Blizzard Entertainment has announced the much-anticipated addition of player housing to World of Warcraft with the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. In a recent developer blog, the WoW team shared initial insights into how this feature will function, while also playfully critiquing the housing system in Final Fantasy XIV.
The core philosophy behind WoW's housing, encapsulated in the goal "A Home for Everyone," emphasizes inclusivity. Blizzard stated, "As a part of our focus on wide adoption, we wanted to ensure that Housing is available to everyone. If you want a house, you can have a house." This approach contrasts sharply with other MMOs by eliminating high costs, lotteries, and strict upkeep requirements. Even if a player's subscription lapses, their home remains safe from repossession.
Player housing in MMOs allows players to purchase and customize personal spaces within the game world, which can be visited by others. This feature has proven immensely popular in Final Fantasy XIV, inspiring players to create diverse venues such as theaters, nightclubs, cafes, and museums. However, Final Fantasy XIV's housing system has faced criticism for its limited plots, high costs, lottery system, and the risk of demolition due to inactivity.
World of Warcraft aims to address these issues head-on. Housing will be accessible across the Warband system, allowing characters to share homes across factions. For example, while a Human cannot buy a house in a Horde zone, a Troll in the same Warband can, and the Human can then use that house. The housing zones are divided into "Neighborhoods" of approximately 50 plots each, with instanced environments that include both Public and Private options. Public Neighborhoods are dynamically managed by the game servers, suggesting no hard limit on the number of neighborhoods.
Blizzard's vision for housing extends beyond immediate implementation. The team has outlined pillars such as "boundless self-expression" and "deeply social," alongside a commitment to a "long lasting journey" with ongoing updates planned for future patches and expansions. This indicates a dedicated approach to evolving the housing feature over time, while acknowledging and avoiding the pitfalls seen in other games.
As World of Warcraft: Midnight's release is slated for summer, more details on player housing are expected to emerge, promising an exciting new dimension to the beloved MMO.
