Blizzard has exciting news for World of Warcraft fans: player housing is on its way with the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. In a recent preview, the WoW team shared early insights into this much-anticipated feature, even taking a playful swipe at Final Fantasy XIV's housing system in the process.
One of the key goals outlined in the recent dev blog is "A Home for Everyone." Blizzard emphasized their commitment to making housing accessible to all players, stating, "As a part of our focus on wide adoption, we wanted to ensure that Housing is available to everyone. If you want a house, you can have a house." They promise no exorbitant requirements, high purchase costs, lotteries, or onerous upkeep. Plus, if your subscription lapses, your house won't be repossessed.
Player housing in MMOs allows players to purchase and personalize their own homes within the game world, which other players can visit. This feature has been a hit in Final Fantasy XIV, where it has spurred creativity, resulting in theater productions, nightclubs, cafes, and museums. However, Final Fantasy XIV's housing system has faced criticism due to limited plots, high costs, lotteries, and the risk of house demolition if left unattended.
World of Warcraft aims to address these concerns. Housing will be shared among the Warband, allowing characters to share homes across factional lines. For instance, while a Human character can't buy a house in a Horde zone, a Troll character in the same Warband can, and the Human can then use it. The housing system will be divided into two zones and "Neighborhoods" of about 50 plots each, with both Public and Private options. These neighborhoods are instanced and created "as needed" by the game servers, suggesting no hard limit on the number of neighborhoods.
Blizzard is committed to making housing a "long lasting journey" with ongoing updates and a roadmap extending into future patches and expansions. Alongside "boundless self-expression" and "deeply social" experiences, this commitment shows Blizzard's awareness of the potential pitfalls and their determination to create a robust housing system.
More details are expected to be revealed as we approach the summer unveiling of World of Warcraft: Midnight.
