Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Every Thursday GTA 6 O'clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts. Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon. Every Thursday The Setup Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Every Saturday The Watchlist Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! World of Warcraft has been in the limelight recently, thanks to new expansion pack Midnight and Blizzard's plan to remove World of Warcraft combat mods – but developers have an even greater future in mind for the MMO. They'd like for it to boast a bigger, more diverse audience, with executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale revealing as much to The Game Business during a recent interview. This extends to the Warcraft name in its entirety – not just the 2004 MMO. "It's a fantastic IP. In my humble opinion, it's been underutilized, and I just want to bring it to as many people as possible," Longdale explains. How would Blizzard go about doing that? One way, as Longdale puts it, would be to make it more "approachable" to folks. "And that means evolving what Warcraft means, what it is, and where it's going," she says. "We want it to be approachable." The Warcraft name, however, doesn't make it sound too… well, welcoming to outsiders – and the IP executive creative director is well aware, apparently. Longdale describes how he brings it up to fellow devs. World of Warcraft lead says Blizzard has "a bigger vision" than simply just being an MMORPG World of Warcraft lead thinks the MMO will still be "kicking" in 10 years, but despite having ideas for "the very long run," Blizzard is currently focusing "on the next 5 years" Blizzard isn't "walking back" axing of World of Warcraft add-ons: "Our goal was never to stamp out the addon ecosystem" "Chris Metzen is sometimes like, 'I wish we hadn't called it Warcraft. It sounds intimidating.'" Longdale doesn't necessarily agree, though: "But I'm like, nobody really thinks that about Warhammer. It's an understood name." I'd argue she's correct here – not to mention the fact that Warcraft doesn't really have to sound "friendly," anyway. The storylines often deal with difficult topics, and, yeah, war. It's central to the IP, and I'm not alone in thinking so. Reacting to Metzen's words, one fan uses official art from Blizzard in a post to argue that Warcraft is a fitting title. Featuring "one of the most badass orcs in Warcraft history with alliance heads hanging off his belt," the argument checks out – and, uh, the orc in question is literally named "Grommash Hellscream," so I personally get it. Comments show fellow fans agreeing with the sentiment, although I do also understand where Metzen is coming from. With games like Final Fantasy 14 as competition, it's hard to present yourself as just a dark, gritty fantasy without some of the flair that makes other games so beloved. Longdale gets into this a bit, stating, "We want people to come in, hang out, and have birthdays, weddings, raids, grand adventures, play with their friends, meet new friends" – you know, the more chill social activities MMOs are known for, too. She concludes that Blizzard is "never going to stop doing the things people love, but at the same time, we have a bigger vision than simply being an MMORPG." Here's hoping that vision pans out nicely over the next decade or so of WoW. "Made without crunch": World of Warcraft Midnight is the "the fastest expansion" Blizzard has ever made, with "no sacrifices to team health"