WoW developer says realm names won’t be released before Season of Discovery

Representatives from Blizzard have confirmed that realm names for World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery will not be released ahead of time, claiming the decision will benefit the game’s health in the long term.

Season of Discovery is widely seen as the developers attempt to make Classic+ a reality, with the game set to include a raft of changes to the original Vanilla formula. New abilities and powers are available via the Rune Engraving system, and there will be plenty of fresh gear for players to loot.

The world is also undergoing significant changes, with previously unfinished areas now available to explore. With the game set to release on November 30, it seems like Blizzard is keen to implement all of the lessons they have learned from the launch of multiple Classic titles.

In that vein, the developer has confirmed that realm names will not be released to the public before Season of Discovery launches.

Unreleased realm names may prevent population issues in Season of Discovery

In a thread on Twitter, Senior Game Producer Josh Greenfield shared that realm names will not be released to the public before launch and explained the thinking behind the decision.

I might regret posting this but in the interest of transparency I think it makes sense to explain why we don't publish realm names early or do name reservation anymore. I see folks say things like "We need names so we can plan" and really, you want that, but don't *need* it.1/10

— Josh Greenfield (@AggrendWoW) November 24, 2023

Essentially, releasing the names of servers pre-release has led to issues with server populations. As players are able to develop communities around individual realms, “preferable” options quickly become available, and the other realms can suffer. This problem only worsens as latecomers to the party are more likely to join the most populace servers.

The community was quick to share almost overwhelming support for the decision. One user responded to the post, saying: “Hey, no matter what anybody else says, there are people out here who support this. I remember the Whitemane memes when Classic was first announced, everything was figured out in the first week, and there was no changing it. This is a good thing.”

Others shared their own personal experiences with Classic in the past, with one saying: “I had the best classic experience on a much smaller server (Bloodfang) that had a good faction balance and tight night community. I’m super happy to hear about this, especially with the Dreadnaught situation in SoM! Good idea!”

Another wanted to see as little separation as possible between players, suggesting an Elder Scrolls Online-style megaserver system: “I’d be more than fine with one big realm per region. Make it as many layers as needed. Separate layers for PvP on and off players. No need to segregate players at all. But I guess fewer realms is a step closer to that already! Can’t wait for SoD!”

There has been remarkably little trepidation about Blizzard’s chosen direction heading into the release of Season of Discovery. Whether the community’s expectations will be met remains to be seen, but there is certainly a lot to be excited about.