If there's one persistant Xbox 360 rumour that refuses to die, it's the fact that Blizzard's hugely successful World of Warcraft MMORPG will eventually find its way to Microsoft's next-gen console. Of course, with Square-Enix's Final Fantasy XI recieving a 360 debut imminently, it's clear that the platform can more than happily accomodate the complexities of MMOs. However, Blizzard's COO Paul Sams has confirmed that a 360 version of WoW is definitely not in the works - for now.
Speaking to industry mag MCV, Sams stated that, "We do not have any plans to take WoW to Xbox 360. WoW is built as a PC gaming experience. Porting PC games to console often compromises games, and we'd never allow the WoW gameplay experience to suffer."
Sams clarified further, explaining, "It's important to us that the entire player base is able to play together. Microsoft's Xbox Live architecture is very protected from all sorts of outside influence, so shared play between 360 and PC owners would be very tough. We wouldn't even consider WoW for 360 unless we could overcome that hurdle."
Despite the potential disappointment for Xbox 360 owners, it seems that Blizzard hasn't completely sworn off the platform. Sams is keen to point out that, "I wouldn't say we have no console plans. Nothing is in place at the moment, but we may be looking at something along those lines in the future."
Whether this means a whole new twist on the Warcraft MMO or something entirely different is anyone's guess. Needless to say, we'll bring you more just as soon as it parts Blizzard's famously tight lips.
Isnt their a MAC version of WOW? Theoritcaly blizzard could do an EA with regards the whole xbox live thing and just set up there own servers, hence problem solved...
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