WoW: The War Within Early Access sparks furious debate among players
Blizzard EntertainmentThe War Within is the next expansion for the retail version of World of Warcraft, but one element of the Epic Edition of the game is causing huge debate.
The first Blizzcon in four years was packed with announcements relating to all of Blizzard’s major titles. Cataclysm Classic is being added to the existing offering, while Season of Discovery is looking like the Classic+ game mode that dedicated fans have been waiting on for some time.
If that wasn’t exciting enough, the developer also confirmed a significant change to the direction of the mainline version of WoW. The game will play out a single narrative across three separate expansions entitled The Worldsoul Saga. The first of those is The War Within, which looks set to take players into the Heart of Azeroth itself.
With the expansion set to release next year, the developer also confirmed their traditional three editions that are available for purchase. The most expensive of those, the Epic Edition, includes unprecedented Early Access, and it’s causing significant consternation among the community.
Early Access has upset many existing players
In a post on Reddit, one player noted that they had pre-purchased the Epic Edition. Despite that, they confirmed they would be happy if Blizzard removed Early Access as their friends were unlikely to get the headstart.
Many were very quick to share their opinions, noting their belief that Blizzard would not get that message because the original poster had already bought the game. One said: “‘I hate that Blizzard is so greedy. So anyways I gave them my money before the new expansion is out.’ – This entire thread. Stop giving them your money. It is that easy.”
Others were quick to point out how similar initiatives that ask players to vote with their wallets have failed in the past, with one saying: “Everyone in this thread could stop giving them money and they’re still getting money from millions of people. The whole ‘vote with your wallet’ idea is completely moot when you’re talking about a company this big.”
That said, the early success of the Epic Edition of The War Within could well render the debate moot. One user observed there was very little chance of the developer reverting the Early Access part of the deal, saying: “I don’t like it, but there’s no way they can take it back now. They have already sold a ton of them, and a lot of people would lose their minds if Blizzard took back something they paid for. Blizzard would have to sweeten the deal somehow to make everyone ok with it.”
Whatever does happen with the Early Access portion of the offering, the early signs for The War Within are good. With considerable excitement about the return of Chris Metzen, it finally seems like some of the joy is returning to the WoW community.
