The Making of World of Warcraft (How Blizzard Changed the Gaming World Forever)

This is the making of World of Warcraft. A short documentary, covering the events of this MMO's development over the years, before its release in 2004. Join us as we delve into the untold story behind the making of World of Warcraft. From the struggles to the triumphs, Blizzard Entertainment took a huge gamble with this game that could have cost them everything. Discover why this MMO has become a beloved cultural phenomenon and why the team behind it cherishes their creation. Don't forget to subscribe for more gaming content!
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[@NixxiomOnYouTube]

Hope you guys enjoy this style of video! We've never done one like this before. Also, a BIG shout out to the channel members for making this long-term projects possible. You guys are amazing: tinyurl.com/5c89kydh

[@mrepzu1]

These styles of videos are very entertaining. I also enjoyed the recent video on SWTOR. Great reporting keep it up!

[@planerwow_]

this is amazing, thank you

[@LucaxSouza]

Nice video. Hope you make more content like this!

[@xxxjuji]

Great video especially for a first

[@michaelcoffey1991]

For never doing something like this you did an amazing job Nixxiom. Hope you get a ton of views for all the quality work you did here. I hope you do this for all your favorite mmo's. Very fun and informative watch

[@NixxiomOnYouTube]

Thank you very much!

[@michaelcoffey1991]

@@NixxiomOnKZbin No Sir thank YOU for years and years of sharing your fandom

[@stark0ss712]

Calm down, he's straight.

[@pavx45]

agreed! this type of quality of work doesn't always get the viewers like the clickbaity/listicle type of videos but it's the type of content that sticks with you as a viewer

[@red2522]

@@pavx45 I might be pulling stuff outta my ass, but honestly his videos feel full of love compared to some clickbait vids that's sole aim is pulling the views without any passion behind it

[@hunger4wonder]

WoW classic intro is so brilliant to this day when i see it i get chills. It was just the perfect first step into the immersive experience that was WoW then. I remember playing and dreaming while playing and then when slept i dreamed of more Azeroth. There was a time Blizzard was a magical development studio. Those days will never come back but they will in my memories for as a long i can have memories.

[@dylanstacey3514]

Well said man. The company is a far cry from what it used to be. But for those of us who were there, who got to witness Blizz in all its glory…We will never forget. Could never forget.

[@hunger4wonder]

@@dylanstacey3514 exactly man. those times were special.

[@maddinw6232]

For me the same, I still got my classic WoW PC Game witihin its dvds and handbook how to play. The intro will give ever give chills to them who really dived in from the beginning. And WoW has become part of many lives. even when its virtual. it was fantastic.

[@MalcolmGraves55]

Who says it will never be good again? Things can change

[@Roman30817]

You forgot to mention Kevin Jordan, who was one of the three original class designers. It was he who encouraged Alan and Rob Padro to split the Alliance and the Horde. He wrote a letter to Rob in which there were a lot of arguments and reasons why it was worth doing. And after that, Rob agreed with him and began to convince the rest of the team.

[@GoNotreDame]

Good storytelling. My one suggestion is to show a lot more early gameplay (and pictures and archives) to accompany the points you are making verbally.

[@Z3ROR]

Really thanks for this awesome video. I watched it with tears of joy. it brought me back to the good times my gaming days in my youth. Warcraft touched me and took me and i have never let it go and i probably never will.

[@EschinTenebrous]

It was an amazing time. Was lucky enough to participate in the beta, and played the game several months before release... Can't remember for sure, but iirc, it was around 6~months before release date. I was absolutely hooked, even in beta. It had the polish of a finished game. This was the Blizzard that worked to release flawless(for software) games, and settled for nothing less. For a beta, it was spotless. Was in line midnight on release day, and playing soon after later that night.

[@semiramisubw4864]

my man, you are ancient

[@dgsunny23]

Waao ❤

[@rurounigato]

You forgot to mention that the launch night some developers were invited to a store to sign some copies. As they were driving there, they were discusing IF some one was gona buy the game at midnight. But a few blocks from the store, they saw a line of ppl, and they were wondering "are we launching on a concert night? What band is playing tonight?" Little they knew that it was the line for the store, extended for blocks, all fans waiting for the new blizzard Game, just waiting for their heroes to arrive and sign their boxes Good old days

[@kristijan8518]

I'm a lifelong fan of WOW, I regularly watch videos about the game and the company but I still learned new things from you. Much appreciated!

[@elunaxalt]

The starting cinematic will never not amaze me. The transition into the night elf druidess, her shapeshifting?? Pure beauty. Booted Turtle WoW on to play my night elf druid because of that clip alone

[@derp812]

*always amaze me

[@lukarujevacn5651]

Started as a kid 17 years later with with a kid 3 years old i am still here now my son watching me playing man really amazing job you did here i even had tears in my eyes. i Really hope Chris Metzen gona make WoW great again!

[@JohnDoe-bu3qp]

I think having two factions in WoW is a core, must-have part of the game. But if you look at the Warcraft franchise thoes lines used to shift a little. So maybe it would have been cool if the default alignment of some races (horde or alliance) had shifted from one expansion to another, or maybe at very high levels there was some quest that you could do to betray your faction and join the other.

[@thomasbardoux1692]

Yeah, many people, me included, feel like making this fixed set of factions and alliegeance killed a lot of the potential for the warcraft universe and streamlined it too much

[@Bkn_zv]

I feel like this video is addresed to Metzen and Blizzard, to remember what made wow great

[@josedelapinio]

Damn.... been watching you for quite a while now and never noticed you are not a million views/video channel. You would deserve it mate, keep up the great work.

[@johnkuhn8718]

First video I've ever seen by you, and as a returning player who left 10 years ago and is getting to enjoy the classic experience again it is very heartwarming seeing someone able to perpetuate the amazing experience that was being a part of the launch of the World of Warcraft and everything that led up to it. It will always be the triumphant best experience I've ever had in gaming and to this day have no idea how anyone would be able to make a better game.

[@samiches4500]

Great video thanks again!

[@NixxiomOnYouTube]

No. Thank YOU so much!

[@melaniejoy7540]

I’m late to this video. But it’s done far more than that. This game has made amazing memories for people. Friendships, and even marriage. Yes marriage. My husband and I found each other through this game. And 6 kids later we are 10yrs in and still play the game from time to time. But the memories have been great and I will always be thankful of this. Thank you Blizzard and all the staff for what I’ve received from this amazing game.

[@goldeneye9859]

I played Warcraft 1 and then 2 nonstop. I ranked near the top in Warcraft 2 battlenet rankings until I left the game. I didn’t come back for Warcraft 3, but did return for world of Warcraft and man I got hooked all the way through cata. I came back one last time for classic and that’s how I found this channel and I still listen here and there. Warcraft is like Star Wars. We remember where we were when it got released, what friends we were with to wait in lines to grab it. I will always say world of Warcraft was the best game ever made and it led me to this channel in a weird way years later.

[@a.d.d.4233]

The absolute biggest strength of WoW is the level of immersion this game has to offer.

[@Wheeljack678]

This was really interesting. I knew most of this beforehand from books and other documentaries, but it is always entertaining and interesting to watch someone else present the story of how WoW came to be. I still get goosebumps from the classic intro cinematic, all these years later. I really enjoyed the format of this video, only minor critique would perhaps to show more old pictures/screenshot/gameplay, but that's just me nitpicking. I liked this. Well done.

[@peterking2886]

If only they could get back the magic of that classic of the past!? The best chance they have is with a Classic Plus.

[@sagetusk]

Classic Plus with Metzen directing? Take my money, hell, take my soul too

[@joetheno87]

Awesome video! Sent me on a nostalgia trip. There was just something special about being there and being a part of it that was so awesome when this game launched and seeing it grow to it's pinnacle player base in Wrath.

[@Repaer25]

Very well done, first time doing this kind of video you said, it was amazing and quite insighfull aswell.. keep em coming :)

[@blacksabbath2559]

9th december 2005, my birthday, but one the most beautiful present i got: world of warcraft. I reborn as a warlock undead. I played this character until wolkt.

[@konstantinpospelov951]

I went Asherons Call -> Everquest -> WoW ... The golden age of mmos

[@sisterblissuk9253]

I remember playing vanilla friends and family alpha test. No boats,no mounts,no griffons .. fun times. I also remember launch day,,the lag, lack of mobs,the chat, ingame GMs.. the list is endless 😊

[@truegamer2819]

so much sweat and tears and hard grinding me and my friends put into this game, creating our own Journey together, creating our own story and history with each other, and me being the mage healer of the pack, i had to take a full responsibility of keeping my squad alive and that characters was my all time favorite healer "Hollow Cid" the God father of healers, man that day really was special in WoW, cause of the deep connection we connect as a team and grew our team over time, those Old G days will forever be a great memory for not just my team but for as well, World of Warcraft is the spot for not just making new friends but meeting legendary players who maxed out their character but can tell you a tale, that they been through, throughout their Journey, a never ending story and thats what makes this game so special 😇

[@ElectricGatr]

"Dead soulless world" Shadowlands PTSD hits

[@TravisLaneMichaelsthefirst]

42 year old gamer here. Started with the first Warcraft. This was really good, guys. Great delivery and execution. I enjoyed it. Reddit sent me.

[@Sange4499]

Great video mate, got me a little emotional with nostalgia near the end there. Metzen was the absolute man and I love Green Jesus

[@TheDerpp]

why do i still love this game so much. literally playing Vanilla as i listen to this.

[@MichZilla90]

Cuz it’s that good

[@Zhohan-]

It's one of the greatest games ever made.

[@hunger4wonder]

Because it's unique. No matter how many try to copy it none can grasp the essence of what makes WoW a one of a kind experience. Even the present time Blizzard has no idea what makes WoW special.

[@flamart9703]

@@hunger4wonder Lol, I feel like I'm the only one who knows what makes vanilla WoW so special. Hope someone at Blizzard know this secret too, otherwise they will fail with Classic+ or WoW 2, haha.

[@FishTheJim]

I remember exactly what was said to me by someone telling me about the game that made me check it out. "You No Take Candle!"

[@N3mdraz]

Those are wise words. Almost as wise as zugzug

[@FishTheJim]

@@N3mdraz kek

[@ToyokaX]

what about "you buy cat? cat good quality! one cat 50 MSK, two cat 75 MSK! Cat very fresh! You buy cat?"

[@Endtimescoming]

Oh wow for near 20 years I have been playing this game. Only here tonight watching this video did I realize that it was Sylvanas Windrunner (or at least her voice actress) Narrating the opening video.

[@paragrimm8552]

First off, geat video! Awesome quality and you've put lots of effort into that and the results are amazing. I'm missing 2 key parts sadly (I primarily clicked on this video, because of the word "Documentary", especially since Blizzard doesn't really like to show what they're doing behind the scenes). First: Sources. I'd like to have some sources to everything you've said in this video. I wonder if they really struggled that hard and if it was really in such an unfinished ("Early Access" state as we'd say nowadays) at release. I do remember lots of problems, especially server problems, but I'd really like to see a source for that for example. Second: Some perspective for the numbers. 12 Million active subscriptions was the peak at WotLK and afaik it only went downhill from there on. Additionally WoW is the first "AAA" (not literally, but you get what I mean, I think) MMORPG, considering that they had over 60 million USD budget. To compare that... Everquest 2 had 8 million USD budget and released 2 weeks earlier than WoW. Everquest 1 just had around 1 million USD budget back then. So I really wonder if it's either: they spent lots of money for marketing etc. to probably "save the company", because they were actually afraid that the WoW launch will be a desaster at the cost of the health of every developer. Or the whole game was a developers nightmare, because there was no real direction and they really changed core design elements way to late so it was really expensive to "rebuild" those specific parts. Especially, because EQ2 is really comparable to WoW in terms of features and overall design (everything should happen in a quest-context instead of stupid boring monster grind etc.). Sorry to say that, but especially the resumé at the end killed the "Documentary part" for me sadly, because it felt kind of "rose-tinted" and not really objective anymore. We all know now that Blizzard isn't a great company and it sucks to work there as a developer. We also know that marketing exists and that Blizzards marketing was always great, due to high quality actors and awesome cutscenes with chilling music (this intro... omg, I'll always get chills from that). So I sometimes wonder if WoW is popular, because it's a good game, or because Blizzard is really good at marketing. (Hot take, I know)

[@slimebuck]

I used to be a blizzard fan boi, my account literally has every single game they ever made on it, I used to play ONLY blizzard games, but now I boycott them. Let me answer your question of why wow is popular, if it was good or just marketing. Blizzard, used to be the best. They are %100 different now. Almost everyone at the company is different people. The ideas, the art, the direction, is all totally different. Back in the day, everything blizzard touched was the best. Diablo 2? BEST ever ARPG. Starcraft 1 and 2, BEST EVER rts. and wow was unquestionably the BEST MMORPG. I started playing the game in beta long before any marketing. I was addicted and played every day, and I never once saw any advertisements for the game at that point. No other game before and after WoW has given me those feels of awe and amazement. No matter how bad blizzard is now, how all they do is suck their IP's dry like vampires and add nothing new, does not take away from the fact that back in the day, they where the best. So sad how titans can fall so far.

[@liampearson8747]

i remember one of my friends at school showing me the Cinematic for Vanilla, i played a gnome warlock on his account for a couple of days, and i was hooked and bought my own copy. I loved, and still love wow.

[@AmandaPelland]

I'm a big fan of WoW and I LOVED this video! Thank you for this Nixxiom, I hope you get a ton of views as everyone who plays WoW and loves the game, need to see this.

[@Cooperjordan23]

Really nice new type of video from ya big dawg, hope the effort you obviously put in brings good numbers

[@einer1314]

A little more info on early mmo's: EQ required a 3D graphics card back in 1999. I remember in the fall of 2002, people from EQ who got to test Wow were saying that it was going to be huge.

[@Dannydarknessx]

This game came out on my birthday. Then my dad got it for me 2 years later when I was 14. Thanks dad I love you and thanks blizzard for hard work and dreams.

[@OSDevon]

Wow, man, what a fantastic video! Would LOVE to see more vids like this for other topics! You've got some documentary chops, bro! o/

[@wethepeople4669]

I'm proud to have played a part in the success of WoW. As a loyal player for over 18 years and still going, I'm still constantly blown away by the question "how'd they DO that"!? The creativity is what keeps me interested, and I turn 66 this year lolol

[@cjmahar7595]

The Community needed a friendly reminder of their history, good one sir!

[@a.d.d.4233]

WoW BC was one of the best games/expansions ever created. Vanilla was amazing too.

[@michaelthomas1916]

I didn't start playing until about a month after release in 2004, and those ques were still there most of the time.

[@Jafar-dr6to]

The first time playing WoW and seeing stormwind and orgamar back in vanilla was the moment that you knew this game was special

[@davidfence6939]

I still remember leaving Dolanaar and entering Darnassus. Seeing my first 60. First flight to Darkshore. Meeting my new guild members in DS. The Wetlands run. ...so much and so many good memories.

[@Jafar-dr6to]

@@davidfence6939 I think a lot of players are playing from the memory of this big world

[@N3mdraz]

Y the cities still amaze me today. My biggest wow moment was being a dwarf and seeing red elite ogres in Loch modan for the first time, scary! Oh and firsttime onyxia ❤

[@N3mdraz]

Nice video by nixxiom. Really happy i was part of the Wow vanilla journey. To bad the once beloved blizzard isnt the same as 20 yrs ago.

[@BritGirlJay]

This was really interesting - cheers. Wish it had been longer tbh.

[@Rexvideowow]

Wish that this had have covered things more in depth. I read somewhere one time about the terrain technology they had used (however I cannot find any information on it any more) that I'm sure was critical in allowing them to make such a huge world. I would like to hear from the developers themselves about who did the modeling of the world, why certain things were taken out, stories about the star employees who churned out 3D models or textures at alarming rates, etc. All these stories have never been told.

[@rein5728]

In other interesting mmo news, Everquest the game where many of the key early WoW developers came from as players announced their 30th expansion today. Truly curious to see how far WoW in its "retail" state will go.

[@DarkEpyon78]

Lol. Everquest for Ever!

[@billyoldman3845]

Cant believe how quickly times flies, thanks for vid Nixx!

[@cataclyzmz1901]

Lord of the rings also came out on the big screen during that time that’s also another reason it was such a big hit during that crazy nostalgic era

[@clintmcbride7830]

Zygor again? I'll check back next episode

[@Ltulrich]

I'll never forget those early years. Tons of memories.

[@TheHaldemans]

Great Video, I think you nailed the time vs info that will keep people engaged.

[@semiramisubw4864]

my man dropping the nostalgia bomb

[@internetperson6023]

We've got the best of both worlds with the factions now luckily. We can get together for end game content and competitive PvP, but we're still split up where it matters. It's unique. I love it.

[@Dreakx1]

TBH very good video and I like this style of content so hopefully the views support it. Interesting about them thinking quests would be just an afterthought I did not know that. But actually I started WoW a couple months after it launched because at the time I was hooked on Lineage 2 which was a VERY grindy game and quests were sparse. Would be cool to see a Lineage episode. Really even a combo episode of the Korean MMO kings of the 90s would be neat.

[@mattchart9808]

You did an amazing job with this video

[@pharoahanakaris3202]

A beautiful exploration of the past in which one I felt akin to nostalgia as I was but a kid when WoW came into existence and I grew along with. Really good video Nixxiom, different from what you usually tackle but nevertheless appreciated. Seeing that you delved into the historical inspiration of WoW, although this might be a farfetched question but would you mind enlightening me as to who came first with the character creation and designs seeing that many are stating that Blizzard, if not blatantly, copied ideas from the Warhammer fantasy and Warhammer 40k concepts? I would love to hear your view on this. Thanks for taking the time to read this

[@inexes7687]

Great video Nixxiom!

[@stephanbuhl4856]

loved the video, thanks for the content Nixxiom 😁

[@bijanebrahimi7228]

Amazing Video!👍

[@Krisz98]

TBH i would love a WoW "texture pack" thats like from the early 2000's and late 90's. Like what we can see in the footage. Classic Blizzard style modeling at work.

[@stewartmclean7659]

Truly the greatest game of all time

[@blackhawkcz1895]

7:15 - 7:21 Meanwhile blizz after release: Yea imma take the whole cake.

[@themindseeproject321]

Great Video Nixxiom!!!

[@Fawllam]

Really good video! thank you for that

[@riley4193]

Phenomenal job on this video

[@anishchand4420]

I first play Vanilla Classic back in 2004 in a server called LLANE and quested with a Druid called " Troia " have good memories of Vanilla Wow. Loved 1st expansion " the Burning Crusades " then Lich King wasn't bad. Cataclysm destroyed WOW. Wish I can Time Travel back to 2004 and play with that Night Elf druid Again.

[@hadzukyon1671]

19:00 this part always excites me

[@JJJINHO]

This is an amazing video!

[@dejavu_io]

Funnily enough I chucked WC3 in yesterday to pull the original trailer off the disc. Wasnt easily available online surprisingly and I always found that trailer fascinating - it doesn't give much info on what WOW was going to be.

[@OldCrankyBeard]

Great video! thanks for the history lesson! These are the best!

[@ArklusDryxal]

🔥 Vid, rarely see anything on the working on WoW, usually just what was supposed to be in vanilla but was scrapped

[@kooshaalizadeh935]

amazing job Nixxiom.

[@Mrjoecatnip]

I've been a fan of WoW for many years and enjoyed this video. Only one thing makes me sad, and that is the lack of acknowledgement, however small, for where the name "Azeroth" and the concept of a Horde trying to escape their dying world through a gate came from: A book by CJ Cherryh called "The Fires of Azeroth" published in 1979.

[@nate_2609]

I don't know how his sub count isn't higher..... Great job on the video. Love the content!

[@dgsunny23]

Such a passionate video. Very well narrated

[@hazusuki]

Great great vid. Loved it!

epic video, thank you!! more like this please :) q: will we play wow in 30, 40 years time? what do you think?

[@davidfence6939]

I started 2004 in my early 20s playing WoW. I'm over 40 and playing Classic. Yeah, I've taken long breaks (quit with Legion; back for Classic; quit in T5 BC Classic; back for hardcore). WoW is hard to give up.😂

@@davidfence6939 hehe same as me. Was 25 when WoW hit EU.

[@charlayned]

I'm playing until the end, I started playing at age 51, I am now 66 and play almost daily. I figure I'll be dressed in the Alliance and Horde flags when they do the funeral because, unless they burn the servers, I'll still be playing that very last day when I hit cap and get that new level up set of wings.

[@gleadr6869]

Great video man! One of my all time Favorite IPs.

[@Mausmanno]

Great Video. At Minute 6 I had to leave. Realizing that whatever we experienced is far gone and never to return. Cherished memories fade just as people do. And while we all sought to bring justice to our people (or anything in life) like Arthas. In the end people seem to think life is simply about commanding hordes. This may seem melancholic, but it is an outcry to anyone who reads this to better this world actively, instead of dwelling on old feelings.

[@ArklusDryxal]

Nixxiom on fire this week

[@NixxiomOnYouTube]

Awh yeah.

[@vanityiii3561]

Took me 11 mins to realize bewolf saga is Nix's background.

[@denounce9160]

Another great videos nixx!

[@Shiirow]

you had me until the end... then your copium addiction kicked in... healthy game? now I wouldnt say that.

[@curiouswind9196]

I like getting lessons in history about the brighter past

[@Demosthenes84]

Man I remember waiting for years for warcraft 3 to release. The first image I saw of a 3d grunt had me so excited lol

[@MaimeShy]

Could be cool with a full history of blizzard. With this I mean the WHOLE timeline

[@theturtlearchives]

I have a gut feeling next expansion is going to be a turning point for WoW.

[@86Corvus]

Didnt we hear this basically before every of the last 4 ones? Yet they just cant bring themselves to fix the fundamental issues and stop pandering to casuals.

[@michaelnavarro309]

Ok now you got me, imma sub

[@kradylladel2785]

Is there a video out there that actually shows development, and not just how the developers were feeling.

[@ravendelacrux]

Sure people changes if now questing is boring for them and they keep asking for endgame content.💚💀

[@Soldruid]

Amazing story telling nixxiom. ❤

[@Jaffer2x]

Nixxion i love your videos!

[@bradromero2524]

Would have been good to mention that a week or 2 before WoW released they need another raid besides Onyxia and they made Molten Core. Not the best but damn a week of work and they was able to do that is insane.

[@infierno1299]

this game has changed many people lives

[@dawid_dahl]

Great video, thanks!

[@brianlawl1]

i started in 05 and have never quit. i fuckin love wow

[@rurounigato]

What Blizzard didn't knew at that time is that they had catch lightning in a bottle And no other company, Game nor expantion has done since