Blizzard reveals Classic Plus pitch at World of Warcraft Forever panel
At PAX Australia, Blizzard shared internal pitch slides for the project when it was called Classic Plus and called the Forever beta its biggest ever.
Blizzard Entertainment held a PAX Australia panel on the road to World of Warcraft Forever, where developers shared early internal pitch slides for the project from when it was called "Classic Plus," according to PCGamesN.
During the panel, the developers said they are approaching the game as a new direction that expands horizontally rather than raising the level cap and gear score. Holly Longdale said the World of Warcraft Forever beta is the biggest beta in Blizzard's recorded history.
Clay Stone described a three-bucket approach to future content: player wishlist items, high-concept ideas, and new regions fitting the vanilla era. He mentioned the new region Riverglades and said players have found their way in through large parties during the beta, and cited Mount Hyjal, the Skyborne, and Zephras Isle as examples of content categories.
Feedback and experimentation
Longdale said the biggest lesson learned is to not listen only to the loudest voices when gathering feedback, and that the team plans to make calls on what the game is and who it's for rather than trying to please everyone.
Stone said the launch of WoW Classic Hardcore in 2023 convinced the team to be more experimental. Blizzard launched the original World of Warcraft Classic in 2019.
Quick answers
What was World of Warcraft Forever called internally?
Blizzard shared early internal pitch slides for the project from when it was called "Classic Plus" during its PAX Australia panel.
How large is the World of Warcraft Forever beta?
Holly Longdale said it is the biggest beta in Blizzard's recorded history.
What content categories did Blizzard outline for World of Warcraft Forever?
Clay Stone described a three-bucket approach: player wishlist items, high-concept ideas, and new regions fitting the vanilla era, mentioning Riverglades, Mount Hyjal, the Skyborne, and Zephras Isle.