The RetroBeat: Why Blizzard is remastering Warcraft III — and what it’s changing

Warcraft III is one of the greatest real-time strategy games of all time, and its rich story and memorable characters set the foundation for what would become World of Warcraft. Blizzard announced during BlizzCon 2018 last week in Anaheim, California that the 2002 PC game is getting remade with Warcraft III: Reforged, which is coming out in 2019.

Last year, Blizzard remastered StarCraft. But Reforged is more than a remaster. Blizzard is updating character models, cutscenes, and even tinkering a bit with the story and gameplay of the original. That could be risky. Warcraft III sold over 4.5 million copies. Its modding community helped create entire new genres, such as MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas). Why mess with it too much when you can just up-res the original assets?