World of Warcraft is about to launch a new version with a controller option, and the team behind it calls that option the first step of something bigger. Blizzard's new-player starter guide for World of Warcraft: Forever says the game runs on Windows or Mac with keyboard and mouse, and that "controller support is also available in a beta state for players who prefer a gamepad."
The bigger signal came in an interview. Speaking to GamesRadar, WoW executive producer and vice president Holly Longdale said multi-platform play is the long-term goal, and that "the first leg of that journey is getting gamepads working really well with World of Warcraft." VGC picked up the comments on October 29. Neither Blizzard nor either outlet confirms a console version.
What Forever is, and what the guide says
World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, according to both GamesRadar and VGC. GamesRadar describes it as a third version of the game sitting alongside the modern game and Classic, rooted in the game's 2004 to 2006 era but with new content, including nine new dungeons and two new raids, and without flying mounts. Blizzard's guide says it's included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time.
The guide is practical. New players create a Battle.net account, install World of Warcraft through the Battle.net desktop app and select Forever from the available game versions. Before character creation, they pick an Experience Preset (Classic or Enhanced) and a Ruleset. Blizzard points players to its current system requirements before installing. On controls, the guide says you can play with a keyboard and mouse, and that controller support is available in a beta state for players who prefer a gamepad.
What Blizzard said about other platforms
GamesRadar put a direct question to Longdale: was launching Forever on PC only a missed opportunity, given that a fresh start for an entire player base is rare? Her answer, as published: "Play it wherever you want and, at some point, on whatever you want. But the first leg of that journey is getting gamepads working really well with World of Warcraft, and we thought Forever was the perfect place to start."
She went on to mention Project Helix. "Looking at where things are going when we hear about Project Helix et cetera, I think platforms will be a bit more ubiquitous," she told GamesRadar, adding: "Honestly, we just want to be able to play it anywhere. We've seen people getting it working on the ROG Ally X." She added that the gamepad work "is going to give players a lot of flexibility that I think goes beyond consoles."
VGC's report describes Project Helix as next-generation Xbox hardware widely expected to be a console and PC hybrid, and notes that no console version of World of Warcraft has been confirmed. In the published remarks, Longdale mentions Project Helix only as an example of where hardware is heading, and gives no release date or timeline for any new platform.
Why the controller work matters
GamesRadar points out that WoW has always been designed around mouse and keyboard as the primary way to interact with Azeroth, and calls the beta's native controller support "one of the biggest surprises" of the test. In Longdale's account, gamepad support is the step that comes before any wider platform plans, and Forever, where GamesRadar notes the whole player base starts from scratch and levels from one to 60 together, was the place Blizzard chose to begin.
What happens next
Forever goes live on November 4, according to GamesRadar and VGC, and Blizzard's guide describes controller support as being in beta. Blizzard hasn't announced any console or additional platform release, and Longdale's comments set no timeline.
Mason's take: This is my inference, not Blizzard's announcement, but the logic is hard to miss. Microsoft owns Blizzard, Helix is reportedly hardware that blurs console and PC, and a major obstacle to WoW on that kind of device has always been the controls. Shipping a gamepad beta in the version built to attract new and lapsed players looks like groundwork. Whether it turns into WoW on a TV is still unconfirmed, and Blizzard is right not to promise it yet. But "at some point, on whatever you want" is not how a studio talks about a feature it plans to leave in beta forever.
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