Blizzard shares first look at World of Warcraft's housing, with unsubtle dig at rival Final Fantasy 14
"If you want a house, you can have a house."
Blizzard has shared a first look at the housing system it's adding to MMORPG World of Warcraft, but not without a dig at its main rival Final Fantasy 14.
Though it's still without a release date, the system has been five years in the making and was first revealed at last year's Warcraft 30th anniversary celebration in November.
Blizzard's main aims for housing are to offer "boundless self-expression", for the system to be "deeply social", and to have a "long-last journey". As such, the toolset will be easy to use, can be experienced solo but is more fun with other players, and will be an evergreen addition to the game with its own roadmap of patches and expansions.
The developer also wants housing to be widely adopted by players. "Most players should want a house in Azeroth, and if a player wants a house in Azeroth, they can have a house in Azeroth," reads this new post on the system.
And that's the first of multiple not-so-subtle digs at Final Fantasy 14. Square Enix's MMORPG has had an equivalent housing system for some time, but it's been a notorious point of frustration for players.
Despite changes, players must enter a lottery to purchase one of the popular plots. And even on owned plots, players must enter their house at least once every 45 days to maintain it or it's lost. That means continuing to pay the game's subscription.
"If you want a house, you can have a house," reads the blog post. "No exorbitant requirements or high purchase costs, no lotteries, and no onerous upkeep (and if your subscription lapses, don't worry, your house doesn't get repossessed!)."
It's a cheeky note, but it's also great to see Blizzard learning from its key rival, as both games have long been in competition for players. While World of Warcraft has been praised for its intuitive menus and ease of use, Final Fantasy 14 excels for its story and friendly community.
Executive producer and vice president for World of Warcraft Holly Longdale spoke to Eurogamer last year, stating it's "time to make a bold statement, it's time to set ourselves up for the next twenty-plus [years]."
Housing is part of that process. The new post details two housing zones, one for Alliance and one for Horde, to promote interaction between players and ensure the zones work as intended. The system is also intended to be "player-first and not revenue-first", though a small number of items will be available in the cash shop (comparable to transmogs and pets).
Houses will also be organised into around 50 plot Neighbourhoods, which will be either public or private, in which players can share rewards.
World of Warcraft's next expansion will be Midnight, which will continue the Worldsoul Saga later this year.