However, while players were still immersed in the "Snake Eater" DLC for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and others were climbing the ranks in Yu-Gi-Oh!, trying to outwit their opponents with perfectly timed "Good Game" messages and clever mind games, John was already deep in discussions with the development team about another ambitious project, Warcraft.
Development on Assassin's Creed had already settled on its overall direction after extensive planning with Martel. Given Martel's exceptional abilities, John had complete confidence in letting him take charge of producing a polished gameplay prototype that would establish the core mechanics and artistic style of the game.
Warcraft, however, required a very different design philosophy. From the very beginning, John decided to separate its competitive elements from its entertainment value.
As a real-time strategy game, Warcraft was unquestionably one of the greatest masterpieces from his dream memories. Even many RTS titles released years afterward struggled to escape its enormous influence.
Whether it was the Fog of War, hero units, character attributes, or the overall interface design for controlling armies, Warcraft may not have invented every one of these mechanics, but it undeniably refined them into the standards that countless later RTS games would follow.
Yet there was another reality that couldn't be ignored. Although Warcraft was legendary in John's memories, its success had also been closely tied to the era in which it was released. Back then, the RTS genre stood proudly at its absolute peak with titles such as Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Age of Empires, StarCraft, and Total Annihilation had transformed real-time strategy into one of the most celebrated genres in gaming.
Naturally, the popularity of these classics was also influenced by the limitations of computer hardware during that period. RTS games were simply one of the best genres capable of showcasing strategic depth without requiring cutting-edge graphics. Regardless of the reasons, there was no denying that those legendary games had together created the golden age of RTS.
But no golden age lasts forever. Just as no sun shines endlessly, the RTS genre would inevitably decline. The reason was surprisingly simple, RTS games possessed a fatal weakness built into their very design.
For newcomers, they were incredibly difficult to enjoy. Unless two beginners happened to face each other, inexperienced players were usually overwhelmed before they could even understand what was happening.
Other competitive genres were far more forgiving. In an FPS game, even a newcomer could occasionally eliminate a highly skilled player with a lucky shot, contribute modestly to the team, or simply follow experienced teammates to secure a satisfying victory.
RTS games were completely different. Success depended upon precise micromanagement, efficient economic management, strategic planning, map awareness, unit control, build orders, and a deep understanding of countless mechanics. Those were exactly the skills beginners lacked. After all, if they already possessed those skills, they wouldn't be beginners anymore. Also, there was nothing wrong with that style of gameplay. In fact, it was one of the reasons RTS games possessed such incredible strategic depth.
The real issue was player retention. The majority of players simply wanted to relax and enjoy themselves. They weren't interested in memorizing optimal build orders or practicing dozens of actions every second just to remain competitive. Given the choice, most players naturally gravitated toward games that emphasized entertainment over relentless competition.
John's dream memories proved exactly that. As later Warcraft expansions were released, purely competitive RTS content gradually became less dominant. Instead, custom maps created through the game's powerful map editor exploded in popularity, eventually becoming one of Warcraft's defining features. That trend alone explained everything.
Of course, John had no intention of abandoning Warcraft's competitive side. Rather, he refused to define Warcraft solely as a competitive RTS. Competition and entertainment were never mutually exclusive.
The map editor would become one of Warcraft's greatest strengths. Giving players the freedom to create RPG adventures, defense maps, survival modes, puzzle games, and entirely original experiences inside an RTS engine would be revolutionary, even by the standards of this world. After all, nearly every RTS currently on the market focused almost exclusively on balanced competitive gameplay.
That was precisely where John's confidence came from.
"The campaign shouldn't merely serve as an extended tutorial," John told the team, making a request that left many developers visibly puzzled. "Most RTS games treat their campaigns as training exercises that slowly introduce mechanics. Warcraft won't do that."
He paused before continuing. "We're going to combine storytelling with gameplay. Every campaign mission should immerse players in the world itself. Every race has its own history. Every faction has its own culture. Every hero has a personal journey. Even every battlefield should tell a story through the conflict taking place there."
The room fell silent as everyone listened carefully. Without question, Warcraft would become an enormous narrative universe. Its cinematic campaign and powerful storytelling, together with the limitless creativity enabled by the map editor, would become just as important as its competitive multiplayer.
Because the reality of today's market was obvious, Competitive RTS games were no longer mainstream. That wasn't something game developers could simply change. Even if Warcraft achieved nearly perfect balance and exceptional gameplay, marketing it solely as a hardcore competitive RTS would limit its audience. It might become an outstanding game but it wouldn't become a timeless classic.
The issue wasn't the game's design, the issue was the market itself. As the saying went: Times had changed.
After emphasizing several core design principles, John distributed the completed sections of the GDD to everyone in the meeting room. Once the meeting concluded, the developers returned to their workstations, leaving only John and Luna behind.
Luna looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"I've been listening this whole time," she said. "Why did you ask me to handle the cinematics? RTS games don't usually rely on cinematic presentation."
Although she hadn't played many RTS games before joining PixelPioneers Games, years of learning and practical experience had dramatically broadened her knowledge. Working on one successful project after another had sharpened her skills to the point where, in some areas, her experience even surpassed that of many developers working at major studios.
From everything she had observed, blockbuster RTS games rarely featured elaborate cinematic storytelling. So why was John assigning that responsibility to her?
John smiled. "Who says they can't? Why shouldn't an RTS have a complete narrative supported by high-quality CGI cinematics?"
In the gaming era preserved within his dream memories, Warcraft's groundbreaking RTS mechanics had initially been its greatest selling point. But after decades of expansion, unforgettable storytelling, rich world-building, memorable characters, and an endlessly creative custom map community had ultimately become the franchise's defining legacy. John understood that better than anyone.
As for why he wasn't beginning with World of Warcraft, the answer was incredibly straightforward, money. Creating the crude MMO from his memories using modern technology would be technically easy for today's PixelPioneers Games. The problem was that no modern player would ever accept visuals and systems that outdated.
Once again, times had changed. To create a true next-generation MMORPG featuring cutting-edge graphics, advanced physics simulation, massive seamless environments, and production values worthy of modern audiences would require an astronomical budget. Even PixelPioneers Games couldn't realistically shoulder such a project right now.
Attempting it immediately would appear utterly insane to everyone outside the company. And perhaps... They wouldn't even be wrong. So starting with Warcraft, steadily expanding its universe, and gradually building the franchise into something much larger was a far wiser strategy.
The following morning, Armani would probably be the first person to burst into John's office carrying a small stool, demanding another budget meeting with an anxious expression.
John could practically picture the scene already. Using Warcraft as the foundation and slowly expanding the entire Warcraft IP step by step, that was the roadmap he had envisioned from the very beginning.