20 years ago World of Warcraft wrote the book about MMORPGs.

When thinking about massively multiplayer online games, World of Warcraft It's often the first thing that comes to mind – and for good reason. Since its launch on November 23, 2004, Blizzard's MMORPG giant has dominated the market, and with 10 expansions, it has delivered consistent content year after year. Although many games try to get rid of it. World of Warcraft It is still the undeniable king of MMORPGs.

Over the past two decades World of Warcraft has rippled beyond Azeroth from its notoriety. south park Episode and Jamie Lee Curtis officiating at his daughter's wedding wearing Jena Proudmoor in an epidemiologist's study of the blood epidemic and remembrance. wowThe famous Leeroy Jenkins meme of Leeroy Jenkins in the United States House of Representatives. Impact of World of Warcraft Its zeitgeist is irrefutable, however, and if it weren't for its massive success as an MMO, it probably wouldn't have entered pop culture in the first place.

World of Warcraft became the mold for the MMO genre.

MMORPG before and after World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft It's not the first MMORPG ever created. RuneScape– Final Fantasy 11– Eve online– Maple Story– star wars galaxyand two lineage and Everquest The games are just a few of the dozens of games released previously. wow– Many of these games still work in one way or another. But none of the games have reached that level of success. World of Warcraft have.

The term “MMORPG” was coined by Richard Garriott, creator of the 1997 classic.
ultima online,
seven years ago
wow
Release things.

This is because World of Warcraft It outlines what it's really like to be an MMORPG. Global PvP, factions, instanced dungeons, customizable avatars, mounts, and other RPG elements found in wow It's not new. But between the innovations built on these systems and history created from 10 years Warcraft RTS game World of Warcraft Not only is it quickly becoming the most popular MMORPG, But it is also one of the most successful video games of all time.

In this way World of Warcraft Stronger as the king of MMOs, although its reign is far from undisputed. In the years after the Ascension The community calls this type of rising star “wow Killer”

Famous “WoW Killers” in MMO history

Of course, no title could succeed in killing. wow– Although games such as Guild Wars 2– The Elder Scrolls Onlineand old republic All have been successful and have a healthy community until today. Final Fantasy 14 Can go to the top World of WarcraftAverage number of players Even if it's only for a short time.

Final Fantasy 14
temporarily increased first
wow
Popularized during the critically acclaimed MMO
Shadowbringers
Expansion – which occurs simultaneously
wow
not popular
Shadowland
Controversial Blizzard expansions and lawsuits in 2021
World of Warcraft
It has since reclaimed the top spot after the success of
dragonfly
and
internal war
–

In fact, it's the only thing that can truly kill. World of Warcraft is World of Warcraft itself, as shown by high scores such as Wrath of the Lich KingThe release of Wow classicand the return begins in dragonflyand according to the lowest point of Warlord of Draenor– Battle for Azerothand ShadowlandSomething is affected. World of WarcraftIts players count as much as their own content.

Competition has stimulated internal innovation. World of WarcraftBut no game comes close to killing it. And no one is likely to do so in the future. In fact By inspiring Blizzard to implement quality of life features already found in competitors, such as the upcoming player housing system. World of Warcraft for midnight Expansion is more likely.”wow Killers” has helped MMOs grow in the same way that their influence has shaped their overall style.

World of Warcraft's past, present, and future

Possible World of Warcraft

That said World of Warcraft It's almost something different from what the fans are thinking. received greatly According to early promotional materials with Orcs and Humans playing together, characters can gain fame for any faction. Even on the same side, while World of Warcraft Cross-faction play was eventually introduced 17 years later, a feature that may have been part of the main game in another incarnation.

What else is there? World of Warcraft Johnathan Staats, 3D Level Designer Ogres were originally supposed to be one of the first four Horde races, and Pandaren would be in the Alliance. Although the latter eventually entered the game as a neutral race, Ogres were replaced by Trolls at the tenth hour. ed and still can't play

instead of Burning CrusadeThe first expansion was originally supposed to be an adventure in the South Seas featuring Nazjatar. Although it deviated from this concept due to technical limitations related to water. Later, I came back to review some of these ideas in Battle for Azeroth– In the meantime, the first versions of Emerald Dream and Shadowlands and their content were removed. World of Warcraft Expansion like Warlord of Draenor–World of WarcraftIts winding path may lead to an entirely different place. wow Today it is virtually unrecognizable from the version from 20 years ago, and one can only imagine what it will be like in the next two decades.

What can World of Warcraft become?

now, World of Warcraft Standing at the dawn of a new era, Chris Metzen, one of the creative minds Warcraft 3 and wow What they are today is returning to Blizzard as the creative director of the franchise. Fairy tale of the spiritual world – World of WarcraftThe first true multi-scroll narrative – off to a strong start with a development cycle faster than ever. Overall received a good response.

Additionally, more than a year after their collapse, Blizzard and NetEase have repaired their relationship. causing millions of Chinese people to come World of Warcraft The player returns to the group if World of Warcraft Keep the momentum going. It eventually hit the peak of 12 million subscribers when it ended. Wrath of the Lich King in 2010

World of Warcraft Subscription and Earnings Facts

• Maintaining a wow A 20-year subscription costs $3,600, which doesn't include purchases of expansions, WoW tokens, or bulk subscription discounts.
• Instead of signing up for a monthly Chinese subscription wow Players pay the equivalent of about 10-15 cents per hour to play. A typical $15 sub fee will buy you 100 to 150 hours in China.
• World of Warcraft It currently has approximately 7.25 million members, the highest number since then. hordesAbout 10 million
• In 2017 wow It has total revenue of $9.23 billion. In 2024, that figure is expected to be around $15 billion.

World of Warcraft Almost old enough to legally drink in the United States, it was actually a child of a couple who met. wow Old enough to begin his own journey in Azeroth. It has been a cultural staple for so long that it is difficult to imagine a world without it. world of Warcraft, But luckily, it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.