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World of Warcraft: Metzen: Pandaren Race "Not a Joke"
MikeB
Community ManagerAdministrator RarePosts: 6,555
During the World of Warcraft Story and Lore panel at this year's BlizzCon, Chris Metzen, Blizzard's Vice President of Creative Development, addressed fans wondering whether the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion to World of Warcraft would feature more serious story content by responding that the expansion's slated Pandaren-themed content is "no joke."
"This is not a throw-away silly-silly ha ha funny expansion set; it is absolutely the next vital chapter and as things ratchet up, they’re gonna get really gnarly.” Metzen added.
Did you think the Mists of Pandaria expansion was a joke when it was first announced? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Comments
Pandaren were used as the center of two of Blizzard's April Fools jokes.
I'm not buying that they're not a joke.
Metzen needs to admit that he ran out of ideas and is scraping the very bottom of the lore barrel.
It's funny even when trying not to be. Aiiiweeeeeyiyiyiyiyi ahhhhchopsuey!
I agree, I'm sure Blizzard takes their targeting of Asian markets and younger children very seriously.
I'm as big a wow hater as you'll find, but I'm not totally against this idea.
Panda's seem all cute and docile, but they'd still tear you apart given the chance. Fits in perfect with the Monk class, which was always a personsl P'n'P favorite of mine. Will it bring me back to WoW? I doubt it, but I'll definitely be spending a few hours on my brothers account on release
I first heard abou it a few months back in a leak. I didn't take the leak seriously and blew it of as some kiddy prank.
When I heard the news that it was real, I was set back to rethink it. A hardcore expansion with Pandas... Hey, they have the money to pull it off. Go for it.
I was around for BOTH of those April Fool's jokes, one in Frozen Throne (iirc) and one in WoW, and I CERTAINLY initially thought this was some kind of joke. In my opinion, it would be better if it were, but since he's saying it's not....more power to them. Whatever.
I still think that the things that make up the totality of THIS expansion....are horrible. It's the first expansion I'm not buying. I've discovered that I'm now not just burnt out on WoW....I'm burnt out on Blizzard. I've been a loyal fan though the RTS game series through the Diablo series and through WoW. It's just time to throw in the towel.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I have to admit I dont play WoW, but I dont see the "big dea" with this. The game already has a cartoony look, so how is this some big departure? And from what I've read its a real part of the Warcraft lore.
It's an April FOOL's part of the "lore" if you can even CALL that being part of the lore. And you can rationalize some amount of seriousness to the other races, except maybe the gnomes, but it's hard to rationalize there being anything serious about pandas, and Pokemon style pet battles.....and even MORE simplified talents. It just looks like they're catering the game now to children. Maybe everyone doesn't feel this way, but some of us do. And I'm a LONG time Blizzard girl. Blizzard was one of the first dev companies I really loved and bought ALLL their games (except for Starcraft 2 because I wasn't that into the first one). I'm just very disappointed with this turn. It's okay....we're all entitled to have opinions about it.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
My GF and I were talking about this just this morning. I was amazed, because she's a solid player and much more of a WoW fan than I am. She says no way, we're not playing it. I don't know what we're going to do... probably more Guild Wars 1.
2nd that.
This is what I think:
"We're at a steady loss of NA subsciption numbers. We should target the Asians. What about a cute Panda bear?"
Just leaked - upcoming expansion races revealed:
If it is a joke or not is not up to Metzen, but to how the people recept it.
As far as i got it, for the overall majority it is a joke. And a lame one on that.
1. Pandaren existed in Warcraft lore very minorly role AS A JOKE. Their introduction was initially an April Fool's joke, and their inclusion in WC3 was an easter-egg reference to said joke. Their next reference was again, as an April Fool's joke for WoW Pandaren Express.
2. Blizzard claims that Pandaren were one of the most requested additions to the game. That's funny because it seems to me that a great deal of people, even including people who do or have played WoW, think that they're a terrible addition to the game.
Keep spouting the WoW hater cop-out all you want. it doesn't change the fact that a lot of people think that Pandaren are a terrible addition to the game.
If it wasn't a joke, that makes it kind of a joke. So regardless of it being a joke or not, it still is a joke ...
*ponders, shakes head and falls over*
My brand new bloggity blog.
I actually like the tiger. There's a cat humanoid race in TES that's very well done.
I think this is silly. I wanted them to make the ogre race avalible to play in the first expansion since they are one of the major "warcraft 2" races. Now silly fungfu pandas get introduced now.
Glade I stoped playing this game a long time ago.
Perhaps you were under the mistaken impression that WoW is a mature rated game. It is not.
Honestly, to get indignant about Pandas introduction to WoW, is like getting upset that a new pony was introduced to My Little Pony.
It is very amusing that people are flipping out over downing the maturity level on a game that is already one of the most immature (appeals to youth) games out there. People take themselves way to seriously, meanwhile, other people look at anyone who plays a game as immature. All opinion.
Jumped the shark
Thankfully I gave up WOW a very long time ago. But truth be told it seems to have more players now than it did when I left after TBC so maybe they know what they are doing.
What I can say though is as a grown man with a semblance of a real life outside of gaming I am skeptical of games with things like cupid Ewoks or fighting lady bugs and deers as your main mobs and playing a game with pandas as a player character falls firmly into that category.
While I thought the last expansion with Worgen and goblin pc's was a step in the right direction an expansion with playable panda's is something I won't even bother to read up on.
This of course is no big loss to Blizz since they lost me as a player a very long time ago.
Everquest added f*cking frogs... Pandas are no better or worse.
I'm sure there are plenty of other examples from countless other games i'm sure.
I keep wondering if the Kung Fu Panda movies had never been released would people still see this as a "kiddie" race? They were eventually going to be put into the game as has been stated, one of the polls they did just before or just after BC Pandaren's were the most requested feature. This isn't just something Blizzard came up with to make it sound more appealing, this poll was done nearly 4 years ago. I don't think people would be having the reaction they are if the Kung Fu Panda movies hadn't been produced. But they were and people are.
In all honesty, this was my initial reaction as well, combined with the pet (pokemon) battle system. My initial reaction when talking to my wife about it was "this is the first expansion that I have no interest in, thank goodness SWTOR is coming out." But the more I look at it I like some of the other things being added that to me outweigh Pandas and Pokemon, so I'm rethinking my initial reaction.