WoW Jabs at FF14 with Housing Announcement

World of Warcraft's upcoming housing system: A different approach to player homes.

Blizzard has offered a first glimpse into the player housing feature coming to World of Warcraft with the World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion, subtly contrasting its approach with that of Final Fantasy XIV. The WoW team emphasizes accessibility, stating a core goal of providing "A Home for Everyone."

Unlike some MMOs, WoW's housing will avoid exorbitant costs, lotteries, and demanding upkeep. Furthermore, subscription lapses won't result in property repossession. This directly addresses common frustrations experienced in other games with similar features.

The housing system functions as expected: players purchase physical homes, customizable and decorable, which can be visited by others. This contrasts with Final Fantasy XIV's system, known for its creative player-built spaces (theaters, nightclubs, etc.), but also infamous for its limited plots, high Gil costs, lotteries, and the risk of demolition due to inactivity.

WoW's design aims to mitigate these issues. Housing is shared within the Warband, allowing characters of different factions and even different races access to a single property (though a Human character can't directly purchase a house in a Horde zone, a Troll Warband member could, and then the Human could utilize it).

While only two housing zones are planned, each containing "Neighborhoods" of approximately 50 plots, these are instanced, offering both public and private options. Public areas are dynamically generated as needed by the servers, suggesting scalability and a lack of a fixed plot limit.

Blizzard's commitment to player housing extends beyond the initial launch. Their stated goals include "boundless self-expression," a "deeply social" experience, and a "long-lasting journey" with continued development and updates across future patches and expansions. This suggests a long-term vision, acknowledging and learning from the challenges faced by other MMOs.

Further details are expected during the summer unveiling of World of Warcraft: Midnight.