According to reports, the mobile World of Warcraft game has been dropped after three years of development. Developers Blizzard and NetEase appear to differ on financial matters.
World of Warcraft Mobile Game: World of Warcraft is likely one of the most popular and profitable PC gaming games, but it appears that popularity is difficult to convert to mobile devices. According to Bloomberg, Blizzard and its partner NetEase have canceled a World of Warcraft mobile project that had been in the works for almost three years owing to financial differences.
NetEase is Blizzard’s Chinese distribution partner, primarily responsible for selling and distributing Warcraft titles in the Chinese domestic market. However, the alliance benefits from NetEase’s expertise in mobile gaming. NetEase is a co-creator of Blizzard’s popular but divisive newest mobile hit, Diablo Immortal, and the two businesses have collaborated on many projects.
According to persons familiar with the situation, the corporations differed over the particular parameters of the agreement and finally decided to call it off. More than 100 developers who worked on the project were laid off, and just a few were able to find new jobs within NetEase. The Universe of Warcraft project has been kept under wraps for quite some time, but it is reported to take place in the recognizable MMORPG globe recognized from the successful 2004 PC game, although in a different age of the fictitious world.
Arclight Rumble, another mobile Warcraft, was released by Blizzard in May. The strategy game had a rocky start due to largely despised alpha and beta versions, and resident AP gaming expert Matthew Sholtz deems it a headache in our review due to the restricted ways to acquire in-game cash. The uproar surrounding Diablo Immortal and Warcraft Arclight Rumble might be one of the reasons why the production of the World of Warcraft title was suspended.
Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard was just bought by Microsoft. The Redmond business intends to break into the mobile market with some of Blizzard’s high-profile games, so a World of Warcraft-like title on mobile may not be the end of the road.
