Blizzard Entertainment has defended World of Warcraft: Forever's controversial new Skyborne race and explained that giving both Alliance and Horde players access will help manage the long-term balance of the population.

Skyborne is a new Elf race added to the reimagined 2004 classic experience and arrives alongside a new starter zone, Zephras Isle. It's also the first Elf Race in the game that is accessible to both Alliance and Horde players.

But why is that controversial among fans? Well, there are a few reasons, with some feeling upset about the addition of a brand new Elf race when High and Blood Elves already exist in the setting, the fact that some of the character models, particularly the druid forms, are more high-fidelity and contrast with the classic game's older models, as well as the fact that the race is paywalled behind a $30 add-on.

Now, in an interview with TechRadar Gaming, the WoW: Forever team explained the reasoning behind the race's addition, saying that it has a "great story" to tell with Skyborne and it had the opportunity to use a culture kit that's only used a few times in WoW in the Air Elemental architecture and environments.

"A starter zone felt great to ease this race into the world as well, as it’s not something that you’ll spend a ton of time with," Blizzard said. "You’ll do the quests, experience the zone, and within 4-6 hours you’ll be back to terrestrial Azeroth where the bulk of the game happens.

Source link