Blizzard: ‘We don’t expect World of Warcraft to grow again’

Blizzard says it isn’t expecting World of Warcraft to grow again.

The hit MMO has continued to slide in numbers year-on-year. But the developer still hopes to win back a few lapsed fans with its new expansion Warlords of Draenor, which gives players a level 90 character.

We really don’t know if it will grow again,” said lead game designer Tom Chilton. It is possible, but I wouldn’t say it’s something that we expect. Our goal is to make the most compelling content we can.”

He added: By building expansions, you are effectively building up barriers to people coming back. But by including the level 90 character with this expansion, it gives people the opportunity to jump right into the new content.”

Update: This story was originally printed in MCV @ Gamescom issue 3. Stay tuned for our full interview with Chilton.