World of Warcrafthas announced that Chris Metzen, one of the core architects of theWarcraftuniverse and a beloved figure to most Blizzard fans, has officially assumed the role of its Creative Director. Metzen initially retired from Blizzard Entertainment in September 2016, shortly after the launch ofLegion, considered one of thebestWorld of Warcraftexpansions. His concept art was not only responsible for giving theWarcraftfranchise its iconic look, but the creative decisions that he pushed for during development have come to define theWorld of Warcraftof both past and present.
Metzen returned to Blizzard Entertainmentas a creative advisor in December 2022, and now as the Creative Director of theWarcraftfranchise, he will have the opportunity to defineWorld of Warcraft’s future. Public opinion on the expansions that followed his departure was notably low, with many players consideringBattle for AzerothandShadowlandsto be a low point in the game’s storied history. By contrast,Dragonflightlaunched to a cautiously excited audience, and by the end of its first major content patch, had established itself as one of the better expansion packs in terms of story and characters.
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Though it would be folly to pin the success of the latestWorld of Warcraftexpansion on Metzen’s shoulders alone, the players see his return as the culmination of all the goodwill earned through the creative decisions made inDragonflight, and a sign that good things are on the horizon for Azeroth. The announcement was posted on Twitter by the officialWorld of Warcraftaccount, with a tease that Chris Metzen and his team would once again take the stage during BlizzCon to share what’s next in store for theWarcraftuniverse.
With Patch 10.2 on the horizon,World of Warcraftplayers are enjoying a steady stream of high-quality content, asDragonflight’s ambitious roadmapcontinues to meet their expectations. Though some of the criticisms levied against the Trading Post were not unfounded, for the most part,Dragonflighthas been received much better than its predecessors – with new features such as dragonriding, or adding a third specialization to the Evoker, being the key highlights.
Though it remains to be seen where the new chapter of Azeroth will take its champions, players have already begun to speculate on therelease date for the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion. With the possibility ofCataclysmcoming to Classic servers, fans are also hoping that Blizzard has been setting the stage for a new world revamp. That being said, Metzen’s appointment as Creative Director is bound to at least guarantee that Azeroth will feel right, no matter where the story takes place.
World of Warcraftis available now on PC.
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