Today’s WoW Portal Room Discord interview with Game Director Ion Hazzikostas brought up many interesting topics. One of the first ones mentioned is the current cadence of patch releases. Hazzikostas discussed Blizzard surveys and just how satisfied players are with the release rate, with some interesting results.
Just Right
After some discussion on the flexibility of the 8-week cycle (they’re open to anything), how it came to be, and other details, Hazzikostas mentioned the results of the surveys. The majority of players find the cycle just right. Meanwhile, many find it way too slow, and then just as many think it’s overwhelming. The numbers Ion mentions are 50% on the “just right” train, 25% on too fast, and 25% on too slow.
Here’s the full answer, and thanks to Mr.GM for the coverage!
There were attempts to change the cadence by adding time-gated events within a patch launch, like Horrific Visions and Nightfall, but that was wildly unpopular. The final conclusion on the wider topic is that the 8-week number shouldn’t be the focus. Rather, the actual content being released and specifically which types of players it caters to should. The release cycle doesn’t matter if things are unpolished or if there isn’t enough content for all the different types of players.
What do you think about the content cycle? Which category are you in?
