PCGamer Interview with Ion Hazzikostas and Maria Hamilton - Story Arcs, Impact of Roadmaps

Posted 2025/02/27 at 4:52 AM by Anshlun

PCGamerRoadmap Impact

The pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has been a major motivational factor for developers.

The team has been able to stick to the content plans and tight schedule since 2023.

Story Arcs

Having revealed three expansions instead of one in 2023 has given the team a lot of creative freedom with stories.

Before, they felt pressured to finish all stories in a single expansion, leaving only a few unfinished threads to resolve later.

Now, with the saga being the overarching story, the team can spend more time fleshing out the story and having patches like Undermine(d).

This is allowing the team to "plant more seeds" story-wise that only pay off in the next expansion or the following one.

Comment by fokers"The pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has been a major motivational factor for developers.
The team has been able to stick to the content plans and tight schedule since 2023."

Yeah i too HECKING love crunch it always results in good quality work,especially when being underpaid af compared to competing studios while being a freaking giant of a company.

That said best regards to the devs new patch seems interesting at the very least,for ion,bozo we need a real pve mode delves aint it bub,only mildly entertaining for gigacasuals.Comment by FlynAh yes, the pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has really helped serve finished and tested features such as Delves, Awakening the machine, Blackrock Depth Anniversary Raid, Chromie's Codex. Good to know.Comment by BrimzI dont have a problem with stories planned ahead by 5-6 years, but revealing all of them was a mistake, at least for me.

It completely killed the hype for TWW (goblin themed patch doesnt help either when we have Light Shadow Death Order in the play and we dealing with landfill sites looking zone), have some low expectations for Midnight (maybe Elune reveal?) only because what theyve said about The Last Titan. Im like just end TWW and Midnight fast and get to the point.

Yo Jimmy, the sweetest, biggest, most delicious chocolate is coming towards you... but before that, eat that cabbage soup and some roasted eggplant. (nothing personal, if you love these food sorry ^^) Duuuude. Just say you have plans for the future and you dont want to end the story and start a new one every expac, dont tell me whats going to happen 4 years ahead...Comment by sumpfkingthe goblin themed patch makes no sense it should have been and expansion, its a cool theme and the city feels aliveComment by 2623627"The pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has been a major motivational factor for developers.
The team has been able to stick to the content plans and tight schedule since 2023."

Yeah i too HECKING love crunch it always results in good quality work,especially when being underpaid af compared to competing studios while being a freaking giant of a company.

That said best regards to the devs new patch seems interesting at the very least,for ion,bozo we need a real pve mode delves aint it bub,only mildly entertaining for gigacasuals.Comment by SuzakuHaven't heard about any crunch issues. Keep in mind they've dramatically grown the team since 2023, and the WoW team also unionized last summer.Comment by doodle12Ah yes, the pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has really helped serve finished and tested features such as Delves, Awakening the machine, Blackrock Depth Anniversary Raid, Chromie's Codex. Good to know.Comment by dabone1337
That said best regards to the devs new patch seems interesting at the very least,for ion,bozo we need a real pve mode delves aint it bub,only mildly entertaining for gigacasuals.Comment by fokers"The pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has been a major motivational factor for developers.
The team has been able to stick to the content plans and tight schedule since 2023."

Yeah i too HECKING love crunch it always results in good quality work,especially when being underpaid af compared to competing studios while being a freaking giant of a company.

That said best regards to the devs new patch seems interesting at the very least,for ion,bozo we need a real pve mode delves aint it bub,only mildly entertaining for gigacasuals.Comment by 2623627"The pressure from the Roadmaps the team has been putting out has been a major motivational factor for developers.
The team has been able to stick to the content plans and tight schedule since 2023."

Yeah i too HECKING love crunch it always results in good quality work,especially when being underpaid af compared to competing studios while being a freaking giant of a company.

That said best regards to the devs new patch seems interesting at the very least,for ion,bozo we need a real pve mode delves aint it bub,only mildly entertaining for gigacasuals.Comment by Wixypoo"This gives us a chance to...." sell you 1 expac for the cost of 3!

Its been 20 years, im almost done with these guys.Comment by Soeroah"This gives us a chance to...." sell you 1 expac for the cost of 3!

Its been 20 years, im almost done with these guys.Comment by LifetakerBIYM"This gives us a chance to...." sell you 1 expac for the cost of 3!

Its been 20 years, im almost done with these guys.Comment by Silviano"This gives us a chance to...." sell you 1 expac for the cost of 3!

Its been 20 years, im almost done with these guys.Comment by AlustrielLove the fact that the story continues, if any of you enjoy reading books, then no matter what the author (in this case the creative storyline department) unfolds in the first book and gives you a sample chapter at the end (spoilers about what to expect in the future) for the next book, you will never truly know what to expect.

Keep up the great effort, looking forward to the saga over the years to come!Comment by RavenoflogicOh great........ more patches like undermined.
Just what I wanted.
................................Comment by EdlarelOh great, more patches like undermined!
Just what I wanted!Comment by Soulcleavewhat is with these "interviews" that are 2 small qeustions? not blaming wowhead, theyre just reporting. but whats with these sites doing this and calling them "interviews"?Comment by GetwastedIs every streamer trying to get view and subs on their socials? Kinda tired of these "news". The transition between patches is the #$%^tiest it's ever been, so these interviews are just pissing people off even more...Comment by SoeroahIs every streamer trying to get view and subs on their socials? Kinda tired of these "news". The transition between patches is the #$%^tiest it's ever been, so these interviews are just pissing people off even more...