The great WoW streamer Preach distances himself from World of Warcraft. He names many reasons, and the Blizzard scandal is just one of them.
There are many problems surrounding Blizzard and World of Warcraft right now. Even though the current sexism and discrimination scandal overshadows everything else, there are also some developments in the community. Just a few weeks ago, the largest WoW streamer Asmongold switched to Final Fantasy XIV. Now, another long-time content creator has turned away: Preach will no longer publish content about World of Warcraft.
Who is Preach? Preach has been a content creator on Twitch and YouTube for many years, extensively focusing on World of Warcraft. He provides guides to current bosses, has large discussions with the community about individual content, entertaining endeavors, or even interviews with developers.
Preach has always been seen as passionate but critical – if something in World of Warcraft did not suit him, he pointed it out clearly and suggested ways to improve it. He always sought communication with the developers.
In the community, Preach is very popular; his videos often reach hundreds of thousands of views, and his opinions are usually well-founded and explained in detail.
What has happened now? In his latest YouTube video, Preach explains that he will draw a line under World of Warcraft. He will no longer cover Blizzard’s MMORPG, and he will let his subscription expire. The time when he closely followed World of Warcraft is over.
Streamer says: Blizzard is no longer making an effort with WoW
What reasons does he have? Preach lists a whole range of reasons why he is turning away from World of Warcraft. The current scandal at Blizzard is just one of many. He only briefly touches on this. While it contributed to his decision, it is just one of many points that have accumulated over the years.
For almost 2 and a half years, it has felt to Preach as if Blizzard is actively trying to drive players like him away from the game and remove what he enjoys about World of Warcraft.
Since Battle for Azeroth, according to Preach, more and more bad and boring mechanics have made it into the game. He was especially disturbed by War Fronts, as they required no effort – they were boring and you could not lose at all. The Azerite Armor has also been heavily criticized by him, which went through several variations and was only somewhat acceptable towards the end of the expansion.
What particularly angers Preach is that Blizzard broke a promise that was particularly important to him. The announcement at the beginning of Shadowlands was that Blizzard would bring all major systems at launch and then refine them. There should not be new systems, but rather the existing systems should be refined. With the Dominance Shards (new sockets on raid loot), Blizzard immediately rescinded this promise.
Preach describes the Dominance Shards as “uninspired, boring and completely opposed to what players like him wish for”. He is especially angered that some Blizzard employees apparently told him that they see the shards “like tier sets” and do not understand why they are not received well by him and others.
I simply do not see how I will play this game for the next 6 months and just groan in annoyance. You do not care [Blizzard]. When I see these changes – you are not making an effort, you do not care. Why should I care then?
If you cannot balance Legendaries, Dominance Shards, or Soulbinds before a patch comes out – and they are completely out of whack – why should I still care? And I don’t anymore. It has just left me. You have killed my passion for it.
However, Preach plans to finish a few of his video series related to WoW – especially those that celebrate the players and their experiences, but not the game itself. Once the last videos are published, he wants to turn his back on WoW entirely and only return if there is a drastic change in Blizzard’s design philosophy.
How the viewers react: The video is received with much agreement and understanding from the viewers. Many also show empathy and believe that Preach simply looks “broken” in the video, as if this decision weighs heavily on him. Some comments on YouTube read:
- “The dejection in Preach’s voice is just so sad.”
- “Everything you say is 100% true. I think this video hits the nail on the head regarding everything I dislike about Shadowlands.”
- “Thank you for taking this position and being a voice for us who think similarly to you.”
What do you think about Preach’s departure from World of Warcraft? Can you understand his step? Or do you find it exaggerated?
