Blizzard is remaking World of Warcraft again, and the principal designer behind World of Warcraft: Forever thinks the last 25 years of constant improvement make a sequel unnecessary. Kris Zierhut spoke to IGN about why the company is rebuilding the classic era rather than starting over entirely.
What Forever Actually Is
Forever is not a simple return to the original game. It is a full remake with new class trees, new raids, and $30 elves. The project takes the classic era of WoW and rebuilds it with modern graphics, rendering, and engine efficiency.
Zierhut explained the approach directly. “We’ve also made the way the engine draws things move more efficiently,” he said. “The way the server runs, handling players and moving them around, and all the things that handle spells and combat, all of that’s been made more efficient and better over the years. We have this incredible engine and server infrastructure driving the game that is second to none.”
Why Not Start Over
The core argument is simple: why throw away all that work? Modern WoW has accumulated decades of incremental improvements, from graphics to server architecture. Zierhut framed it as a matter of practicality.
“Why would you throw that away and start over?”
That line lands with wry amusement. The designer is praising the game’s constant improvement while simultaneously arguing that improvement makes a sequel redundant.
Technical Debt and Design Choices
There is a counterargument. A direct sequel could strip away technical debt and rethink basic design assumptions. Blizzard has a history of letting small fixes ripple through the game in unpredictable ways, as one example cited in the coverage.
A new game built from scratch avoids that legacy. It can challenge fundamental choices about how classes work, how combat handles, and how the world feels.
Nostalgia vs. Modern Design
The broader tension is between nostalgia and the present. Modern MMOs are very different from their predecessors for good reasons. Players datamine patch details weeks ahead of release. Everything gets optimized to the last detail.
That stripping of mystery is part of why some players want Forever. The desire is real, and it has been voiced publicly. Lincoln Carpenter, writing for PC Gamer, put it plainly:
“It’s hard to argue that the MMOs of today aren’t better designed than their older iterations. And yet, it’s the moments when I step off the treadmill where they still feel the most magical.”
If Forever offers an alternate history of MMO design, the writer’s own view is that the approach holds promise.
The Designer’s View
Zierhut’s position is consistent. He praises the game’s constant development while rejecting the idea of a clean slate. That tension is the story here.
The question remains open. Will World of Warcraft: Forever capture the magic of the classic era without losing what makes modern WoW playable today?
| Game | Approach |
|---|---|
| World of Warcraft: Forever | Remake of classic era |
| Guild Wars 2 | Direct sequel to original |
The Bet on Modern Tools
Forever is a bet that modern tools can deliver the past without losing what made it special. The design team has the engine and the infrastructure. What they do with them is the real test.
The writer’s own view is that a sequel would not be wasted. The technical debt and design assumptions built up over 25 years mean a fresh start is worth considering. But the designer’s point stands too: the existing machinery is powerful.
The amusement comes from hearing both arguments at once. Zierhut can praise constant improvement and reject a sequel in the same conversation. It is a curious position, but it is the story.
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