Mismanagement and financial pressure determined the development of the Warcraft 3 remaster. The game is therefore also a result of changed development conditions and values. The work culture at the traditional forge is more clearly influenced by Activision.
Warcraft 3 Reforged (test) has left stains on the once immaculate image of Blizzard. The improved version not only lacked features of the original, but also promised components such as reworked cutscenes and numerous bugs. Ranked matches or a clan system are still missing today, the last update is from August 2020. That hardly fits a studio that traditionally maintained and continuously improved its games for a long time.
Mismanagement and cost pressure
A report from Bloomberg blames a change in corporate culture based on inside information. Teams for the classics from Blizzard have been virtually ignored, the original team behind Reforged been dispersed eight months after publication. Resources would be concentrated on “potential multi-billion dollar games”.
The ambitious project to bring Warcraft 3 into line with World of Warcraft content with the remaster came to nothing. The team was too small and did not receive enough funding for the project, reports Bloomberg, the team was unable to fill positions or had to fill them temporarily. The reduction in staff in the internal support department had an additional burden on the project. In addition, the management set unrealistic time limits. Internal communication is also mentioned as a problem, as well as disputes about the scope and style of the remaster, which would have led to unclear objectives. Blizzard ignored warnings.
Structurally, the project was therefore heavily burdened from the start. According to the report, the status at the time of publication is not due to this: Blizzard did not want to accept a postponement because, despite the unfinished status, pre-orders had been accepted. For fear of losing this and thus hard cash, the company threw the game on the market on the communicated date and increasingly canceled features.
A new view
In a statement to Bloomberg, Blizzard only confirmed a ” unclear idea “of the nature of the project and internal communication problems as causes of the condition. The game will now be further developed by a new team. The company left it open as to what to expect from this.
The constant focus on costs and the fear of profits are a new feature for the studio, which so far has always been “when it's done” as a time window for completion of every project had called. In principle, the episode confirms what was already circulating at the end of 2018: In the decisions of Blizzard, the focus is less on the game and more on the financial side in the form of short-term profits and quarterly reports.