“I’m not an expert in Fortnite, but a smart game developer will pay close attention to the features that spark that nostalgic joy and keep those in the forefront, while considering retaining modern conveniences that players appreciate.”Įpic hasn’t shown its full hand for the new-old version of its own game, but it does sound like some of Fortnite’s quality of life improvements will be sticking around, including sprinting and “mantling,” a parkour-like move that lets players climb over obstacles. However, the WoW Classic team’s philosophy has evolved since it was released: initially was very serious about releasing the game without any changes, but these days the team feels that some changes need to be made,” Harper said. “WoW Classic has been a runaway success, and fans can’t get enough of re-releases of classic content, devouring each expansion and raid tier as they’re rolled out. For players accustomed to gaming’s modern quality of life improvements, old games can feel sparse and clunky if not reimagined outright. While Fortnite players, like WoW players, have a ton of nostalgia for the older version of the game, its maps were comparably simple and difficult to traverse. “Game mechanics and class balance were extremely different then, and there was a lot of nostalgia for the community that existed back in the day.” “Before WoW Classic originally launched, third parties were already running their own versions of ‘classic’ servers,” Harper said. Blizzard Entertainment, which developed the massively multiplayer online game (MMO), launched World of Warcraft Classic back in 2019, even as a modern version of the game remained online and playable.Įlizabeth Harper, editorial director of the longtime dedicated World of Warcraft news site Blizzard Watch, told TechCrunch that Blizzard actually reluctantly launched the old-school version of its game in response to demands from its own community. World of Warcraft, the fantasy roleplaying game once synonymous with online gaming, did something similar just a few years ago. World of Warcraft paved the wayįortnite’s experiment to bring players back into the fold by relaunching an original version of the game will be interesting to watch, but it isn’t a first. Square Enix was so confident in its remake of the 1997 Japanese roleplaying mega-hit Final Fantasy VII that the reimagined version of the game comprises three standalone full-length games, each spaced a few years apart. Wonder, the first two-dimensional side-scrolling Mario game in more than a decade - another portal to the past given its departure from a long string of recent 3D Super Mario titles. Competition is stiff though, more so now that Nintendo just casually dropped Super Mario Bros. This year’s hit new Zelda game Tears of the Kingdom literally built a new game on top of the old one and remains a strong contender for Game of the Year. That lower bar for visual fidelity also opens the doors for inventive indie games that don’t rely on big budgets to shine, but the world’s biggest game developers are riding the wave too. Game developers seemed to believe for a time that cutting-edge graphics and hyper-realism were what consumers really wanted, but gamers’ appetites have trended toward retro visuals, nostalgia and familiar game worlds more and more. Games - and gamers’ tastes - are increasingly following the wider entertainment trend of digging up familiar stories and repackaging them. Nostalgia sells in 2023Įpic’s decision to turn back the clock might seem small to anyone who hasn’t dropped in off the Battle Bus, but it’s an interesting reflection of the state of gaming right now. But if Fortnite was once lightning in a bottle, between other free-to-play rivals like Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone and others, that bottle is a lot more crowded these days. The game is still very popular, even if it’s not clear exactly how popular. Without a clear glimpse into what Fortnite’s player base looks like these days, it’s tough to know why Epic would decide to go retro and bring the game back to an older save state. A bad map can ruin a chapter and players often wax nostalgic about in-game locales - usually alliterative hotspots with names like Tilted Towers or Loot Lake. Fortnite’s Ariana Grande concert offers a taste of music in the metaverse
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