Blizzard Entertainment’s track record when it comes to mobile games is mixed. Hearthstone was a hit almost right out of the gate in 2014, but Diablo Immortal was infamously booed when it was revealed at BlizzCon in 2018. Those ups and downs inevitably shaped how the developer pitched and approached its latest entry into the mobile gaming space, Warcraft Rumble.
In an interview with GamesHub, Warcraft Rumble game producer Elhora Davis said that the team “learned a lot from our experiences with Diablo Immortal.”
“At its core, [the Immortal reveal] was a situation where [players] expected one thing for sure and then they got something they completely didn’t… While we kind of learned from our previous experiences; it was a situation where we knew that we wanted to share something in this space and we wanted to share what we could do.”
Elhora Davis
So it’s clear that they didn’t want to set up an idea for what the reveal would be. They also definitely did not want to show how little they understood their audience by saying “do you guys not have phones?“
Davis said that Blizzard also took feedback from players from the Diablo Immortal beta to heart. Players wanted more control over their characters and their builds. They also wanted more meaningful progression. That’s what the team wanted to make sure to address those concerns in Warcraft Rumble.
“You can change the number of pawns, you can change the cadence that you see a rook and that sort of thing or what the board looks like or the towers. It’s not like we won’t ever tune numbers or anything like that, but it’s less health and more when should we place that, and moving the chess pieces around, rather than adjusting the chess pieces themselves.”
Elhora Davis
Blizzard is making it easier to collect and upgrade miniatures in Warcraft Rumble than it was in Diablo Immortal. They are also offering a variety of play modes for players of all skill levels so that everyone can enjoy the game. Warcraft Rumble is now available on iOS and Android.
