To mark the upcoming launch of WoW: The War Within, Blizzard released a special episode of WoWCast a few hours ago. In this episode, the developers of World of Warcraft discuss their innovative approach to storytelling.
The story of WoW: The War Within gradually gains momentum with the introductory quest. The World of Warcraft development team is eager for players to begin the new adventure in Khaz Algar.
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In celebration of the upcoming launch of TWW, Blizzard released a special episode of WoWCast a few hours ago. In this episode, Deputy Game Director Morgan Day, Cinematic Narrative Director Terran Gregory, Deputy Design Director Maria Hamilton, and Community Manager Bethany Stout discuss the innovative storytelling techniques used in WoW.
More Time and Resources for WoW Story
After the story issues with Shadowlands, the developers of WoW are focusing on new stories. Terran Gregory, the Cinematic Narrative Director, highlights that the team has put a lot of time and effort into the new storytelling approach:
“We have set very high goals for ourselves, and now we are striving not only to meet these expectations but to exceed them. Our aim is to create something new that captures the essence of Warcraft and showcases the best aspects of the Warcraft world. We plan to achieve this by deeply engaging with the game world and its history.
We often emphasize that the rich world and its stories are among the most fascinating aspects of World of Warcraft. But what does this actually mean? Azeroth is like a living character, brought to life through numerous small and large stories. Our goal is for players to become interested in the background stories of the characters and embark on exciting adventures with them. This way, they can experience captivating stories, whether with well-known heroes, lesser-known characters, or new characters that we encounter along the way.”
New Ways of Telling Stories
Maria Hamilton, a member of the design team at TWW, highlighted in the cast that the developers shouldn’t take every story too seriously and that players can expect humorous encounters:
“We have a very amusing local story that humorously explores what might happen if you meet a Nerubian who suffers from anthropophobia (a funny nod to arachnophobia in humans). This Nerubian is afraid of bipedal creatures because they don’t have enough limbs—it’s just creepy and scary for them! There are many more examples, and the team had a lot of fun writing these stories.
Additionally, there are stories that delve into the areas of Khaz Algar itself—about the people who live there, their histories, and many different minor characters. We created several less prominent characters for TWW to add more life to the world.”
A new story team for World of Warcraft certainly holds a lot of promise! Whether the developers will achieve their ambitious goals remains to be seen. The three-part World Soul saga begins in a few days with The War Within. To learn more about the new WoW expansion, be sure to check out our overview page.