I make no secret of being a massive World of Warcraft fan, I get hyped for everything and the new World of Warcraft esports announcement is no exception.
With the Arena World Championships (AWC) entering a new phase of growth and record viewings during Blizzcon 2018, Blizzard has decided to implement a competition for those of us who just aren’t geared toward a PvP environment.
Introducing the Mythic Dungeon International (MDI). Teams from around the world will prove their abilities in Mythic Dungeon races. Pushing themselves to the limit to complete dungeons in record times against each other.
World of Warcraft esports
With ever increasing difficulty and rotating through different dungeons, Qualifiers will be broadcast on the official Warcraft Twitch channel, with finals being played at Blizzcon 2019. The potential for the MDI to go big and give Blizzard a way to announce new content is amazing.
But the news hasn’t been all smiles and cheers, with the announcement of the prize pool also comes news of new shop items to help support the Blizzard esports scene. Many people believe that a subscription based online game generates enough revenue to source its own prize pool and that’s true, it does.
However, do all the players really want money that they put into the game via subscription to go towards esports development if that’s not something they are interested in watching? Probably not.
With the two new esports prize pool toys, fans of the growth and esports direction Blizzard are taking can support it. It’s trendy right now to hate on big games companies. Valve has been funding the Dota 2 International through compendiums and cosmetics for nearly a decade.
I don’t think it’s the big evil decision the doomsayers claim it to be.
Imagine seeing a new dungeon for the first time, unleashed on the best dungeon runners for the first time as they clash with new boss mechanics and crazy new dungeon modifiers. Reminds me of an old classic movie The Wizard that unveiled Super Mario Bros 3 and featured the Nintendo Power Glove.
That’s the position Blizzard finds itself in. As a giant of the gaming industry, it has the potential to help redefine and mass market esports into people’s living rooms.
If you are excited, curious or even a bit suspicious about Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International, I’d encourage you to check out the official Warcraft Twitter and bookmark the Warcraft esports page for news and updates.
