World of Warcraft
News, coverage and analysis tracking World of Warcraft across the outlets.
Microsoft ends Copilot AI on Xbox to help 'get the business back on track,' as new CEO simultaneously welcomes…Microsoft's Xbox division is shifting its strategy away from AI features, with CEO Asha Sharma announcing the discontinuation of Copilot on mobile and console. This move coincides with Sharma bringing in several former colleagues from Microsoft's CoreAI division to leadership roles within Xbox. The company aims to focus on deepening community connections and addressing player and developer friction to improve business performance.- WoW Factor: The glaring hole in World of Warcraft’s class line-upThis opinion piece argues that World of Warcraft has a glaring omission in its class lineup: the lack of throwing weapon specializations. The author highlights how throwing weapons were iconic in the original RTS games and have been underrepresented in the MMO, proposing several new specialization concepts for existing classes.
Linux century marches on as Discord brings updater parity with Windows and easy installs for more distrosDiscord has updated its application for Linux, bringing its updater functionality in parity with Windows and simplifying installation for more distributions. This change addresses a long-standing inconvenience for Linux users who previously had to manually install updates. The move is seen as a positive sign for Linux's growing presence on the desktop.
If you're asking why everyone's making an extraction shooter, Escape from Tarkov is the 11th most-played game on PC according to new report, beating Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, and PUBGA new report from Newzoo indicates that Escape from Tarkov is the 11th most-played game on PC for 2025, surpassing titles like Overwatch 2, Marvel Rivals, PUBG, and Apex Legends in total playtime. While not reaching the heights of Fortnite or Counter-Strike 2, its performance highlights the genre's popularity among dedicated players.- MMO Week in Review: Guild Wars in your pocketArenaNet announced a mobile port of Guild Wars Reforged with cross-progression, coinciding with the game's 21st anniversary. This week also saw Final Fantasy XIV patch 7.5, Pearl Abyss selling EVE Online studio CCP Games to its management, and Star Wars The Old Republic revealing the planet Ryloth for its 8.0 update.
A Utah age verification law targeting VPN users goes into effect this weekUtah's Senate Bill 73, an online age verification law targeting VPN users, goes into effect on May 6. This legislation makes Utah the first US state with such specific laws, requiring websites with content harmful to minors to verify user ages, even if users attempt to bypass it using a VPN.
Nearly 40 years after launch, NetHack just got a 5.0.0 release with over 3,000 patch notesNetHack, a historically significant roguelike originally released nearly 40 years ago, has received a major 5.0.0 update. This open-source project, maintained by a community DevTeam, continues its active development, building upon the legacy of early dungeon crawlers like Rogue. The game is also recognized for its historical importance, being featured in the Museum of Modern Art.- MMO Hype Train: Spirit Crossing could be the injection of cozy we sorely needSpirit Crossing, an upcoming MMO from Spry Fox, aims to capture the essence of cozy gaming with its relaxed gameplay loop and soothing art style. The game features a one-on-one friendship system, customizable housing, and various activities like exploration, crafting, and puzzle-solving. It offers a cel-shaded world designed to appeal to players seeking positive social interactions and a calming atmosphere.
New World of Warcraft Midnight update throws Hunters an essential lifeline, with Warriors and Shamans also on the riseBlizzard Entertainment has detailed the upcoming World of Warcraft Midnight update, focusing on class tuning adjustments. The update aims to bolster underperforming classes like Marksmanship Hunters, Warriors, and Shamans, while nerfing others such as Augmentation Evoker and Unholy Death Knight. Significant changes are also being made to the Alleria fight in the Mythic Voidspire raid and PvP combat pacing.
New Crimson Desert update lets you 'rematch' defeated enemies and adds new legendary creaturesCrimson Desert has received a new update introducing a 'rematch' feature that allows players to refight previously defeated bosses with adjusted difficulty. The patch also adds new legendary pets, a disguise shop, and numerous bug fixes, continuing the game's ongoing post-launch support.
After days of speculation over hard-coded anti-goblin bias from OpenAI, the company had to release an official memo on…OpenAI has released a memo addressing a peculiar instruction within its AI coding tool, Codex CLI, which caused it to frequently mention creatures like goblins and gremlins. The company explained that this behavior stemmed from unintentionally high rewards given for creature metaphors during the training of a 'Nerdy' personality customization feature.- WRUP: He’s Chort edition | Massively OverpoweredThis week's 'What Are You Playing' segment features discussions on Guild Wars 2, The Division 2, and Final Fantasy XIV. Staff members also shared their thoughts on disappointing landmarks, with Mount Rushmore and Plymouth Rock being mentioned.
Loving MMOs in 2026 is an exercise in frustration, grief, and moving onThe current state of MMORPGs in 2026 is frustrating due to a lack of new titles and constant changes to existing ones, leaving players reliant on older games. This situation is attributed to the conflict between the long development cycles of MMOs and the short-term profit demands of shareholders, leading to cancellations and instability within the genre.- The Daily Grind: Is gliding more fun than flying in MMORPGs?This article discusses the evolution and enjoyment of gliding mechanics in MMORPGs, comparing it to traditional flying. While initially underwhelmed by Guild Wars 2's gliding, the author now appreciates its contribution to player freedom without trivializing world traversal, noting its prevalence in recent survival sandboxes like Aloft, Palia, Nightingale, and Farever.
- Issues and ActivismWorld of Warcraft has introduced its most expensive player housing microtransactions to date. This move has sparked discussion and criticism regarding the monetization practices within the game.
- WoW Factor: Mike Ybarra is blaming Ion Hazzikostas for actually getting better at his jobFormer Blizzard executive Mike Ybarra has criticized current World of Warcraft Game Director Ion Hazzikostas's leadership, suggesting the game has declined under his direction. The author argues that Hazzikostas has actually shown growth and made positive design changes, shifting focus beyond just raiding to include more player-friendly content like housing. The article contends that Ybarra's criticisms are misplaced and reflect a personal preference for past game states rather than the actual health of World of Warcraft.
Why Gaming Friends Fade: The Science Behind LossThis analysis explores the scientific reasons behind the loss of friendships, particularly those formed through gaming, during adulthood. It highlights research indicating that adult friendships naturally decay without consistent interaction and that life-stage pressures like parenthood significantly reduce social time. The article emphasizes that online friendships are genuine and provide crucial social support, but are also vulnerable to dissolution, leading to loneliness which is now considered a public health crisis with serious health implications.- World of Warcraft begins testing and teasing Midnight: Revelations’ raid, quests, and UI QOLBlizzard Entertainment has begun detailing the upcoming 'Midnight: Revelations' update for World of Warcraft, which will include a new single-boss raid called Sporefall and the return of Turbulent Timeways with new Dragonflight dungeons. The update also introduces new void assault locations, a new mechanic called Omnium Folio, troll-themed quest arcs, and significant quality-of-life improvements to raid frames and damage meters.
A treehouse bundle in WoW costs a whopping $75, and while I know exactly who Blizzard's made it for, that…The article discusses the high cost of microtransactions for player housing in World of Warcraft, specifically a $75 treehouse bundle. While acknowledging that some decor is available through gameplay, the author questions the pricing strategy for cosmetic items, suggesting it may alienate average players.
World of Warcraft's new housing bundle costs $75, and the timing couldn't have been worseBlizzard Entertainment has released a new $75 housing bundle for World of Warcraft's latest expansion, Midnight, amidst player frustration over recent buggy updates and technical issues with the player housing feature. The bundle, which includes cosmetic items purchasable with a premium currency, has drawn criticism for its high price and poor timing, especially as some players experienced the housing system being disabled shortly after launch. This release has further fueled concerns about the accelerated content schedule impacting game quality.