WoW Mocks FF14's Housing with New Plans

Blizzard Entertainment has announced an exciting new feature for World of Warcraft—player housing is on its way with the upcoming expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnight. In a recent developer blog, the team shared an early glimpse into how this long-awaited feature will work, and they didn't miss the chance to take a playful swipe at Final Fantasy XIV's housing system.

The primary goal for World of Warcraft's housing, as outlined in the recent dev blog, is to ensure "A Home for Everyone." Blizzard emphasized their commitment to making housing accessible to all players, stating, "As a part of our focus on wide adoption, we wanted to ensure that Housing is available to everyone. If you want a house, you can have a house." They've promised no high purchase costs, lotteries, or stringent upkeep requirements. Even if your subscription lapses, your house won't be repossessed, addressing a common concern among players of other MMOs.

Player housing in MMOs allows players to own customizable homes within the game world, which can be visited by others. This feature has been a huge success in Final Fantasy XIV, where it has spurred creativity and community engagement, resulting in theater productions, nightclubs, cafes, and museums. However, Final Fantasy XIV's housing system is notorious for its challenges, including limited plots, high costs, lottery systems, and the risk of houses being demolished if neglected.

World of Warcraft aims to address these issues head-on. Housing will be integrated with the Warband system, allowing characters to share homes across the Warband. This means that while a Human character can't purchase a house in a Horde zone, a Troll character in the same Warband can, and the Human can still use it. This flexibility ensures that housing remains accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

The housing system will be organized into two housing zones, each containing "Neighborhoods" with around 50 plots. These neighborhoods will be instanced, offering both Public and Private options. Public neighborhoods are managed by the game servers and can be created "as needed," suggesting that there won't be a hard cap on the number of available neighborhoods.

Blizzard is committed to making housing a "long lasting journey" with ongoing updates and expansions. Alongside "boundless self-expression" and "deeply social" pillars, the team aims to evolve the housing system over time, promising a roadmap that stretches into future patches and expansions. This approach not only takes a jab at Final Fantasy XIV's system but also shows Blizzard's awareness of and efforts to avoid similar pitfalls.

While more details are expected to be revealed with the summer unveiling of World of Warcraft: Midnight, Blizzard's approach to player housing promises to be inclusive, flexible, and geared towards fostering a vibrant community within the game.