Overview
Blizzard looked at Dune II and saw potential for fantasy warfare. Warcraft pitted humans against orcs in real-time battles, but more importantly, it introduced Blizzard’s design philosophy—polished, accessible, and intensely competitive multiplayer. The Warcraft universe would eventually spawn an empire.
Fast facts
- Developer: Blizzard Entertainment.
- Setting: Azeroth.
- Factions: Humans, Orcs.
- Legacy: Launched major franchise.
Dune II evolution
| Inherited |
Modified |
| Base building |
Fantasy setting |
| Resource harvesting |
Gold mines, lumber |
| Unit production |
Medieval/fantasy units |
| Tech trees |
Building prerequisites |
Faction design
| Faction |
Units |
Magic |
| Humans |
Knights, archers |
Clerics, mages |
| Orcs |
Grunts, spearmen |
Necrolytes, warlocks |
Resource system
| Resource |
Source |
| Gold |
Mines (finite) |
| Lumber |
Forests (renewable) |
Multiplayer focus
| Feature |
Innovation |
| Head-to-head |
Competitive matches |
| Modem play |
Remote opponents |
| Balance |
Symmetric factions |
| Speed |
Fast-paced decisions |
Series evolution
| Title |
Year |
Innovation |
| Warcraft |
1994 |
Foundation |
| Warcraft II |
1995 |
Naval, air units |
| Warcraft III |
2002 |
Heroes, RPG elements |
| World of Warcraft |
2004 |
MMO transition |
Blizzard identity
| Element |
Establishment |
| Polish |
High production values |
| Accessibility |
Easy to learn |
| Depth |
Hard to master |
| Support |
Long-term patches |
See also