This year at BlizzCon,many fans were upset(to say the least) about the announcement ofDiablo Immortal, which will be a mobile version of one of Blizzard’s biggest franchises,Diablo. Recently, it was revealed thatDiablo Immortalis in fact not the only Blizzard game that is getting ported for mobile. According to a new report, Blizzard is currently also working on a mobile version of its most popular franchise,World of Warcraft, which will be similar to the augmented reality game,Pokemon GO.
There are not many details on thePokemon GOversion ofWorld of Warcraftyet, but people who have tested theWarcraftmobile game thus far say that it has a lot more to it thanPokémon GO, including single-player mechanics. If one takes into consideration themassive revenuethatPokemon GOgenerated, it is not surprising that Blizzard is exploring mobile games as a possible avenue, but based on the reaction toDiablo Immortal, many hardcore PC fans may not agree with this switch.
Blizzard insists however that it is considering mobile games as the developers genuinely want to make them. TheWorld of Warcraftmobile game is also apparently in production because the lead designer, Cory Stockton (formerlyWorld of Warcraftlead designer), is a big fan ofPokemon. According to the current developer, “there are lots of mobile game players at Blizzard" and “there are lots of people actually excited about mobile games.”
Furthermore, according to the report, a lot of people at Blizzard actually playPokemon GO.As one developer explained, the iconic orc statue in the center of Blizzard’s campus is a Pokemon Gym, and staff enjoy waging war over who gets to control the landmark on a daily basis. While some new fans may not be as enthusiastic aboutBlizzard’s exploration of mobile gamesas the staff are, hardcore fans of the franchise may not be so excited about it.
