At this year's BlizzCon, MMORPG.com Managing Editor Bill Murphy sat down with Rob Foote, senior producer on World of Warcraft, to discuss Mists of Pandaria, the just announced fourth expansion to World of Warcraft.

During BlizzCon this year, we had the chance to sit down with Rob Foote, Senior Game Producer on World of Warcraft.  Rob deals mostly with the art team, but as all producers can tell you, he knows quite a bit about the design as a whole surrounding Blizzard’s latest expansion: Mists of Pandaria.  We set out a few difficult questions to Rob, but he was pretty apt to answer them, and we think you’ll like the outcome.

Read more of Bill Murphy's World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Interview.

I don't get why people think WoW is doing an Asian themed expansion because of its playerbase in China. The fact is, Asian style architecture and culture is very distinct from ours, and gives a whole new flavor to games. Many MMOs have done Asian themed expansions, from Age of Conan to Everquest; why can't WoW? It adds to the diversity of styles in the game. I didn't see anyone complain when WotLK had a huge Nordic influence. 

"Oh, and that Murkablo all BlizzCon attendees got? He’ll be fighting too."

That blows a giant hole in my theory of what pets won't be allowed (if any aren't allowed after all).

I don't have a problem with Pandarians as a race, but I don't like how the expansion lacks a central enemy and the lore being butchered.  It was a fun ride, but this confirms that it is time to move on for me personally. 

Originally posted by Neverdyne

I don't get why people think WoW is doing an Asian themed expansion because of its playerbase in China. The fact is, Asian style architecture and culture is very distinct from ours, and gives a whole new flavor to games. Many MMOs have done Asian themed expansions, from Age of Conan to Everquest; why can't WoW? It adds to the diversity of styles in the game. I didn't see anyone complain when WotLK had a huge Nordic influence. 

No problem with China-themed setting.  Big problem with cute stuffed animal as playable race.

Originally posted by Neverdyne

I don't get why people think WoW is doing an Asian themed expansion because of its playerbase in China. The fact is, Asian style architecture and culture is very distinct from ours, and gives a whole new flavor to games. Many MMOs have done Asian themed expansions, from Age of Conan to Everquest; why can't WoW? It adds to the diversity of styles in the game. I didn't see anyone complain when WotLK had a huge Nordic influence. 

 

They hope on Chinese players because all the Americans, German, French are looking forward to SWTOR. Its obvious logic. Blizzard knows that a LOT of people will switch to SWTOR for at least a month to see whats what and take abreak. And to still accumulate the funds they need to keep their WoW car running, so they are releasing expansion centered on Asian players which in WoW are few millions.

I like the no central en enemy. If u are ally your enemy should be horde. Vanilla wow had no central enemy and no one complained. The pandaran i like. 

I like the asian theme also. Lets face it playing a panda is just cool. Look at tor forums everyone wants to play wookies and droids snd stuff. so the truth is the minority may hate cute races but hte majority of players love them.

I find it horrifyingly pathetic that they're now trying to present the "dangerous panda" thing with the banner/gfx up there.... Jeez, I think they're really feeling the heat.

Age of Panda anyone?

"But we think of it as though it’s taking away the meaningless 1%, 2%, 3% stat boosts and giving players some truly interesting choices to make"

I was repetively saying that for like 3-4 years and thought of it for like 6 years.

But until a week ago everyone was like "Omg so much CHOICE. So MANY CHOICES. So MUCH cutomization. So DEEP COMPLEX gameplay!" and acted like numbers = superior quality => old talent system = superior quality => WoW = superior quality. Now everyone made 180° turn and praises them for abondoning the bloated system...

Its no wonder they are doing fine, no one actually cares, admits or even realizes when they do something wrong, as long Blizzards marketing unit controlling everything going out of anyones mouth, repetively sells even their faults as "fine/quality/improvemed/polished" or never explicitely admitts they did something wrong.

Oh my god, you know from Vanilla to BC the game was great, after WOTLK I thought well, .. they can fix it someday..... maybe. Then Cataclysm came out then well..... maybe they will hire a new dev team and just roll this one back, now THIS whatever it is supposed to be lol. WOW is officially dead in any serious sense of the word to any half serious gamer.

Did Fisher Price buy out Wow?

Originally posted by Hoplites

I don't have a problem with Pandarians as a race, but I don't like how the expansion lacks a central enemy and the lore being butchered.  It was a fun ride, but this confirms that it is time to move on for me personally. 

 

 this is what did it? it eneded for me a long time ago. so tired of the same dailies/dungeons/raids to get gear to do the same dailes/dungoens/raids again.

"The Brew Master has the Drunken Stance, and it opens up a whole slew of new animations. In fact, the entire class is new animations. In other classes, you may have about ten spells all using the same basic character animation with just a different effect."

Everytime a new race comes out they make the old races look old as dirt. Now they're making a class with a different animation for each ability. They need to update models and animations for everything, not just a couple of races or a single class.

I will probably get SWOTOR on release, but I'm so there to play my Kung Fu Panda healing Monk with his man servant argent gruntling.

WoW has jumped the shark

Is this a freaking joke? OMG IT ISN'T good to know the people at blizzard have gone insane...hope that doesnt spread to Diablo III.

Originally posted by SonofSeth

I will probably get SWOTOR on release, but I'm so there to play my Kung Fu Panda healing Monk with his man servant argent gruntling.

I bought the pandaran pet so i'll have my Pandaran monk and his lil pandaran buddy :P

"Plus with an Asian-themed expansion, there’s just so much to draw from and bring into WoW from all of Asia. Early Nightelf stuff sort of hinted at that kind of tone, but we really see Pandaria as a chance to really dive into it. I do think Asian cultures will dig it, but we fully expect every region to really be down with it. It’s iconic, you know?"

Yea that pretty much confirmed it for me there.  Oh I see them trying to smooth it over a bit, but yea, this is definitely an expansion made with the purpose of drawing in the Asian market in order to recover the loses they expect to have once Swtor comes out and then GW2. 

It was obvious in the first place, and Im glad Blizzard isnt trying to out right hide that fact but rather just try to smooth it over.   I can read between the lines, but thats not even required here.  

Originally posted by Corehaven

"Plus with an Asian-themed expansion, there’s just so much to draw from and bring into WoW from all of Asia. Early Nightelf stuff sort of hinted at that kind of tone, but we really see Pandaria as a chance to really dive into it. I do think Asian cultures will dig it, but we fully expect every region to really be down with it. It’s iconic, you know?"

 

Yea that pretty much confirmed it for me there.  Oh I see them trying to smooth it over a bit, but yea, this is definitely an expansion made with the purpose of drawing in the Asian market in order to recover the loses they expect to have once Swtor comes out and then GW2. 

 

It was obvious in the first place, and Im glad Blizzard isnt trying to out right hide that fact but rather just try to smooth it over.   I can read between the lines, but thats not even required here.  

Right still there's quite a difference between a NA or European player and an Asian one, the latter is far from paying $15 a month...

Should be worried about getting there old players back (myself, I was debating goin back) instead of this garbage. All the expansions, patches, etc, etc untill now were good and bad and to me the bad no being to extreme but this takes the cake. I had alot of fun w WOW but the panda killled it, for me atleast.....