After Blizzard’s comparison with Turtle WoW, the developers of the server must cease their operations for WoW Classic. They have now officially announced the end.
When is the end of Turtle WoW? Turtle WoW will cease its services on May 15, 2026. This will affect both the private server, which has been around for 8 years, and the work on Turtle WoW. The latter was the developers’ own production, which aimed to bring WoW to Unreal Engine 5.
Blizzard compares itself with Turtle WoW
Why are operations being stopped? Blizzard and Turtle WoW have settled in their legal dispute. In this, Blizzard has achieved the shutdown of the private server, a ban on Turtle WoW 2.0 (the remaster based on Unreal Engine), and a ban on donations and successors.
The developers now also confirm this in their announcement in the forum, where they announce the end of their operations and implement the points required by Blizzard. The website, the forum, and social media will remain active until October 16.
With the shutdown, the way is also clear for Blizzard to create its own major Classic-Plus variant. This could be expected at Blizzcon in September and could be a major highlight for WoW. Why Classic-Plus is the next logical step for Blizzard is explained by MeinMMO expert Karsten Scholz here:
An end is always an opportunity
What does MeinMMO author Cedric Holmeier think of the end of Turtle WoW? Honestly, I am not the huge WoW nerd like our house demon Cortyn or the walking encyclopedia Karsten Scholz. But I recognize genuine ambition and immense talent when I see it. And that is exactly what the developers of Turtle WoW demonstrate.
The fact that Blizzard has now swung the legal wrecking ball and even prohibits direct “successors” is bitter at first glance. But let’s look at the facts: The developers have turned a simple private server into an unofficial WoW 2.0, which was funded so massively by fans that a whole team could make a living from it. Anyone who builds an unofficial WoW 2.0 with Blizzard’s lawyers breathing down their neck has the potential for much more.
Sure, many hardcore WoW fans will now be begrudgingly waiting for Blizzard’s official Classic-Plus. But honestly: If anyone can skyrocket a Kickstarter funding for a completely new MMORPG right now, it’s this team. They have a loyal fanbase, a functioning team, and the ultimate vote of confidence from a player base that is also not exactly happy with Blizzard’s measures.
For this reason, I say: Let’s go, Turtle WoW! See this end as a liberation and build the MMORPG that finally replaces Blizzard’s old relic! Leave Blizzard’s IP alone, forget the constant fear of lawyers, and create us a completely new, really good MMORPG. I would be the first supporter.
With the end of Turtle WoW, Blizzard may not have won in court, but the settlement fulfills exactly the purpose of allowing Classic-Plus to be offered solely by Blizzard itself. This could also be an opportunity for the Sauercrowd template: Hundreds of streamers wanted to play WoW together on Twitch, but the project failed due to TBC
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