Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Forever, announced at BlizzCon and launched in beta last week, has proven hugely popular and appears to represent the developer taking lessons learned from previous Classic iterations and seasonal updates. The project aims to provide a permanent home for players seeking the experience of original World of Warcraft rather than the modern game's endless progression treadmill, with the beta currently allowing character progression to level 20.

The new content demonstrates considerable care in design, with a new zone called Riverglades featuring areas like Farholde Keep that showcase organic environmental design drawing on the original Warcraft RTS lore. New class and race combinations, such as Undead Paladins, have been thoughtfully integrated into the world's narrative and politics rather than simply appended, suggesting the development team has invested effort in making additions feel coherent within the existing setting.