World of Warcraft Classic has added the former EverQuest boss to its development team. This information comes soon after the rumors regarding Blizzard possibly eyeing a console release for their leading title, and after Blizzard activated a crazy XP boost for World of Warcraft players for a whole month.
World of Warcraft Classic released on August 26, 2019, allowing nostalgic players to go back to the original days of WoW, with skill trees and a much smaller world in comparison to the modern game with its plethora of expansions. Since its release, WoW Classic has garnered a wealth of attention, with players documenting interesting raid wipes and doubling the amount of the game’s overall subscribers.
According to MassivelyOP, Blizzard has now added former EverQuest boss, Holly Longdale, to the WoW Classic development team after her departure from Darkpaw Games – a subsidiary of parent company Daybreak. Longdale joined the company as a “Principal Game Producer at Blizzard.” Following Longdale’s departure, Jennifer Chan took charge of Darkpaw Games and the future of the EverQuest franchise, quickly putting out both a patch for EverQuest II and an address to players.
Longdale originally left Daybreak in March 2020, citing her reason for exit to be the pursuit of a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that [she] owe[s] to all players and developers of EverQuest and EverQuest II.” Similar to what happens anytime a developer vacates a position to pursue other opportunities, Longdale’s move got the rumor mill turning, but no one accurately guessed where she was going next.
The entertainment industry, from video games and films to Broadway theatre and musicians, is always ripe with rumors that either have no basis or an insufficient amount. The moment any professional entertainer does anything unordinary, such as pursue a new career opportunity, fans and media alike circulate speculation like it’s all that sustains them. For better or worse, these rumors spread like wildfire and offer a form of entertainment on their own, giving people something else to do until they learn the truth, assuming the truth doesn’t cause another rumor to spin off of.
Game developers are entertainers who most often fulfill their role behind the scenes, bringing to life the worlds and characters gamers know and love. What fans and media outlets often forget is the word “professional” that comes before “entertainer,” meaning game developers are career-driven just as much as they’re entertainment-driven. When an opportunity presents itself to further their own goals and ambitions, they will take it if it’s beneficial to them. Longdale joining Blizzard has received some mixed feedback from fans, some congratulating her on landing her new position during such a tough time in the world and others criticizing her for leaving behind something she has led so well (EverQuest). Regardless of which side of the fence one finds themselves, Longdale is only doing what professionals do – advance.
World of Warcraft Classic released on August 26, 2019, and is available on Mac and PC.
Source: MassivelyOP