon 2019, but in a throwaway manner during a deep-dive panel. As such, many players who were expecting to see an updated UI were surprised and disappointed to find everything as it was in the original Warcraft.
One thing that is definitely not as it was in the original however, is the game's EULA, where a simple change proved to be the spark that turned the fanbase's disappointment into fury. After digging through Reforged's new art tools, players discovered that all new Warcraft 3 custom maps and game-modes will now be the legal property of Blizzard. This may not seem that egregious on its own, until considering that Warcraft 3 is the game that first spawned the MOBA genre through just such a custom map. The popularity of the original Defense of the Ancients map transformed into a multi-billion dollar industry, boasting such titles as League of Legend's and Valve's DOTA 2. Clearly, Blizzard have no intention of missing the boat again, not when it can so easily claim its fan's creations as its own work.
What Blizzard is Saying
While it may be fair to say that none of these absences seem to truly justify the outrage that the game has attracted, its important to remember that Warcraft 3 Reforged has been priced at $30 for its Standard Edition, and $40 for the Spoils of War Edition. It's easy to see how players who'd paid as much as they would for a brand new game would have been disappointed. Particularly when all they really got for their money was a fresh coat of paint on a classic game, after so much more was promised.
Although Blizzard have remained silent on many of Warcraft 3 Reforged's issues, and pointed fans to their quiet back-peddling at Blizzcon 2019 over others, it does seem to be acknowledging the game's failure. In a near-unprecedented move, the developers have now offered full Warcraft 3 refunds on request, regardless of time spent in the game, to all players.
This dramatic reaction shows just how serious Blizzard are taking this criticism and consigns the launch of Warcraft 3 Reforged to its growing pile of very public controversies. Between this, the Blitzchung incident, and the anger surrounding the announcement of Diablo: Immortal, Blizzard seems to find itself bouncing from media storm to media storm.
Warcraft 3 Reforged is out now for PC.