World of Warcraft is one of the longest running and most popular MMOs on the market. Players from across the globe have been exploring the expansive fantasy world of Azeroth for years, dating all the way back to 1994 with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. However, some players are not fond of multiplayer games or do not have access to reliable internet, and so they are barred from experiencing Blizzard's storytelling; a singleplayer RPG in the same universe could fix that.
The story of World of Warcraft began with three real-time strategy games before it entered the MMO genre. These RTS games could be played singleplayer or against other players and provided hours of fun for strategy fans. When Warcraft entered the MMO genre, it left behind RTS fans and singleplayer fans alike. Now as Blizzard plans substantial content for the Warcraft franchise, it should consider giving singleplayer fans a way to check out the world.
A Warcraft RPG Could Follow the Events of WoW
World of Warcraft has existed for 18 years, and in that time it has received eight different expansions that expanded upon the story and characters of Azeroth. Players have grown alongside characters like Anduin Wrynn and Thrall as they fought back against world ending crisis. Expansions like Wrath of the Lich King and Legion have been critically acclaimed for their storytelling, and characters like Illidan Stormrage and Arthas Menethil have become icons for many players.
With the impressive storytelling that World of Warcraft has showcased, Blizzard could create a singleplayer RPG in the same vein, stripping out all the MMO mechanics and instead allowing players to go through the expansive story by themselves. The game would still allow for the customizability that World of Warcraft has to offer, but it would just be given the RPG treatment. Already, questing in WoW feels very much like a singleplayer RPG, as a majority of quests and story can be completed alone.
The rest of the game would need to be reworked, as a lot of the endgame content is heavily catered towards multiplayer, players cannot even participate in max level raids or dungeons without a party. An RPG would have to either make the endgame content easier or replace party members with NPC companions. The auction house, guild feature, community feature, and chat would all have to be removed unless Blizzard could find a way to fit it into a singleplayer title. PvP could still remain as an optional bit of online content for players to get their aggression out on each other.
A Warcraft RPG Could Supplement WoW
An RPG that takes World of Warcraft and turns it into a singleplayer title could hurt the WoW player count, as many players may just choose to play the singleplayer version. As such, instead of a singleplayer WoW, Blizzard could craft a unique singleplayer RPG that simply serves to supplement the WoW story. Hearthstone utilizes the same characters but is a different game entirely, and a Warcraft RPG could follow that formula.
A Warcraft RPG could tell the story of what is happening in-between WoW expansions, it could follow some characters during an expansion, or provide some backstory on famous lore characters. Each of those choices would add context to WoW story elements and help build up the world of Azeroth. For those who want extra story, they could find it in the RPG, and those who do not care could just ignore them entirely.
Riot Games has been releasing games and content that supplements League of Legends. In 2019, it unveiled several games that were directly connected to League of Legends characters. It released Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Ruined King: A League of Legends Story. It is also working on its own MMORPG involving League characters and its own third-person adventure game, Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story. Each title serves as a way to build up characters in League of Legends, and each hopes to bring players to the mainline title. A Warcraft RPG should seek to accomplish the same thing for World of Warcraft.
A Warcraft RPG could bring more players to the world of Azeroth and raise the player count of World of Warcraft, or it could serve as a way to provide players who are not interested in MMOs access to the characters of Azeroth. It could also allow the story of Warcraft to continue past World of Warcraft and help build a more expansive and lived-in world.