personally, I get why people are so pessimistic, I have also all but lost my faith in Blizzard, however, even if I am one of the only ones in the 1%, I am...cautiously optimistic, now people will call me an idiot and stuff, but 2.0 means something huge is coming in my eyes, why?
Why 2.0 means something big could be coming:
Warcraft 3, throughout its entire lifespan from start to finish, has stuck into the 1.0 framework even reforged did not merit a 2.0 version. When looking at Starcraft 2 the only time new version numbers were added was after expansion packs, huge packs with full stories, a new race and new maps. When looking at software, like Blender, look at the huge leap from 1.0 -2.0 and then 3.0, including eevee, ray tracing, full from the ground up new code base etc.
When something becomes 2.0 it usually means a complete overall of what is seen, or at the very least the most wanted features a game/software has.
Now this probably still means nothing to people regarding the version number, it could just be a mistake (very...unlikely, as this type of mistake has not been seen by Blizzard once, and would be stupid as a joke honestly) but anyway, the other things that have been happening around warcraft 3 tells me that this is not a mistake.
Why reviving and updating warcraft 3 reforged makes sense for microsoft:
Let's start with something simple Blizzard is no longer Activision, it's no longer owned by Activision and bobby kotick is no longer the CEO, Microsoft owns Blizzard now. At face value, this might not mean much to people, just another large company owning a different large company, but look at how carefully microsoft looks after its classic games and the fantastic remasters it brings out to its various IP'S of old, with new races, brand new visuals and gameplay improvements. I am 100% sure that microsoft is fully aware of how bad the name Blizzard now is, they have stated that they want to look back into the older games of Blizzard and its IPS and that they wish to do justice to them. Might be empty words, but microsoft has a knack of continuingly trying and reviving old IPS with success. Look at the new age of mythology, the remastered age of mythology and age of empires etc.
Now take into account the survey Blizzard sent internally a year back, about what players want, the most wanted features, etc. Most of that 70% of it is implemented now, clans, custom games, ranked play, player profiles etc. Is it perfect? no it's not, but it is there, so the survey checks out. There are only a hand full things not implemented yet, firstly, redone reforged model graphics, redone reforged environment graphics, updated classic grathics, and finally updated campaign and editor. These are the only ones left.
Another thing of note here is that the chinese company, Netease that split with Blizzard and broke down statues in China due to kotick and how he treated them, has now reintegrated into Blizzard, again, might not seem much, but Asia is the top consumer of RTS Esports, especially korea and China, and they are one of the top microtransaction monsters in the world, which I promise will be appealing to Blizzard, again more money.
Outside of companies, another very important announcement has been made, warcraft direct is coming this year for the 30th anniversary, it's the best time to announce a remake of the original reforged remake and push for a better future for the warcraft RTS game, to acknowledge previous mistakes and start to rebuild the Legacy of warcraft and Blizzard.
Most of all, it makes no sense for Microsoft to hold onto a brand as powerful as warcraft, and to continue to tarnish it, when they could make millions from the IP. This remake of a remake, could bring old players back, bring new players into the IP, like it did with us in 1990 and even up the subscriber count for wow. The company, has no possible way of losing if this succeeds.
What I expect from 2.0
I am cautiously optimistic, not 100% excited about it like I was for reforged, I just feel logically, taking into consideration everything noted above, this is not going to be a small update.
So what do I expect, at the very least?
- New reforged environment graphics
- completed reforged assets (such as face animations)
- New skins that can be bought in a new in-game microtransaction shop - generates new income, gives interest in the game and its future.
- A new map editor.
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This would align with a 2.0 update, and would be a realistic seeing of what could be implemented in two years work of a small team and the funding of Microsoft, but if I were honest, 2.0 signifies something...much bigger since not even reforged was a 2.0 update, I expect a full team is actually working on this update.
So here is what I expect, still within realistic expectations for what 2.0 means in a software way.
- New reforged environment graphics.
- upscaled Warcraft 3 classic mode textures.
- improved lighting and shaders
*Completed assets, with new assets and skins (perhaps to be bought or unlocked)
- a new map editor (with modern features...like emission maps and capability of 3D camera's to control like in 3D software)
- new reforged UI
- new in-game microtransaction shop (adding skins and things like the original pre-order bonus did)
- a new race to play (Naga probably) - with a framework of adding new wow races down the line, like pandaren, forsaken, and many of the other races.
- a complete balance check of the entire game from the ground up.
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That's what I feel can still be a realistic way of seeing 2.0, it's a very large update and in ways, paves ways for its future and remakes its past.
Now to be clear, 2.0 could be even bigger than that, perhaps they redo all the reforged art in Blizzard itself etc, but while that is possible, it's less likely than working with what they have already. (I for one, like the reforged models, they are the cinematic style of wow, I just wish Blizzard would have worked on them personally)
What my dream update would be to bring me back to Blizzard:
Now, finally here is what my dream would be and what would bring me back into believing in the future of Blizzard, however, from here on out, it probably is not realistic for a 2.0 anymore, but it's what would be required to give me any hope in the company and its future:
- New reforged environment graphics and updated models.
- New and improved lighting with raytracing (or stylized lighting that looks extremely pretty)
- Upscaling technology DLSS and FSR.
- All previous assets completed, with lots of new ones added to add ambience to the redone campaign missions, and the capability to create amazing custom maps.
- AN ACTUAL REFORGED CAMPAIGN with new missions in the campaign as originally promised and new voice acting (as promised) - THIS IS A MUST
- An ingame shop which adds skins from wow and could bring new reimagined expansions for the wow timeline in RTS form, such as wrath of the lich king and the assault on stormwind and icecrown. (think event types like hearthstone)
- New redone UI.
- A new map editor, with many modern features, including loading of new normal maps simply, emission, some environment sculpting capability, 3D camera control etc.
This would lead the way for full remakes of warcraft 2 and 1, or could be expansions you could buy for warcraft 3 reforged, and again, they could add new expansions for each expansion of wow, reimagining it in RTS form.
In conclusion:
Yeah, people will call me crazy, and clearly everyone has lost their hope in any kind of improvement of any kind it seems, but whatever, that's my take, and no, I'm not expecting it, but I do feel it is a realistic way of looking at what 2.0 means, considering all the previous software and games I have played that have implemented a 2.0 or 3.0 etc. Large version number shifts are meant to signify a huge shift in what made the previous version what it was, blender is a good example of this. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not a blind optimist, but Blizzard has hurt me enough that I don't care if they mess up, warcraft 3 reforged was the last nail in the coffin to me. I and many others gave up hope in Blizzard many years ago. That does not mean, that Microsoft feels the same way about Blizzard, Microsoft probably realizes the potential income that could come from reviving this IP.
Here, I believe in Microsoft and it's goals to make money and revive and sustain the brand of warcraft, nothing more. Everything from the poll given after the acquisition of Microsoft, the leaving of boby kotick, the new leadership of Blizzard, the way microsoft keeps reviving older games and creates new versions of them for new profit, the reintegration of Netease into Blizzard, the fact that 2.0 is only reserved at Blizzard for large expansions, all of this points to a large meaningful update.
I am cautiously optimistic that this will be something big, and if it's not, it's not. My life does not revolve around one game.
