The release ofWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight’sfirst major patch, Embers of Neltharion, is imminent. Players will be able to explore Zaralek Cavern - a vast new subterranean zone beneath the Dragon Isles. On their travels, they can battle with antagonistic factions like the Primalists and befriend the new Loamm Niffen Renown faction to collect new items and gear. And noWorld of Warcraftcontent update would be complete without a slew of new cutscenes and cinematics.
Game Rant spoke with cinematic narrative director Terran Gregory about the cinematics ofWorld of Warcraftand how they shape the narrative. Since its release, these awesome moments have been immortalized in the memories of fans, and Gregory’s hand has been in every one of them. He shared insights on thecinematic history ofWorld of Warcraftand how it has helped make Dragonflight what it is today.
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The Evolution of Cutscenes and Cinematics in WoW
Between its pre-generated cinematic trailers, its real-time animated scenes, and in-game cutscenes,World of Warcrafthas hours of video footage scattered across the game. The gameplay, story, andsetting ofWorld of Warcraftall build upon past lessons, and that is most evident in its cinematics. Since his first project - the Eastern Plaguelands PvP trailer from VanillaWoWPatch 1.12 - Gregory has grown his own skills along with the rest of theWoWteam.
“I like to think that in every single expansion, we learned something. We try something new. Sometimes it’s received very well. Other times, it might be complicated. But we are always learning, always trying to raise that bar. I think in-game cinematics have always done that demonstrably over the years.”
The Wrathgate cinematic from Wrath of the Lich King was the first in-game cutscene.World of Warcraft’screw at the time was small, so Gregory had to juggle a lot of responsibilities. It required a lot of jury-rigging to pull off, but Gregory was determined to make it happen. “In-game cinematics had thatlegacy inWarcraft 3and even all the way back to the original games, so it just felt right. We want to see these moments occur this way.”World of Warcrafteven made a nine-minute deep-dive video about the Wrathgate featuring Gregory.
Another impactful moment inWoW’scinematic history was the battle between Taran Zhu and Garrosh Hellscream for the Siege of Orgrimmar trailer in Patch 5.4. The Pandaren models had introduced a new technology that allowed a greater range of expression for characters not seen inWorld of Warcraftbefore. This tech wouldn’t be introduced to other modelsuntil Warlords of Draenor’smodel update - but it was available for Gregory to leverage in cinematics. “You could see it instantly. When Garrosh showed up, and when Taran Zhu showed up, it was like ‘Whoa, something happened!’ And absolutely, it did!”
Gregory also cited the cinematics from the Broken Shore in Legion as a particularly interesting project. The cutscenes were presented in different ways and contexts depending on eachWorld of Warcraftplayer’s faction. This led to different perspectives and opinions, even from players who saw both sides of the story. “It was almost a sociological experiment,” Gregory explained. “People could play both sides, yet the one they are most invested in has the perspective on how that fight went down.” This showedWoWhow much influence cinematics had in shaping the narrative.
There are countless other moments that definedWorld of Warcraft’scinematic history.Ysera’s death in Legionshowed how impactful visuals could be, even without any dialogue at all, and Shadowlands revolutionized the techWoWused in real-time cutscenes. “It feels like expansion after expansion, they’re always trying something new technologically,” Gregory said. AsWorld of Warcraftapproaches its third decade of live service, that history will only continue to grow.
Dragonflight Storytelling Builds Upon Past Lessons
In many ways, Dragonflight is both a culmination and a continuation ofWoW’scinematic legacy. It has taken both the lessons and technology from past expansions and used it to build something great enough toturn things around forWorld of Warcraft. “Everyone on our crew is always working to makeWarcraftbetter today than it was yesterday,” Gregory explained. “A lot of that has come to bear in how we’re demonstrating the storylines.”
One way Dragonflight has done this is by showing the motivations of the antagonists. Historically,World of Warcrafthasn’t spent a lot of time with only the bad guys in cinematics. “Some stand out moments were like Taran Zhu vs. Garrosh in 5.4 where we saw them fight, or 7.2 where Kil’jaeden spoke with Sargeras over the Fel communication device,” Gregory cited. These powerful moments inspiredWoWto do the same in Dragonflight - to great success, considering how muchWoWfans seem to love Iridikronand the Primal Incarnates.
“We saw there was tremendous value in spending more time with our antagonists to get in their head, and that’s been a guiding principle in utilizing the cinematics to introduce these new threats, to learn more about them, see the dynamics between them in their native spaces, and build this mystery moving forward.”
World of Warcraft’scinematic legacy will only continue togrow with Embers of Neltharionand every subsequent patch afterward. Gregory, his team, and all ofWorld of Warcraftare always seeking more ways to delight their audience. “You never know how we can utilize cinematic technology to just do something that puts a smile on the players’ faces,” he said. “I hope we discover even more in the future to elate our players.”
World of Warcraftis available now for PC.
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