World of Warcraft Classic: Hit game goes back to basics

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The hit video game World of Warcraft (WoW) is going back to basics with the launch of WoW Classic this evening.

First released in 2004, the online multi-player game has evolved and changed dramatically over the years.

Many players had asked developer Blizzard Entertainment to revive the original version of the game, known as "classic" or "vanilla" WoW.

While not identical to the original, WoW Classic will replicate a majority of the features from the first game.

World of Warcraft is a fantasy game in which players roam the virtual world, fighting monsters and completing quests.

Blizzard said some players who had been given early access to the classic version - which is released at 23:00 BST on Monday - mistakenly thought some of the original features were errors.

The company has compiled a list of common complaints that are "not bugs" on its message board.

What set WoW apart?

"WoW's launch was a significant moment," says Piers Harding-Rolls, from the IHS Markit consultancy. "It had a broad impact on the gaming sector as a whole and especially the online gaming scene.

"The appeal and accessibility of the game meant it soon grew to millions of users in the West and broadened the audience for this type of game significantly.

"It was so popular in the US that Blizzard - then part of Vivendi - ran ads on TV with celebrity endorsements. This was pretty much unheard of back in 2004."

Oli Walsh, editor of video-game website Eurogamer, said: "The quality of the execution set it apart, along with Blizzard's ability to make this previously rather intimidating style of game approachable to a broad audience.

"It was, and remains, so well done that nothing has really supplanted it in 15 years - although many tried. Arguably, it was the first truly mass-market online game."

Why do some fans want Classic?

At its peak, World of Warcraft had about 12 million active players, though numbers have since declined.

However, Blizzard expects so much interest in WoW Classic that players will have to queue to enter certain realms.

One of the game's producers has encouraged fans to reserve their player nameahead of the launch.

"The release of WoW Classic will be a nostalgia trip for gamers who left WoW many years ago - and a fresh experience for gamers that played the game later in its lifecycle," said Mr Harding-Rolls.

"Inevitably there will be some aspects of WoW Classic that might feel of its time, but it has also been updated with better graphics and other features to make the transition easier for gamers in 2019."

Mr Walsh added: "I think a lot of people will enjoy reliving memories in it for a month or two, but after a while they'll move on and only that hardcore will remain. For Blizzard, it's more of a vehicle to keep WoW fresh and get lapsed players excited about it.

"It's significant in another sense, though - this is the first time anyone has officially recreated an old version of an evolving online game, and as such, it's a fascinating experiment."