One of the defining themes of The War Within, World of Warcraft's next expansion, is revisiting the past. Even the visual approach was carefully considered with Warcraft's long history in mind, lead visual development artist Gabriel Gonzalez said.
The War Within, the first expansion in a three-expansion story arc announced last fall at BlizzCon, will be WoW's 10th, in the game's 20th year. «One of the things that we're really leaning into is this feeling of nostalgia, the classic flavor of World of Warcraft,» Gonzalez said. «Even before World of Warcraft–my initial introduction to Warcraft was Warcraft 3.
So when we really think, what is the flavor that's at the core of what players identify as the most Warcraftiest Warcraft visual that you can imagine, that's what we're trying to lean into.» He gave the example of the starting zone of the expansion, the Isle of Dorn.
It's an Earthen island, inhabited by the stone forefathers of modern dwarves, and echoes of Warcraft's original buildings and landscapes resound across its rolling hills and blocky rooflines. «Even though [the Earthen] are very different from dwarves and they have their own unique culture, there are similar themes to them that help us reminisce,» Gonzalez said.
They «tie back to some of those common themes that we experience at the beginning of Warcraft, when we're playing those original zones.» It's always a challenge to find something unique and special to introduce some of these newer zones.