Highlights
- World of Warcraft development started in 1999, taking four to five years to complete, showcasing the influence of the 90s online boom.
- The game was inspired by Everquest and actively sought advice from fans, learning from the successes and challenges of the previous MMORPG.
- With an initial development cost of $63 million and ongoing expenses totaling over $200 million, World of Warcraft's profitability demonstrates the risks involved in running a long-term MMO.
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular and well-known MMORPGs in video game history. The huge fantasy title was released in 2004, and it has achieved the success of having around eight and a half million players active per month. However, such a feat in gaming history didn’t happen overnight.
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World of Warcraft may have made its developer, Blizzard Entertainment, a household name, but that doesn’t mean that bringing the game to life was always easy. There have been many stories throughout the years involving the development of World of Warcraft. So much so that even the most seasoned fans aren’t aware of all the details surrounding the development of this iconic MMORPG.
7 Development Started In 1999
The 90s are the decade that many people associate with the rise of the internet. As such, it should come as no surprise that the preliminary idea for World of Warcraft began in this era. The development team has stated that the overall development time for WoW was between four and five years. This means that for the game to be ready in November 2004, the game must have started initial development in 1999, with the concept of an online server for the game being dreamed up much sooner.
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It may not seem like something that players should associate with the nineties, but everything from the concept to the execution of World of Warcraft in late 2004 screams of the 90s online boom.
6 Everquest Fans Inspired The Game
Many casual gamers consider World of Warcraft to be the first-ever MMORPG. However, true fans know that the game was proceeded by a similar title known as Everquest. While many players already know that the developers took a lot of inspiration from this fantasy title, it was actually the fans of Everquest whom Blizzard Entertainment sought out for advice.
Although Everquest was a hugely popular and competent title at the time, it wasn’t without its problems. That is why the development team for World of Warcraft chose to engage with fans of the game to learn what to do and what not to do when creating Word of Warcraft.
5 It took more than $63 Million To Develop
Almost everyone can assume that video games are not cheap to develop. Most triple-A titles on the market can end up costing around $50 million to develop and release. Although, many successful video games make this money back with no problem. Running a continuous MMORPG like World of Warcraft is a little more expensive, however.
Blizzard Entertainment has stated in the past that the initial development cost for the game was around $63 million. An ongoing MMO doesn’t just require initial development costs, though. That is why the estimated cost of keeping World of Warcraft running for nearly twenty years is over $200 million. The game has proved profitable despite this eye-watering number, but players can now see how risky an endeavor World of Warcraft has been.
4 The Original Team Was Only Forty People Strong
Players know that any game requires a dedicated team of people who work day and night to bring out a title on time. As such, it wouldn’t be crazy to assume that something like World of Warcraft would take hundreds of developers to get off the ground in the first place. Unfortunately, anyone who assumes this would be wrong.
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While there are huge development teams working on the game today, the initial development team for World of Warcraft was only made up of forty people. This team did double in size in the run-up to the game's release, but it does go to show that talent can dwarf manpower in a situation like this.
3 The Horde/Alliance Split Led To The Creation Of Night Elves
The animal-loving druid is a class that is often seen in a lot of fantasy fiction, including the Warcraft games. That is why many players expected to see them make an appearance in World of Warcraft. However, Druids are primarily good-natured and difficult to corrupt.
This means that the developers had to come up with a new way to approach the Druid class when creating a good/ evil faction split.
It would make no sense for Druids to align themselves with the Horde, but the developers wanted every player to have the same choices no matter what faction they chose at the start of the game. Thus, the Night Elves were born.
2 Making Players Happy Was Paramount
It stands to reason that the development team of any game would aim to please its fans. Happy players will lead to more sales after all. Despite this, there was a huge fear of players overdoing it when it came to playing an MMORPG like World of Warcraft.
The developers were worried about the players spending too much time on the server in order to keep leveling. Playing any game for too long can be dangerous to a person’s health, so a solution was crafted. The rested experience system in World of Warcraft was conceived of as a way to encourage players to log off from time to time. Players weren’t endangering their health by staying online for too long, and yet they still received half experience in the game. Everyone came out of that decision a winner.
1 The Development Office Was Chaotic
A new development studio isn’t always going to be pretty. Most new companies start with basic equipment and only create a sleek and effective workspace once they start to see some success. That is why many major video game development studios look like they come from the dreams of every upcoming software engineer. With Blizzard Entertainment already finding success with the RTS Warcraft series, many gamers would expect their offices to fit this stereotype. However, this was not the case.
The initial development for World of Warcraft took place in an office that has been described as chaotic on more than one occasion. Computer desks spilled out into the hallways and the office chairs were hardly functional. It turns out that this was the right environment for development; however, World of Warcraft is still a success to this day.
