Blizzard Knows It „Won't Fix Systemic Injustice by Changing an Emote in WoW”
The director of World of Warcraft addressed the allegations of fans about changes in the game. According to the creator, this is not just a smokescreen for the lack of taking real action.
- Director of World of Warcraft addressed player complaints about recent changes to the game;
- He claims this is not just a smokescreen for the lack of taking real action;
- In addition, Blizzard announced the creation of a Community Council that will help develop WoW.
Blizzard has been dealing with a huge image crisis for a long time. This has significantly affected World of Warcraft, the studio's leading product. In the face of piling up accusations of harassment, mobbing and many other harmful practices taking place in the company, it was decided to make changes in the popular MMO.
It started with removing the names of employees involved in the scandals from the game. Soon after, more elements that didn't align with Blizzard's values disappeared from WoW - individual names, jokes, and even entire story quests. At one point, it was hard to tell which changes were related to controversy and which were simply creative decisions.
These actions frustrated many players. Some began to accuse the studio that they were just a smokescreen to hide the fact that devs were not making real decisions to improve the company. In an interview for VentureBeat, Ion Hazzikostas, the director of World of Warcraft, adressed the accusations.
"[...] there are those who have expressed concern that we’re almost doing this as a smokescreen. Rather than actually tackling the hard issues, we’re just changing some words in a game. [...] We understand that we’re not fixing systemic injustice by changing an emote in World of Warcraft. But why not do that while we’re also working on larger cultural unity and diversity and safety issues and more?"
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Hazzikostas also confessed that behind the scenes the studio is about to undergo major changes. These include the way managers are evaluated and recruitment methods. The company is going to try to create the most diverse team of workers possible. This should help in creating a group which will act more efficiently than before and create better content for the game.
Another way to improve World of Warcraft itself is to be in touch with the players. The creators have announced that on November 1 they will establish a Community Council, which will be composed of 100 selected WoW fans. This group will gain access to special communication channels through which they will communicate with the developers. In this way, Blizzard is to find out in what direction to develop the title.
Any player can join the council. If you want to submit your candidacy, you can find the appropriate form on this page.
