Top WoW Youtubers Abandon Blizzard's MMO
Preach Gaming and MadSeasonShow, some of the biggest YouTube channels covering World of Warcraft, are will no longer create videos about the famous MMORPG. The reason for this is the recent Blizzard controversy and the general condition of the game.
- Preach Gaming and MadSeasonShow, two big YouTube channels covering World of Warcraft, are no longer publishing content about the game;
- The author of the former explains that the decision was made due to the recent scandal at Activision Blizzard and the game's condition;
- The creator of the other channel, in turn, is not happy with the payments that appeared in World of Warcraft Classic.
Activision Blizzard is definitely not having a very good run these days. All because of accusations of sexual harassment and mobbing that allegedly took place within the company. This concerned, among others, the team responsible for the development of the iconic MMORPG World of Warcraft. As we read in the lawsuit:
"Female employees working for the World of Warcraft team noted that male employees and supervisors would hit on them, make derogatory comments about rape, and otherwise engage in demeaning behavior."
All this commotion, which caused, among other things, the suspension of work on the title in question, was not to the taste of players, who have actively shown their dissatisfaction in the form of a protest. However, this was not the end of the game's problems. In recent days, two YouTube channel have resigned from creating materials about the game: Preach Gaming and MadSeasonShow, which are one of the largest channels on YouTube covering the game (via Gamespot).
In the video announcing the decision to stop recording materials about World of Warcraft Mike from Preach Gaming, which has been around since 2010, explains that it was made for two reasons. The first is the reported controversy over allegations against Activision Blizzard and response of the company's executives. These cause the creator to no longer feel comfortable advertising the famous MMORPG.
The second of the reasons why Preach Gaming channel ceases to create materials related to World of Warcraft is the game's current condition. In the quoted recording there are words about the growing problems with balance, disappointing recent expansions and new mechanics that make virtual travel through Azeroth no longer fun.
"I feel that in the last few years Blizzard has really done a lot to make players like me go away," we hear in the video above.
As for the MadSeasonShow channel, which began its activity on YouTube in 2014, the person who runs it decided to give up World of Warcraft coverage even before the sexual harassment scandal broke out. Therefore, this announcement video focuses primarily on dissatisfaction with the game's current condition, most notably WoW Classic. It was mainly the business model of the title, including the so-called WoW Token, thanks to which we can buy gold with real money. The final straw, however, was the release of Burning Crusade Classic, which offered the possibility of a paid level increase and a mount. These are things that were not present in the original. To quote the words from the video:
"The only reason I stayed with Classic, was that I was promised that I would receive the game in a condition where it wasn't already damaged so badly that it couldn't be fixed anymore. But they [Blizzard - ed. note] lied to me, an example of which is the ability to boost characters. I feel like that was a betrayal of Classic's community.
Although, for the reasons stated in the previous paragraph, the video published on the MadSeasonShow channel does not include a word about the recent Blizzard controversy, the host decided to address it in the comments. He stressed that he supports all those affected by the affair and noted with sadness that scandals have already become an everyday occurrence for the company.
Of course, it's hard to say whether materials from World of Warcraft will really never appear again on Preach Gaming and MadSeasonShow. However, it does not change the fact that their departure may encourage more people to cancel subscriptions to Blizzard's MMORPG. The situation of the team from Irvine is definitely not enviable.
