World of Warcraft is coming to Xbox, albeit via an indirect route. The next-generation Xbox will reportedly be able to run Windows, meaning every PC program from Microsoft Office to League of Legendswill be accessible through the system. This selected Windows gaming PC will be bootable World of Warcraftmaking it the first official console release for the MMO giant.
While this news is understandably huge for console gamers, it also answers some big questions that have been raised World of Warcraft players recently. The Midnight The expansion makes several major changes to class rotations and additions World of Warcraft which caused no small amount of controversy among the community. However, WoWThe upcoming console debut puts a lot of things into perspective and reveals a deeper reason why Blizzard is experiencing such big swings.
World of Warcraft: Midnight is getting ready for release on Xbox
Blizzard is making big changes in the next World of Warcraft expansion
No World of Warcraft the expansion will include some major adjustments to the way the classes play, but Midnight he does so in a big way. Although the breadth of these changes varies greatly from specialty to specialty, each will look different. However, all of these World of Warcraft class adjustments have one thing in common: simplifying combat rotations.
That's not all that's changing Midnight; Blizzard is making some major changes World of Warcraft's API to limit the functionality of certain add-ons. It seems that removal of “mandatory” add-ons and even a playing field for those who don't use them are being implemented, many features for popular plugins are implemented into the game, such as a damage meter and boss warnings. However, these restrictions could spell doom for many popular ones World of Warcraft addons, seemingly including:
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WeakAuras (confirmed, out of development)
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ElvUI (confirmed, development suspended)
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RCLootCouncil
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MethodRaidTools
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Details! Damage meter
While Blizzard has given plenty of reasons why these changes were made, the real answer may lie in what it didn't say. According to Windows Central's “credible sources,” the next-gen Xbox console will be a celebrated PC with the ability to run any program available on the Windows desktop — even specifically calling out Battle.net and World of Warcraft as examples of what would work. While neither Blizzard nor Microsoft have confirmed that the class and add-on changes have anything to do with this technical console port, it makes too much sense for that to be a factor.
The next-gen Xbox console doesn't yet have a name or a release date, but rumors suggest it could arrive in 2027 and could be called “Xbox Prime.”
How WoW: Midnight's Class Changes Will Help Console Players
While these changes may be controversial, many of them could be of great help to up-and-coming console gamers. Fewer buttons and easier rotation make it easier to control for fans who choose to use controllers. While WoW it's not easy to play with a controller, it wouldn't be logical to imagine World of Warcraft implementing an alternate input scheme to ease this transition for console releases, similar to how Final Fantasy 14 is intended for PlayStation and Xbox players.
As for the addon API limitations, everything known about the new Xbox suggests that those fans could theoretically install addons as well since they have access to Windows. Still, there's no telling how many of these third-party apps would be optimized for consoles, so it's hard to say exactly how add-on restrictions play into that.
Regardless, news about WoW a lot of pieces will fit for Xbox consoles. UI improvements and customization, Cooldown Manager, Combat Assisted Highlight and One-Button Rotation are great additions for WoW gamers on PC, but can be a game changer on consoles. These adjustments at ground level on World of Warcraft they may not have been made just to prepare for a console release, but it sure doesn't hurt.
- Released
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2026
- Multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, online co-op
Source: Windows Central
