--- title: 'For the First Time in Years, WoW and Blizzard Face Real Competition' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=kgfvkLDR0AA' video_id: 'kgfvkLDR0AA' date: 2026-08-09 duration_sec: 704 --- # For the First Time in Years, WoW and Blizzard Face Real Competition > Source: [For the First Time in Years, WoW and Blizzard Face Real Competition](https://youtube.com/watch?v=kgfvkLDR0AA) ## Summary The video discusses the upcoming wave of competition in the MMORPG genre, with titles like Guild Wars 3, Chrono Odyssey, and Riot's MMO challenging World of Warcraft's long-standing dominance. The creator argues that this competition is healthy and will force Blizzard to innovate, ultimately benefiting players. ### Key Points - **New MMOs on the Horizon** [00:57] — Guild Wars 3 is in development, Chrono Odyssey is near release, Riot is working on a League of Legends MMO, and Classic Plus/Beyond are on the horizon. - **Blizzard's Internal Competition** [01:23] — Blizzard has been competing mostly with itself, leading to a 'civil war' between classic and retail WoW players due to lack of external competition. - **Lack of Alternatives for Players** [01:52] — Players have had few alternatives to WoW, so they often return after a short break. New competitors will change this dynamic. - **Blizzard's Complacency** [03:14] — Blizzard has become comfortable and hasn't taken risks because they are already the biggest MMO. They focus on retaining players rather than innovating. - **Focus on the Past vs. Future** [04:09] — The MMO industry is asking 'What is next?' while WoW focuses on re-releasing old content. New games are built for the next 10 years. - **Retention vs. Competition** [05:21] — Competition means convincing players to choose you over others, not just keeping them subscribed. Blizzard will have to earn players back. - **WoW's 20-Year Legacy** [06:16] — WoW carries 20 years of technical and design baggage. New MMOs have no such legacy, giving them an advantage. - **Pressure Spurs Innovation** [07:10] — Blizzard under pressure has historically produced its best work. Competition will force them to innovate and listen to players. - **Competition Exposes Weakness** [08:55] — Competition doesn't kill great games; it exposes lazy ones. If WoW is truly great, it should welcome the challenge. - **Players Are the Real Winners** [09:22] — The real winner is the players, who will benefit from a genre that feels alive again with multiple games competing for their attention. ## Transcript Blizzard is about to face something they haven't had to deal with in a very long time. Real competition. And I think that's the best thing that could happen everyone starts screaming that World of Warcraft is dying and the world is going to end, that's not what this video is about. World of Warcraft is still the king of MMO genre. It still has millions of active players. The Midnight the game like drastically improving gameplay and bringing player housing. But, something feels different right the last few months, I've felt something I haven't felt in a very long time as an MMO player. And that is genuine excitement. Not for just World of Warcraft, not for a new game coming out I'll play for maybe a month and then put down, but because everywhere you look around us, things are actually starting to happen. There are changes being made. Guild Wars 3 is officially in development. Chrono Odyssey is right around the corner. Riot is still quietly working on their League of Legends MMO. You have things like Classic Plus and Beyond. And suddenly, after years of feeling like World of Warcraft was sort of standing alone at the top of the mountain, it feels like the rest of the genre is like finally starting to wake up, catch up, and be involved in the ball game. That's where things get really interesting here because for years Blizzard has been competing mostly with itself. Rather than competing with other games in the genre, trying to fight for who's at the top. There's almost been like kind of like a civil war between classic WoW and retail WoW players because there's no one else to fight. So, they just say, other." And when it comes to WoW players, they get frustrated, they World of Warcraft. And then simply because there's no other game to turn to or check out, they simply just log back into WoW a few weeks or even a few supposed to go? What game are they supposed to play that's going to scratch that MMORPG itch? There really hasn't been many options. But what happens when been many options. But what happens when players finally have a real alternative other than World of Warcraft again? What happens when MMO fans have multiple games they're genuinely excited to play and there's a major tug-of-war happening because whether Blizzard or us as players want to admit this or not, that world is coming very, very soon and I think this is going to force World of Warcraft and Blizzard to evolve in many ways we haven't seen in many, many years from them. If I'm being completely honest, I think part of the reason all of this feels so exciting is because the MMO genre has felt very stagnant. Not necessarily World of Warcraft itself. In fact, I think Midnight is shaping up to has put together in nearly like a decade, probably since Legion, but the genre as a whole, it feels like for the longest time the MMORPG player has just been sort of sitting around waiting for the next big thing, waiting for somebody the next big thing, waiting for somebody to finally come along and remind us what the golden era of MMORPGs used to look like and what real competition feels like cuz if you think about it, for years Blizzard really hasn't had to answer any hard questions simply because no one's challenged them. No one has forced Blizzard to do anything or change or shift or make a movement happen. Why in the world would Blizzard invest hundreds of millions of dollars into a completely new product or engine or design when you're still the biggest MMORPG on the planet? Why would they take massive risks when you're already winning? And that's where I think Blizzard has become a little too comfortable. You have things like hardcore wow, season of discovery, uh Mists of Pandaria classic, classic plus. saying any of these games or things or bad. I've enjoyed most of them. I think they're quite great. But if you look closely, we're spending most of our time talking about the past. Old versions of wow, old expansions, old systems, old experiences. Meanwhile, quietly awaking from a slumber, the MMORPG industry is starting to ask a completely different question that wow really isn't asking right now. What is next? What does the next generation of MMORPGs actually look like? What does an MMO built for the next 10 years looks like? Because eventually, nostalgia stops being enough for video game players and quite honestly, even myself. Eventually, something that's been hitting me pretty hard over the last like month and change or so because I feel like I've been in the same sort of MMORPG loop for years and I'm ready to see something different, something exciting and fresh. I want games to compete for my subscription again because competition brings out the best in people and I think it also brings out the best in games as well. And for the first time in a long time, Blizzard might actually have to start answering some of these questions about what the next generation of MMOs look like for other people. And this is where things I think become genuinely difficult for Blizzard because for the last decade, wow hasn't been competing for players. It's just sort of been trying to retain them. Retaining players simply means, "Hey, can we make sure these people stay subscribed and not leave? Okay, great. Check. I'll see you later." They're not competing for players. Competing means convincing them to choose you over the competition, over everybody else. And if Guild Wars 3 is successful, if the Riot MMO eventually launches, whenever that is, suddenly Blizzard finds itself in a is, suddenly Blizzard finds itself in a position that it now has to earn players back. It has to convince them to compete and come back and play the video game, not because World of Warcraft suddenly became a bad game, but because when you're the king for 20 years, it's very easy to focus on protecting what you've already built rather than innovate. So now they need to fight and compete for other players, especially when these new MMORPGs aren't carrying 20 years of baggage like technical limitation and legacy systems. I mean World of Warcraft came out in 2004. Like there has to be some change happening. I'll say right now comfortably, you ask me, "Hey, would you rather invest in the future of World of Warcraft if it never changes or updates right now, or would you rather invest in the future of brand new MMORPGs like Guild Wars 3 and the Riot very difficult question to answer at this point in time. Blizzard right now may find itself in a position where being World of Warcraft is not enough on its own. Think about what I just said. Blizzard may find itself in a position where being WoW is not enough. They're going to have to prove why World of going to have to prove why World of Warcraft should continue to be the king, and that's not a battle they've really had to fight in a while. Now, you might be expecting me to say, "Okay, Blizzard screw, Guild Wars and the you know Riot MMO are the future. I'll see you guys later. I'm making content on that." But everything I said, believe it or not, is exactly why I'm actually optimistic here. Some of the best versions of World of Warcraft that we've ever got have come from Blizzard being challenged, not when they're comfortable, not when they're uncontested, but when they're forced to adapt, innovate, listen, and watching are grown adults and you understand that competition has a very very funny way of bringing out the best in people. Believe it or not, I think it be honest for a second. If Blizzard woke up tomorrow and somehow knew that no up tomorrow and somehow knew that no MMORPG for the next 20 years would ever challenge them, do you really think we would get Blizzard's best work here? Do you really think we'd see massive risks being taken, new ideas, new investments, or do you think we just get more of the same over and over again? And that's why I'm not looking at Guild Wars or the Riot MMO as some sort of giant threat. I actually look at them as a form of pressure. And Blizzard under pressure has come through most of the time in the gaming industry. I mean, at the time. And I don't know about you guys, I'm kind of sick and tired of old, you know, same old, same old deal. The whole skating by thing. And I I want something fresh. I want something modernized. I want the entire game improved top to bottom. I mean, Blizzard, they have an unlimited budget, complacency for longer than I could even imagine. It's time for them to stop thinking about "How can we retain players?" And they need to start thinking, "How can we make sure World of Warcraft is still the king of all MMOs 10 years from now?" Competition does not kill great games, ladies and gentlemen. kill great games, ladies and gentlemen. Competition exposes the shitty and lazy ones. And if World of Warcraft is truly as good as we all believe it is, then it should absolutely welcome the challenge of these games coming in the nearby that's why I don't really care which one wins because, you know, listen, maybe another, you know, 10 years. Maybe Guild Wars 3 becomes the next massive MMO. Maybe Riot finally releases their game out of nowhere, and the genre gets completely flipped on its head. I don't know. I couldn't tell you. But, I will say I don't think it really matters because the real winner in all of this isn't Blizzard, isn't ArenaNet with Guild Wars, isn't the Riot MMO. It's actually us as players. Think about it. It's us as the MMO player. For years, competition, for something to push the freaking genre forward. We've been left in the dust for so damn long as MMORPG enjoyers and players. And now, finally feels like we're getting exactly that. For the first time in what feels like years and forever, MMO players have something to look forward to beyond just another patch cycle or a season or a potential DLC or expansion. We have an potential DLC or expansion. We have an entire genre that feels alive again. And maybe that's the thing that excites me most. Not Guild Wars 3, not Riot's MMO, the first time in years, it feels like we're entering a potential another era we're entering a potential another era of golden age of MMORPGs. A future where developers actually have to compete for our attention and our wallets again, where great games aren't rewarded simply for existing or freaking nostalgia bait. where innovation matters again. And if that puts a little pressure on Blizzard, honestly, I'm all for it, man. I think good. The best World of Warcraft has always come from Blizzard having steep competition, something to prove, and for the first time in a long time, they may I think this is all just so much fun and nowhere when it comes to MMOs, things seemed so like dark. Like just the other day when Ashes of Creation crashed and burned and the whole scam happened. shut down. The new Lord of the Rings Online MMO got canceled. It seemed like there was just no light at the end of the tunnel for the MMORPG genre, but lo out of nowhere and the beta is, you know, year and change out. I mean, man, what a way to shake up the industry. What a freaking exciting time. I I'm I'm so hyped for all this as a content creator, as an MMORPG enjoyer, and I you all. Love you guys. God bless. Hope you enjoyed this video. I will see you in the next one. Peace. Hey, everybody. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the content, consider subscribing or check out one of the videos you see on screen things Warcraft. [music] My name is Scott from The Comeback Kids. It's an absolute pleasure to make content for you all. I'll see you in the next one. you all. I'll see you in the next one. Peace.