‘Legion’ expansion comes to ‘World of Warcraft’ even as subscribers dip.
World of Warcraft subscriber numbers are down to less than 6 million — the lowest they’ve been in some time — but Blizzard is likely hoping to lure some fans back with the newly announced Legion add-on.Turn the infernal power of the Burning Legion against them as the dexterous and deadly new Demon Hunter hero classMaster mighty Artifacts—legendary weapons that transform and grow in power as you battle across the accursed Broken Isles COLOGNE, Germany, Aug 06, 2015 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Doom comes for the Alliance and the Horde as a great burning shadow falls over Azeroth. The Demon Hunter works as an opposite number to Wrath Of The Lich King’s Death Knight, and amongst its other unique powers is the ability to double jump and see through walls. Even though you beat the big, grouchy baddy Illidan Stormrage in World of Warcraft’s very first expansion—The Burning Crusade—a decade ago, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you beat him for good.
Revealed with a trailer and details-packed presentation at 2015’s Gamescom fan convention in Germany, Legion picks after the events of 2014’s Warlords of Draenor expansion. During an event streamed live around the world from gamescom 2015, Blizzard Entertainment today unveiled World of Warcraft®: Legion™, the sixth expansion to its acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game. We already knew that Destiny and Hearthstone had grown sizeable user bases, with over 50 million registered players between the two, but the combination of all three is proving spectacular for the company’s financials as well.
Blizzard first shared a brief cinematic trailer in which the evil orc sorcerer Gul’dan seems to resurrect the major WoW antagonist Illidan Stormrage, long thought to be dead. In this dire new chapter of the Warcraft® saga, the demonic Burning Legion has returned, seeking to call forth their fallen leader—the dark titan Sargeras, Ravager of Worlds. It’s called World of Warcraft: Legion, and the usual expansion upticks apply: a 10 level character ceiling bump to 110 (and the option to boost one character to level 100), the obligatory new dungeons, raids and world bosses, overhauled PvP progression, new “artifact” weapons (36 total, one for each specialization, customizable, and they get more powerful as you do), class order halls, a new mobility-focused hero class (Demon Hunter, can glide-attack and double-jump, ) and a new continent to explore. In the second quarter financial figures for the joint group, the three titles posted over US$1.25 billion in non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles, if you’re wondering) revenue to date. As destruction rains across Azeroth, its heroes must seek salvation among the ruins of the Broken Isles, doomed center of ancient night elf civilization and birthplace of myths dating back to the world’s creation.
And we can bet that you’ll be taking a little trip to the Tomb of Sargeras at some point, which is the location featured in the cinematic trailer embedded below. And then, demons. “We stand once more upon the brink of destruction,” says the trailer, and it’s a pretty apropos description for the expansion. In it, you can see Gul’dar (the hooded orc) exploring the tomb and unearthing Sargeras himself, locked in that giant semi-translucent block of green. The announcement comes a day after The Grand Tournament was announced for virtual card game Hearthstone, which introduces a new ‘jousting’ mechanic.
Here’s Blizzard, via Gamespot: “Dominate your foes as a Demon Hunter, an elven outcast shunned for daring to wield the terrible powers of the Legion. The growth of Diablo 3, Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone in China was particularly positive, with “record revenues and MAUs (monthly active users)” for the quarter.
To be honest, we wouldn’t pretend to be great experts on either Warcraft or Hearthstone, but at Gamescom we did have a good chat with Blizzard about Overwatch – and will try get the transcript written up next week. Those and other new features are revealed in another trailer, separate from the cinematic: The news is especially noteworthy coming on the heels of WoW’s subscriber dip. Exhibiting superior mobility and a preternatural sense of awareness, Demon Hunters can tap into forbidden powers at times of dire need, metamorphosing into terrifying fel forms. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has been a solid hit for Activision as well, with “strong continued sell-through” of the shooter resulted in a double-digit year-over-year percentage growth for the franchise. A financial report released by the studio this week carried the news that the game stands at 5.6 million current subscribers, a low in terms of WoW recent years.
They’ll also join forces with unlikely allies in the form of an all-new hero class, the vengeful Demon Hunter, and unify champions of their cause at their class’s Order Hall. Legion’s announcement less than a year after Warlords of Draenor’s release falls in line with Blizzard’s previously stated plan to shorten the wait between WoW expansion packs. Drawing on fel forces to fuel their attacks, Demon Hunters pursue their prey with uncanny agility, dodging away from danger and closing on enemies in the blink of an eye. In addition to the artifacts—yes, you’ll be able to forge, wield, and customize weapons like Ashbringer—and the brand-new hero class, Legion will also come with a brand-new honor system for player-versus-player combat. Demon Hunters sacrifice their natural vision for Spectral Sight—preternatural perception that allows them to detect targets that regular mortals could not normally see.
Shortening the time between expansions might keep a certain base of fans invested, but massively multiplayer games like WoW have evolved a great deal in the past decade. As Paul Tassi reminds us, that’s okay: we’ve known this was coming for a long time, and Activision is proving itself capable of pivoting to new revenue streams. Blizzard has only announced two of the expansion’s raids so far: Emerald Nightmare and Suramar Palace, which will lead you straight into a fight with Gul’dan himself. Each character’s Artifact grows in power with its owner, and players can personalize their Artifact with perks, abilities, and appearance-altering characteristics that reflect the hero wielding it, transforming the Artifact into an instrument of order . . . or twisting it into an implement of devastation.
With the Horde and the Alliance in disarray, players must seek out and bring together other like-minded champions to stand against the demonic hordes. From there, players will send NPC followers on missions to help defend Azeroth from the demonic incursion . . . and forge their Artifact into a Legion-felling force to be reckoned with. As players dominate the enemy faction, they’ll unlock PvP-specific spells and abilities that open up a range of new tactical possibilities, and earn prestigious new titles and rewards. With multiple games in development, Blizzard has numerous positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply. Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games.
Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
