With close to 30 years of history, theWorld of Warcraftuniverse is filled with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Fantasy staples like elves and dwarves battle alongside aliens and panda-folk to save the world. The Dragonflight expansion introduces the dracthyr race, and has a heavy focus on the great dragons who created them. Behind the screen, the people playing and creatingWorld of Warcraftare humans who all come from diverse backgrounds, nationalities, creeds, and identities.
Game Rant spoke to narrative director Steve Daunser and lead quest designer Maria Hamilton about the importance of diversity and representation inWorld of Warcraft. By reaffirmingWorld of Warcraft’scommitment to add more diversity, they seek to make Azeroth a place where everyone can feel represented.
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The History of Diversity in World of Warcraft
World of Warcrafthas been out for close to 20 years, but theWarcraftuniverse began in 1994 with the release ofWarcraft: Orcs and Humans. Though it sparked a franchise that would eventually redefine the MMO genre, it began life in a very different era. Society still has a long way to go before it is completely inclusive, but contemporary culture has taken many strides toward equality between peoples of all races, cultures, religions, gender identities, and sexualities since the mid-90s.
Though far from perfect,World of Warcrafthas done a lot to be more inclusive in recent years as well.Shadowlands expanded character customizationto include better non-white options, and even used these options to make black-coded characters like Natalie Seline from Legion look more genuine.World of Warcraftalso added its first trans characters with the bronze dragon Chromie and the kyrian Pelagos, while confirming Stormwind spymaster Matthias Shaw is gay.
“It’s something we’re committed to seeing unfold as time goes on,” Danuser said. The process of turningWarcraftinto a more inclusive placemay not happen overnight - especially with a game old enough to vote, but he is committed to making it happen. “When you’re dealing with a game that has been around for a long time, and has an older engine, there’s some behind-the-scenes things that need to be updated to fully support these features,” he said. “[But] there’s things we have in the works.”
“Warcraft is rooted in the storylines that have these beloved characters from a couple decades now, as you think of the Jaina Proudmoores and the Uthers of the world. That was a very different time, and we do try to make the game feel more contemporary and reflect the audience that plays it in a much more tangible way.”
Many players have criticizedWorld of Warcraftfor hiding this representation in side stories, optional quests, and other missable places, but Danuser indicates the dev team wants to change that. Though he did not give any specific details, it seemsWorld of Warcraftwill aim to bring diversity front and center in Azeroth.
Representation in Dragonflight and Beyond
Though theDragonflight expansion is nearly live, players have been exploring the Dragon Isles in the beta for a couple of months. One thing many are struck by is how vivid the world looks. Not only are many of the local cultures dynamic and three-dimensional, they’re inhabited by a diverse cast.
Sansok Khan, a prominentleader of the Maruuk Centaur introduced in Dragonflight, is deaf and speaks via an interpreter. Several quests around the Dragon Isles feature gay and lesbian characters from several factions - including the dragon-frog husbands Beef and Wellington. The Dragonscale Expedition is also filled with a diverse cast of characters like Eraleshk, a dracthyr who uses a wheelchair after sustaining an injury on the Forbidden Reach. Additionally, players can choose between numbered body types rather than selecting a gender.
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“We will continue to have characters that represent all kinds of people in the world, and we will see them take more prominent roles as the story builds up,” Danuser said.World of Warcrafthas the ability and the toolsto add more diversity to its world. “It does take some time for those storylines to unfold, but… From a story perspective, that’s something we embrace fully.” According to Danuser, the uptick of representation inWorld of Warcraftis only beginning.
“We’re really excited about some of those characters we have planned for the future and the story arcs they’ll have. [Existing fan-favorites] will have an even larger cast of characters they can adventure alongside and get to know that represent all kinds of perspectives in the world. Hopefully people can see themselves in these characters as well. That’s something that’s very important to our team.”
Hiccups have happened in recent history, such astroubling stereotypes used in the recentExploring Azeroth: Kalimdorlore book. Nevertheless, Danuser seems adamant that theWorld of Warcraftteam seeks to do better. If it continues the positive trend seen in Dragonflight, it may be able to make Azeroth a place where everyone feels seen.
Diversity and Representation In and Out of Warcraft
One of the greatest toolsWorld of Warcrafthas used to make itself feel authentic is building a more diverse development team. “We really want those places to feel like places, where there’s lots of different people with different perspectives,” Hamilton said, speaking about the process of creatingthe zones of Dragonflight. “We lean into the diversity of our crew, our group, our quest designers and our narrative designers, to tell those stories.”
Since its legal troubles over sexual harassment and discrimination allegations began in 2021, Blizzard has outwardly committed itself to staffing its teams with more diverse developers.Blizzard hired a new Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer this April, and has shared its DE&A data with the public each year. Some of its decisions, like the removal of overly-sexual flirting lines fromWorld of Warcraft, have been met with approval. Others, like its tone-deaf Diversity Tool, were heavily-criticized. Though Blizzard still has a long way to go, Hamilton said having a diverse team is the secret toWorld of Warcraft’ssuccess.
Dragonflight has more side quests and minor content - called “local stories” byWorld of Warcraft’squest team - than usual. “That’s how you get that feel of a place that’s real,” Hamilton said. “We have a diverse group of quest designers, and we ask them to pitch ideas… Because they all come from different places and have different interests, experience, and knowledge, we got a lot of interesting threads that all came together.” In many ways, having a diverse team behindWorld of Warcraftallows it to make the worldmore believable, marketable, and successful.
“When you have a lot of people who are pitching ideas that are so dear to their heart, you get those very true-feeling moments… A diverse group of people pitching ideas that are dear to their heart, a diverse community; seems like it worked out pretty well this time around.”
MakingWorld of Warcraftmore diverse and inclusive is the secret to its continued success, and it seems Danuser and Hamilton know that. Their commitment to making an Azeroth for every player can only helpWorld of Warcraftgrow. Asplayers of every kind adventure through the Dragon Islesand beyond, hopefully they will find a world that is more accepting, inclusive, and welcoming than ever.
World of Warcraftis available now for PC. Dragonflight launches on November 28.
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