Notes

World of Warcraft Developers Weigh Mobile Gaming App

World of Warcraft developers weigh the mobile gaming apps



21 March 2012



World of Warcraft's developers have confirmed that they're considering porting the game to mobile devices.



In aninterview with Eurogamer, Blizzard Entertainment also pointed out a decline in subscribers to the launch of a Star Wars-themed rival game.



The company revealed in November that WoW had 10.3 million subscribers, a drop from a peak of 12 million in 2010.



While others have tried to make WoW compatible with Android devices A formal launch could boost Blizzard's earnings.



To date the firm has only released a no-cost Mobile Armoury app to allow players to keep their character's progress and plan their adventures.



The developer's senior producer John Lagrave told Eurogamer that the biggest reason his team had not released a mobile title allowing gameplay was due to the difficulties involved in shrinking the interface.



He said that he was looking into the possibility of finding an excellent way to play WoW on the phone.



"The world is moving towards a small handheld device... It's foolish of any game designer to not be thinking about this, and we're not. We don't believe that we're stupid."



Competition



Mr Lagrave also said that the number of people who pay an amount was continuing to "dip" since the last time the company announced figures.



Bioware and Lucasarts' Star Wars: The Old Republic were released in December. It offers an alternative to the massively multiplayer online (MMO), experience.



Frank Gibeau, president of labels of its publisher Electronic Arts, told analysts in February that the game already had attracted over 1.7 million active users with gamers playing for an average of four hours per day.



Blizzard started offering 20 free WoW level in the year 2000. Mr. Lagrave said that the idea of an extension of the trial is "on the table".



However, he also said that he was expecting a rise in the number of players once an expansion pack is released. The Mists of Panderia update, the release date of which is unknown, will allow players to explore a "lost planet" that is home to pandas who are adept at martial arts.



The firm has also announced that it has retracted its partnership with Neteasein China, ensuring that WoW can continue to be sold on the mainland.



Streaming solutions



While Blizzard ponders the possibility of a mobile WoW release, others are trying to join the breach.
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Vancouver-based Gamestring announced in December of 2010 that it was trying to make the game run on Android-based devices.



It showed an early "alpha" version of a hack that enabled it to run on an HTC smartphone, streaming data from its servers and a customized touch-based interface.



Users have also uploaded videos on YouTube showing the game running on tablet computers via remote desktop applications.



However, such solutions create the problem of lag and they are more difficult to control than PC.



Online gathering of Jedi knights



8 March 2012



World of Warcraft loses players



Warcraft is hit by a drop in subscribers



Kung-fu pandas join Warcraft game



Related Internet Links



World of Warcraft



Eurogamer



Blizzard Entertainment



Star Wars: The Old Republic



Electronic Arts



Bioware



Lucasarts



Netease



YouTube



Gamestring



HTC



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