Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft 3: Reforged had a strong reception at BlizzCon 2018. Though rumours of a remaster have been circulating for a while, many fans didn’t expect Blizzard to remake the game from the ground up. Character models have been replaced, cinematics are completely redone, and even the maps have seen some changes.
Despite the fanfare it generated, it’s hard to forget that at its core, Warcraft 3 was not an easy game to get into. Speaking to GameSpot, lead artist Brian Sousa talked about making the game more accessible for today’s players. Of course, the development team wouldn’t be looking to change how the game plays.
“Yeah, Warcraft 3 did not have the easy mode,” Sousa said. “It was either hard or really hard, and so now, even me, I remember playing missions over, and over, and over. This is a really hard game, so getting in there and making it a little bit more accessible for today’s players, at least, to get into the RTS genre. This RTS has been around for 15 years.
“It’s still around, people are still playing it, so we’re not too worried about redefining the RTS because this already has a huge community, right, and we’re not looking to change how Warcraft plays. We just want it to be a little bit more accessible and look better for today’s players.”
In the same interview, senior producer Pete Stilwell confirmed that there are currently no plans for Warcraft 4. As of right now, the priority is Warcraft 3: Reforged “first and foremost”. Though veterans may know their way around most of the game, new players will have quite a lot to get through. Along with 4K support, a world editor, and improvements to the UI, Warcraft 3: Reforged will also feature The Frozen Throne expansion. It’s out in 2019 for PC.
