2 years after release, WoW: Classic is not doing so well. There are many reasons for this – but above all, the player base is too fragmented.
When World of Warcraft: Classic was announced a few years ago, the fan excitement was immense. Being able to dive back into the “original” Azeroth was a long-held wish that had not been possible since the expansion “Cataclysm” or could only be fulfilled on illegal private servers.
But now, 2 years after the release of “WoW: Classic”, not much of that joy is left. The original Classic realms have mostly turned into ghost realms.
What is the problem? In the WoW Classic subreddit, the state of WoW Classic and particularly the realms of the “Classic Era” has been discussed for some time. The players have largely disappeared. Taking a look at the realm population of the Classic Era realms makes it clear: Almost all are at “low” (via worldofwarcraft.com). It is becoming increasingly rare to encounter other players. This puts a core aspect of the MMORPG experience at risk.
The Reddit user Darkfirex34 published two screenshots to highlight the discrepancy particularly clearly. It shows the realm “Benediction” – once at Christmas 2019 and once at Christmas 2021.
It was so full in 2019 … 
… and so empty in 2021.
While 2 years ago the city of Orgrimmar was still full of players celebrating together, the capital of the Horde was virtually empty in 2021.
Several games are fragmenting the player base: One of the biggest problems is likely that the player base in World of Warcraft is becoming increasingly fragmented. Not only are players splitting between “Retail-WoW (Shadowlands)” and “Classic”. No, the Classic players are also divided into “Classic”, “Burning Crusade Classic”, and “Season of Mastery”.
The end result is clear: The “pure” WoW: Classic is the loser, as it has failed to retain its players, who instead have set off for other adventures.
What could help? The community has been demanding for weeks and months: “Blizzard, merge the realms!” Many players are tired of wandering around in ever emptier cities – ultimately diminishing the fun of the game and driving the numbers of active players even lower. There are mainly two proposals:
- Merging of the realms. Several realms and their active players should merge into a new realm.
- Free server transfers allowing the remaining players to escape from “dead” realms.
Both might not be the perfect measures, but they would create enough time to think about a longer-term solution.
As WoW: Classic is currently set up in the Classic Era, there is fun with an active community only on a fraction of the realms – and this selection is getting smaller week by week.
Are you still playing WoW: Classic in the Classic Era? Or are you exploring TBC: Classic or the Season of Mastery?
