7 hours Ago By Kosta Andreadis
Blizzard's Warcraft franchise is one of the most beloved in gaming history, from its roots as a strategy series to the ongoing success of World of Warcraft. Warcraft III: Reforged, the remastered release of the iconic 2002 real-time strategy game, was expected to be an easy win for the studio - instead, it became one of the most criticized releases in the studio's long history. The game's initial reveal showcased rebuilt and extended cinematics with upgraded visuals, highly detailed character models, and more.
The result featured none of this, with fans unhappy with the quality of the remastered 3D assets and multiplayer features that had been around for over a decade disappearing. Yes, Blizzard chose to replace existing versions of the game with Warcraft III: Reforged, a decision that affected players enjoying a game for nearly 20 years. The good news is that there could be light at the end of the tunnel for Warcraft III, as the game could be getting a major update very soon.
As spotted on Resetera by user 'hobblygobbly,' the Blizztrack tool that tracks Blizzard games and updates has confirmed that the internal Warcraft 3 Public Test Realm has been updated to version 2.0.0.
As a studio, Blizzard has always used version numbers like 2.0, 3.0, and so forth for major updates, expansions, or overhauls.
Warcraft is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so the timing makes sense. Not to overstate things, but Warcraft III: Reforged is a stain on the franchise's legacy, and an overhaul makes sense. Blizzard even sent out a survey a year ago asking fans what they would like to see happen with the game.
It might not be the complete campaign remake that was teased and abandoned, but it could be an overhaul of the skirmish and multiplayer modes and features. You know it's bad when a large contingency of fans simply want to see the original non-Reforged version of Warcraft III return..
