In World of Warcraft, popular features from other games are often utilized to enhance the gaming experience. We asked one of WoW’s developers if the currently popular battle royale genre could eventually be part of the MMORPG.
At Gamescom 2018, we had the opportunity for an interview with WoW’s Senior Game Producer, Michael Bybee.
Battle Royale and WoW – does it fit?
The question: The battle royale genre is currently at the top of the charts. Streamers like Ninja are capitalizing on the Fortnite hype with insane results. Therefore, we asked Michael Bybee, “Could battle royale and World of Warcraft work together?”
Parts of the BR system are already utilized: Bybee responded positively to the question.
Some of the genre’s typical features can already be found in World of Warcraft.
Bybee: “You know, it’s interesting that you say that. We have already more or less incorporated something from battle royale into the battlefield ‘Roiling Coast’, where players start on an airship and plunge onto the map to fight for control points on the battlefield.”
New games are always a topic at Blizzard: The fascination that battle royale games currently have has also reached Blizzard.
“One of the things that happens with the development team of World of Warcraft, and that I think is really cool, is that we constantly play games, all the games out there. Of course, we also play some of the battle royale games that are on the market,” Bybee said.
New concepts welcome, nothing concrete planned: Some features from other games are already being discussed for implementation in World of Warcraft.
However, Bybee makes it clear: “Do I think we are specifically planning a battle royale game? There’s nothing we could already discuss in that regard.”
Bybee continued: “But we just love games, and we love to incorporate such things to provide the best possible gaming experience we can.”
When asked if it is possible that a battle royale feature will be found in WoW, Bybee responds: “Maybe, absolutely. I wouldn’t rule it out, but we definitely don’t have anything to announce right now.”
However, there will likely never be a dominant faction in WoW: That’s why one faction will never be stronger than the other.
