Warcraft 3 Reforged Release Date Anger Prompts Blizzard To Take Action
Published: Feb 6, 2020 - Last Updated: Jul 24, 2023
When the expectant warriors keen to experience Azeroth like never before hit the Warcraft 3 download on the eagerly anticipated Warcraft 3 Reforged release date of the 28th January 2020, it is fair to say that developers Blizzard were hoping that their reimagining of this original 2003 classic would prove to be a hit with the loyal Warcraft fanbase.
It is fair to say, that the release of the game was anything but. Fans were quick to point out many of the issues with the remake, with the release seeing a hideously low score of just 0.5 on Metacritic (the lowest user-rating for a game in the site’s history). The fallout from those key first impressions of the game has been as shocking as they were vitriolic.
So, what went wrong and what are Blizzard trying to do to fix it?
Not As Advertised
Blizzard have rubbed fans up the wrong way with this release in a number of ways. Top of the gripes list was the fact that fans felt the release version of Warcraft 3 Reforged bore little or no resemblance to the video of the game that so excited fans when previewed in 2018. Indeed, many fans pointed out that some of the key elements from that video, such as detailed cut scenes, improved animations and graphics, were entirely omitted from the new release.
Then Blizzard announced that any and all player-created Warcraft III Reforged custom games will become their property, has also further enraged customers.
However, after such bleak reviews of the game, since the Warcraft 3 Reforged release date, Blizzard have now decided to offer refunds to players who are disappointed with the new game, as well as making plans to make several improvements and fixes to the software.
Warcraft 3 Reforged: BlizzCon 2018 vs. Launch 2020 Comparison video by IGN
[iframe url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/kwG5ct900B0″]“Didn’t have the experience you wanted”
In a statement, Blizzard stated “We want to say we’re sorry to those of you who didn’t have the experience you wanted and we’d like to share our plans for what’s coming next.”
That entails a system for players to get a full refund on the game if they so wish, although Blizzard are hoping many will wait until fixes are made to several bugs, which will be addressed in a patch for the game which is to be released later this week.
However, many disappointed players have pointed out that the statement seems to blame the expectations of fans for the issue, rather than Blizzard’s development team not delivering what they have promised, which has added further fuel to the fire.
Esports future?
Given all the issues regarding its release, it is unlikely that Warcraft 3 Reforged will be one of the best esports games unless of course, Blizzard can make some drastic changes to the game that turn public opinion from the negative to the positive.
If they can, then there is a chance Warcraft 3 Reforged could well become an esports classic and who knows you could be enjoying playing the game or indulging in a bet or two on the outcome, as you do when Overwatch league betting or similar.
For that to happen though, Blizzard has to win back fans’ trust and that does seem a long way off at the present moment in time.
Since: August 10, 2015
