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According to a new report, Blizzard is currently developing a new Warcraft-related game for mobile devices. Although what this game might be is unclear at this time, considering that the Warcraft franchise covers games including World of Warcraft and Hearthstone, it should be welcome news for fans of the Warcraft universe.
This news also comes during a period of transition for Activision Blizzard, following the company's recent acquisition by Microsoft. The purchase has many fans of series like Warcraft that future games could be tied to the Xbox console series and PC, leaving those playing on other consoles like Sony's PlayStation on the outside looking in. Microsoft has attempted to assuage some of those concerns by assuring fans of its flagpole franchises, like Call of Duty, that the Activision Blizzard games will remain available across console families, at least for the time being. While the latest rumors don't explicitly relate to the future of Activision Blizzard games on other consoles, they do appear to support the message from Microsoft that games will not be limited to just Xbox and PC.
According to a report by insider Jason Schreier, Blizzard is planning a brand new experience for Warcraft players that will bring the franchise to mobile devices. Although Schreier jokingly calls the notion a combination of Warcraft and the popular augmented reality game Pokémon GO, the actual nature of this upcoming mobile game is still unknown. The only knowledge that Schreier has is that it is a "new" experience, so it is unlikely to be something as simple as a mobile port of a game like Warcraft III.
The prospect of a new property based in or related to the Warcraft universe of games is sure to be exciting for many fans of the series. Even so, the current juggernauts of the franchise like Hearthstone and World of Warcraft are still going strong. World of Warcraft recently announced a new, upcoming patch to the Shadowlands expansion, to be released in November 2022. While there may be some concern that World of Warcraft's player base is not at its highest point in the game's life cycle, it still boasts a vast and healthy player base, which Schreier also alludes to in his tweet.
Regardless of what this new content for mobile will be, such revelations do paint a strong picture for Blizzard following its acquisition. As World of Warcraft continues to be a strong tentpole franchise for the company, now under Microsoft's direction, the possibilities for a spin-off or new game under the Warcraft franchise could be a smashing success.
Source: Jason Schreier/Twitter