Player housing has been one of the most long-requested features in World of Warcraft. After many years, players can finally have their own place to call home—a space they can furnish with their belongings and show off to their friends.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Senior UX Designer Joanna Gianulis and Principal Game Designer Jesse Kurlancheek to discuss everything about player housing. The developers shared the various challenges involved in bringing this feature to life.
First and foremost, the team was committed to doing it right. Blizzard was clear that player housing was not a feature they wanted to rush out. One major task involved taking old assets and ensuring players could resize, recolor, and customize them to their liking. Additionally, the creation of brand-new assets was a significant undertaking.
An important design philosophy the developers maintained concerned player power. They made a deliberate choice to ensure that housing does not offer any gameplay advantage or power. The intention was to avoid forcing players into activities they might not enjoy. Jesse gave a tongue-in-cheek example, noting it would be frustrating if the meta for a season revolved around having, say, a blue roof.
Overall, the introduction of player housing represents Blizzard’s careful balancing of creativity, customization, and player choice—delivering a feature that many fans have eagerly awaited.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/147072/world-of-warcraft-housing-interview
