There is still plenty of 2025 left to stumble through and plenty of World of Warcraft updates still to come in the year. Today, World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale shared her thoughts about some of the things players can expect to see from the MMO in 2025.
First and foremost, Longdale shared both her thoughts and some thoughts from the World of Warcraft team about the current state of the game. Included, is a bit about how the team is trying to craft "experiences for all." We are also treated to some of the first news about the new player housing feature coming in the upcoming Midnight expansion.
Housing is more than a feature to us. No matter what we create, it’s the community that will help to define how Housing gives everyone a place in Azeroth to truly make their own. Our passionate and dedicated Housing development team will be working alongside the community to bring you something truly special. Our eyes and ears are always open to you, as the journey home begins with you.
Blizzard says that player housing will be "primarily player-first and not revenue-first."
We’ve been very aligned in our internal conversations that Housing is designed to be primarily player-first and not revenue-first. Housing will offer hundreds and hundreds of decorations and house customizations via in-game rewards but will also offer a smaller number of items in the cash shop as well. This is comparable to how transmogs and pets are currently handled in game versus the shop. We want to allow players to have as many options as possible for creating their perfect home in Azeroth.
Housing won't be a purely solo experience either. It seems like Blizzard will implement Neighborhoods where about 50 housing plots can be placed. Players will be able to live next to each other, work together, and "share in the rewards of being part of the Neighborhood." These Neighborhoods are instanced but persistent. This means that your neighbors can be your neighbors forever, or until they move away because you play your music too loud or something.
Neighborhoods also come in two flavors:
- Public Neighborhoods, which the game servers are responsible for creating as needed and maintaining.
- Private Neighborhoods created by groups of friends or guilds to inhabit, progress, and customize together.
- Boundless Self-Expression: Our highest priority is to allow players to build a house that shows off their own personal tastes or their Warband’s, acts as a desired backdrop for roleplaying, or just allows players to create something in a flight of fancy. The toolset should be easy enough for someone with no 3D experience to be comfortable with and use successfully, but it should also be powerful enough that players can surprise us with their creations or drill down to get the tiniest details just right. The gamut of decor options spans not just the cultures of Azeroth but the many expansions of World of Warcraft as well.
- Deeply Social: World of Warcraft is more fun with other players, and Housing should be no different. While players can enjoy housing purely on their own, its systems are designed at a fundamental level to encourage interacting, playing, and progressing with friends, neighbors, guilds, and the wider community in a meaningful way.
- Long-Lasting Journey: Housing is being built as an evergreen addition to the game, with its own roadmap, reaching across multiple patches and into future expansions. Housing isn’t something players should expect to “finish”, but instead continually look forward to the next housing release, be it new content or systems. This is a long-term commitment for us as developers and offers players rewards all along the way.
