The initial announcement of Warcraft 3: Reforged, a remake of the third and most widely beloved game in the original Warcraft series, came at Blizzcon of 2018. Since that initial announcement, almost nothing has been heard about when players will get their hands on the game, until now.
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The game was originally supposed to drop during the later part of 2019, but with the very last part of 2019 rapidly approaching, it is clear that will not happen. Indeed, the actual release date for Warcraft 3: Reforged is January 28th, 2020. The development team cited the need for additional time to make sure the game would be ready for fans eager to take the old tale for another spin, pushing the release just past the tail end of the year. With the first Warcraft and Warcraft 2 released on GOG, and the original Warcraft 3 still widely played, there will certainly be a lot to compare it to on release.
This remaster of the game is likely the culmination of a very long-term effort on Blizzard’s part. As far back as 2017, there were rumors circulating about a Warcraft mobile game, started by a job posting from Blizzard. In February of the next year, several professional Warcraft 3 players were brought in for a secret event by Blizzard. In retrospect, it seems that development and testing for the game have gone on over a much longer period of time, and this is likely the true tail-end of the creation process.
A remake of Warcraft 3 could see a significant impact in the eSports scene. So many of Blizzard’s titles already feature prominently as eSports games, and Reforged has been stated to specifically be a remake for the present day, meaning that in addition to balance tweaks, it has likely been developed with an eye towards competitive play on a large scale. The title that defined the Real-Time Strategy genre for many people carries significantly more weight now than when it released, meaning it could prove a union of Blizzard’s past and present more impactful than any other current releases.
On the other hand, Blizzard is not viewed with the same love and respect that it was in its heyday. It has had its place in the year’s biggest controversies, and its announcement of a mobile Diablo game was met with outright scorn. Whether Warcraft 3: Reforged is a heartfelt love letter or a desperate cash grab will say a lot about where the company is now in the eyes of players and long-time fans.
Warcraft 3: Reforged will release on January 28, 2020 for the PC.
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Source: Slashgear
