Exciting news for World of Warcraft enthusiasts: Blizzard is set to introduce player housing in the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. In a recent developer blog, the WoW team provided a first look at this eagerly awaited feature, playfully taking a swipe at Final Fantasy XIV's housing system in the process.
Blizzard's primary goal for housing, as outlined in the recent dev blog, is encapsulated in their motto "A Home for Everyone." They emphasized their commitment to ensuring that housing is 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." This approach eliminates the barriers of high costs, lotteries, and stringent upkeep requirements. Moreover, they reassured players that even if their subscription lapses, their homes won't be at risk of repossession.
Player housing in MMOs offers players the chance to own and customize their own virtual homes, which can be visited by others. This feature has been incredibly popular in Final Fantasy XIV, fueling creativity and leading to the creation of various community spaces like theaters, nightclubs, cafes, and museums. However, Final Fantasy XIV's housing system has been criticized for its limitations, including a finite number of plots per server, high costs in Gil, a lottery system for allocation, and the potential for homes to be demolished if neglected.
World of Warcraft seems intent on addressing these issues. They're introducing a system where housing is shared across a player's Warband, allowing different characters to use the same house, regardless of factional lines. For instance, while a Human character can't purchase a home in a Horde zone, a Troll character within the same Warband can, and the Human can then utilize it.
The housing zones in World of Warcraft will be divided into two areas, with "Neighborhoods" consisting of approximately 50 plots each. These neighborhoods are instanced, offering both Public and Private options. Public neighborhoods are dynamically managed by the game servers and can be created "as needed," suggesting no hard cap on the number of neighborhoods.
Blizzard is clearly committed to making housing a significant and enduring part of the World of Warcraft experience. They've set out pillars for housing that include "boundless self-expression," "deeply social," and a "long lasting journey" with ongoing updates planned for future patches and expansions. While they took a light-hearted jab at Final Fantasy XIV's housing challenges, it's evident that Blizzard is keen on learning from and avoiding similar pitfalls.
As the summer unveiling of World of Warcraft: Midnight approaches, more details about the housing system are expected to emerge, promising a new era of personalization and community engagement in Azeroth.
