World of Warcraft coming to Xbox, albeit indirectly. The next generation of Xbox consoles will reportedly be able to run Windows, meaning all PC programs, from Microsoft Office to League of Legendswill be available through the system. This curated Windows gaming PC will be able to run World of Warcraftmaking it the first official console release for the MMO giant.
While this news is obviously huge for console gamers, it also answers some big questions that have been raised World of Warcraft player recently. The Midnight the expansion makes some sweeping changes to class rotations and additions World of Warcraft which has caused no small amount of controversy among the community. However, Wows upcoming console debut puts a lot of things into perspective and reveals a deeper reason why Blizzard has taken such big swings.
World of Warcraft: Midnight is gearing up for an Xbox release
Blizzard is making big changes in World of Warcraft's next expansion
Some World of Warcraft the expansion will include some major tweaks to how the classes play, but Midnight do it in a big way. Although the breadth of these changes varies widely from specialization to specialization, each will look different. But all of these World of Warcraft class adjustments have one thing in common: the simplification of combat rotations.
That's not all that changes Midnight; Blizzard is making some significant changes World of Warcrafts API to restrict certain extensions from working. It seems to be done to remove “mandatory” plugins, and even the game plan for those who don't use them, many of the features of popular plugins are implemented in the game, such as a damage meter and boss warnings. But these limitations can spell doom for many popular ones World of Warcraft additions, ostensibly including:
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WeakAuras (confirmed, ending development)
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ElvUI (confirmed, pausing development)
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RCLootCouncil
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MethodRaidTools
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Details! Damage meter
While Blizzard has given many reasons why these changes were made, the true answer may lie in what it hasn't said. According to Windows Central's “reliable sources,” the next-gen Xbox console will be a glorified PC, with the ability to run any program available on the Windows desktop — it even specifically called out Battle.net and World of Warcraft as an example of what would work. While neither Blizzard nor Microsoft have confirmed that the class and add-on changes have anything to do with this technical console port, it makes far too much sense for it to have been a factor.
The next-generation Xbox console currently has no name or release date yet, but rumors suggest it could arrive in 2027 and may be called “Xbox Prime.”
How WoW: Midnight's Class Changes Will Help Console Players
While these changes may be controversial, many of them could be of great help to incoming console gamers. Fewer buttons and simpler rotations will be easier to manage for fans who choose to use controllers. While Wow isn't easy to play with a controller, it wouldn't be a logical leap to imagine World of Warcraft implement an alternate input scheme to ease this transition for the console release, similar to how Final Fantasy 14 makes for PlayStation and Xbox players.
As for the add-on API limitations, everything known about the new Xbox console suggests that these fans could theoretically install add-ons as well, since they have access to Windows. Even so, there's no telling how many of these third-party applications would be optimized for consoles, so it's hard to say exactly how the add-on restrictions are related to this.
Regardless of news about Wow for Xbox consoles makes many pieces fall into place. UI improvements and customization, Cooldown Manager, Combat Assisted Highlight and One-Button Rotation are all great additions for Wow player on PC, but can be a game changer on consoles. These ground level adjustments to World of Warcraft may not have been done solely to prepare it for a console release, but they certainly won't hurt.
- Released
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2026
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Source: Windows Central
