Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly developing a Warcraft mobile game that is inspired by Pokémon Go.
According to a report from Kotaku‘s often-reliable Jason Schreier, many Blizzard developers are big fans of Niantic’s augmented reality-based monster capturing game, leading them to work on a Warcraft spin on the formula. In fact, the iconic orc statue in the centre of Blizzard’s campus is actually a Pokémon Gym, which reportedly encouraged staff to play the game frequently.
As a result, the Warcraft mobile title will likely feature some sort of AR-powered encounters with creatures from the Warcraft game. Whether this will take the form of Pokémon Go-esque catching or some other battle system is currently unknown. However, Shreier says people who have played Warcraft on mobile say the game “has got a lot more to it than Pokémon Go,” including some sort of single-player mechanics.
No other details were revealed. That said, Shreier’s track record of accurate insider scoops and Blizzard’s own comments about wanting to make mobile games based on all of its properties certainly suggest that Warcraft will be coming to phones and tablets at some point.
Blizzard’s mobile game plans kicked off earlier this month with the announcement of Diablo Immortal, the first ever Diablo title for Android and iOS. Co-developed by Chinese game maker NetEase, Immortal looks to bring the Diablo franchise’s signature action-RPG combat, loot-based exploration and online co-operative play to mobile devices.
However, fan reception to the new mobile game — which was announced to BlizzCon crowd filled with predominantly PC gamers — has been rather negative. Many fans said that talking about a mobile game instead of the next highly-anticipated PC Diablo entry was tone-deaf.
Following BlizzCon, a Change.org petition to cancel the game garnered tens of thousands of signatures, leading Blizzard stock to drop seven percent. Blizzard has since clarified that it has not shifted focus away from core PC game development.
Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment
Source: Kotaku
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