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Mobile Syrup

Blizzard’s Warcraft mobile game is probably not what you were expecting

Blizzard has been teasing a Warcraft mobile game for some time.

Now, the company has formally unveiled the title, but it’s perhaps not what fans had in mind.

Enter Warcraft Arclight Rumble, a free-to-play strategy game in which players build armies made up of signature Warcraft enemies. Altogether, Blizzard is promising more than 60 characters from the Warcraft universe, including Warsong chieftain Grommash Hellscream and Archmage Jaina Proudmoore, who all appear in Arclight Rumble as tabletop sculpture-esque miniatures.

Specifically, Arclight Rumble has players assigning Leaders and filling the ranks with Troop minis and Powerful spells. Battles will then play out as sort of “bite-sized puzzles” in which you must successfully command your army against enemy forces from a top-down perspective. The first gameplay footage can be found below:

In terms of game content, Blizzard says Arclight Rumble features a single-player campaign consisting of over 70 missions, as well as co-operative missions and a player-versus-player mode.

The biggest question mark, though, surrounds monetization, given that the game is free-to-play. Blizzard has yet to reveal exactly how in-app purchases will work.

Warcraft Arclight Rumble will launch on Android and iOS later this year. You can pre-register on Android.

It should be noted that Blizzard parent company Activision Blizzard is currently facing lawsuits and other blowback related to allegations of a toxic “frat boy” work culture. The majority of these reports stem from Blizzard, specifically, and cite repeated instances of harassment, abuse and other misconduct.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Warcraft mobile game to be revealed on May 3

Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that it will formally unveil its Warcraft mobile game on Tuesday, May 3rd.

Those interested can tune into the presentation at 1pm ET/10am PT via a livestream on Blizzard’s website. Further details on the game have yet to be confirmed.

Earlier this week, Blizzard revealed more from its mobile action-RPG Diablo Immortal, including a surprise announcement that it’s also coming to PC. The game is set to hit all three platforms on June 2nd, with the PC version coming in full-featured beta form.

Parent company Activision Blizzard has previously confirmed plans to bring all of its franchises to mobile, so it was only a matter of time for the likes of Warcraft and Diablo to make the jump. What’s less certain, however, is what will happen at the company in the coming months.

The publishing giant is facing various lawsuits and other repercussions related to allegations of a toxic “frat boy” work culture. It’s also in the midst of being acquired by Microsoft, although Wall Street is skeptical the deal will be approved. And at the centre of all of that is Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who has been accused of trying to cover up incidents at the company. Reports suggest that he’ll depart after the acquisition is finalized, but Microsoft has claimed it “hasn’t discussed” Kotick’s future with the company.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Blizzard confirms Warcraft is coming to mobile this year

While a Warcraft mobile game has been rumoured since as early as 2017, we haven’t gotten any official word yet — until now.

During its Q4 2021 earnings report, Activision Blizzard confirmed that a mobile iteration is indeed coming in 2022.

No other details were provided, such as how the game will play or even what it will be called. Nonetheless, this is significant news, given the popularity of World of Warcraft.

It was also inevitable; in 2020, Activision Blizzard confirmed that all of its franchises would get new mobile entries. Over the past few years, we’ve seen that happen with the likes of Call of Duty Mobile, Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! and the upcoming Diablo ImmortalCall of Duty Mobile alone made $1 billion USD (about $1.27 billion CAD) in 2021, per the Q4 earnings report.

It’s worth noting, though, that this news comes via a press release. That’s because the company skipped holding an earnings call. While a specific reason for that wasn’t provided, it’s likely due to a couple of factors.

Firstly, the company has been embroiled in significant controversy since last summer due to a California lawsuit. Following a years-long investigation, Activision Blizzard was accused of fostering a toxic work culture that led to the regular abuse of female employees. CEO Bobby Kotick has also come under fire for reportedly working to cover up these misconduct scandals. And most recently, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion (about $87 billion CAD).

Given these factors, it’s likely that the company didn’t want to respond to any inquiries during an earnings call. Ultimately, the next several months will be significant for Activision Blizzard, especially as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigates the acquisition. It remains to be seen whether the deal will even be approved, but assuming it does, Microsoft has said it doesn’t expect it to close until “fiscal year 2023,” which could be up to 18 months from now.

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Categories
Nouvelles quotidiennes

World of Warcraft theme park in China?

 

Fans of popular video games StarCraft and World of Warcraft may soon have the chance to live out their online adventures in real life, if the rumours of a video game theme park opening in China this March are true.

Called Joyland World or just Joyland in English, the proposed amusement park would feature a number of differently-themed zones, including Island of Mystery, Terrain of Warcraft, Universe of StarCraft, Moles World, and World of Legend, reports G4.

Along with video game-related rides and attractions – including a free-falling tower, three different roller coasters, and a simulator – the park is also expected to include a video game museum and eSports centre, where visitors can engage in virtual athletics.

According to the theme park website, Moles World will be targeted towards a younger audience, with child-friendly attractions such as a merry-go-round and a monorail.

There’s no word yet on whether the video game companies are involved with the park’s creation or have simply granted permission to use names and likenesses from their popular games.

 

Categories
Cinéma

Sam Raimi to Direct Warcraft

Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Drag Me to Hell) has taken on the role as director of the film adaption of Warcraft.

In 2006, it was announced that the Warcraft video game would be brought to the big screen. The game was created by Blizzard Entertainment in 1994 and produced by Legendary Pictures.

The game World of Warcraft alone has attracted more than 12 million fans worldwide. It features the relationship between the Alliance (humans, elves, dwarves, etc.) and the Horde (orcs, trolls, etc.).

If fans are delighted to have Raimi’s directorial touch, they will be thrilled that Dark Knight producer, Charles Roven, will also be part of the project.

Apart from the fourth instalment of Spider-Man, which is set to open on May 6, 2011, Raimi has several other projects on his agenda, including the horror flick The Evil Dead, for which a script is currently being written.

Filming for Warcraft is set to begin after Spider-Man 4 wraps up next year.