If you think of the MMORPG genre, one name is sure to jump to mind: World of Warcraft. For almost two decades it has reigned supreme as the archetypal MMO, to the point that its fair to say most games in the genre which came after were heavily influenced by its design—for better or for worse.
Since its release in 2004, it has kept a strong player base despite retaining a notably high subscription price. Many of these players, of course, have been here for the long haul—veterans who have pumped tens of thousands of hours into the game.
While over its 17 years at the top WoW has falsely been exclaimed to be “dying” many times, in 2021 such claims feel different in the face of the slow but steadily declining player base seen over the last 7 years.
But there are reasons players are finally jumping ship on WoW after all these years, and it isn’t simply a factor of age. Let’s run down some of the most frequently cited reasons people are leaving the game.
Lack of regular Content Updates and Releases
Let’s face it, in the 21st century, content is key—but that also makes it cutthroat. Modern games aim to present new content incredibly frequently to keep players hooked.
Compared to many of its competitors—MMO or otherwise—World of Warcraft simply doesn’t keep up with this metric with new content, balances or tweaks being few and far between. Players are turning to games like Path of Exile where there’s constant new content for you to enjoy, this is where PoE Orbs help every player. But the most popular choice was Final Fantasy for most players, everyone started buying FF14 accounts to jump straight into the action because the servers got so flooded that no new players could register.
This is leaving players especially sore as they believe the monthly subscription fee certainly warrants more frequent content updates than those found in other free-to-play titles and, sadly, the team at Blizzard simply isn’t keeping up.
Of course, there’s enough content in WoW to keep any newcomer entertained for the foreseeable future, but for veterans and regulars the lack of new content simply means there isn’t that much to do.
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The Endgame is Incredibly Grindy
For most players of MMOs, the game is the endgame. That part where you grind through bosses, dungeons, crafting and more to get your hands on the best and most aesthetic items available to you.
Despite this, it’s hard to avoid the fact that as WoW went on the end game just became more and more grindy.
Previously obtaining “best in slot” gear was relatively easy, with clear indication to which bosses you’d need to kill. You could even work in tandem with guild members, activating “master looter” to allow the desired items to be passed around.
However, the game no longer works like this. It feels like more and more layers of randomness have been added to the game’s looting systems which simply make the end game a whole lot of RNG. So unless you’re ready to get down on your hands and knees to pray to RNGesus, the end game might not be for you.
Time Gating Content is Simply Not Fun
Again introduced in recent years is the concept of “time gating”. This locks off many of WoW’s endgame systems to only be accessed at set intervals. Such as the reward chests from Mythic+ runs which can only be collected once a week.
While this mechanic has balance at heart—trying to keep casual and hardcore players on more even pegging—it simply punishes players for playing the game, locking content off for arbitrary reasons. And for that reason, it simply becomes incredibly tedious to even engage in these systems.
Dungeons Don’t Stand Up to Modern-Day Design Preferences
While Dungeons are definitely the biggest part of most MMOs endgame, that is certainly the case in WoW which features some of the genres best and most memorable Dungeons.
But while we all surely have some fond Leroy Jenkins-like moments, when comparing WoW’s dungeons to others available in the genre today it’s fair to say some simply don’t stand up.
Of course, 17 years of gaming innovation put WoW at a disadvantage here, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that there are quite so many fantastic alternatives players could be engaging with—from FFIXIV to Warframe.
The Story’s Doesn’t Hit the Mark
While Blizzard have always hit the mark with lore, sadly the same can’t be said about the story of WoW. This becomes even worse when you realise the techniques Blizzard are so often using feel like they are simply there to keep players engaged, instead of providing quality storytelling.
Take Sylvanas’ role in Shadowlands. While Sylvanas has always been a fan-favourite character shrouded in mystery, Shadowlands placed her front and centre leading players to expect a huge narrative payoff. Sadly, Blizzard instead opted for a huge cliff-hanger, leaving fans yawning as Blizzard make it incredibly clear that they simply want you to wait for, and buy, the next expansion.
Politics at Blizzard
Beyond the game itself, it’s hard to avoid the recent explosion of news covering the misconduct at Activision Blizzard. While many players are sure to be able to separate WoW from company politics, many players will feel like the experience is soured by knowing about the misconduct going on behind closed doors, forcing them to turn their backs on the game and the company as a whole.
While WoW is unlikely to die anytime soon, it’s hard to avoid the signs that player counts are dwindling faster than they ever have in the past.
Whether this will see Blizzard bring the game to a close in the coming years or keep it alive is very much up for debate. But chances are we may see some pretty major changes to the WoW formula if player counts do continue to drop.
