Almost six months after World of Warcraft's Midnight expansion sharply restricted the combat information available to third-party add-ons, game director Ion Hazzikostas has publicly defended the change and confirmed it is here to stay. The move disabled many of the game's most popular community tools, and remains divisive among players, but Blizzard considers it a success and is committed to the new approach — a notable stance given how central add-ons have been to the WoW experience.

Hazzikostas argued the restrictions serve a more approachable game and a more level playing field, saying the prevalence of combat add-ons had forced the team to design encounters and classes around their use and disadvantaged newer players. To soften the loss, Blizzard overhauled the interface and introduced its own first-party tools. He said most players are completing the same content as before, with more doing so without external tools. A "more comprehensive overhaul" is planned for Update 12.1, which aims to make add-ons easier to build while closing loopholes, though the game will remain far more add-on-friendly than Final Fantasy 14.