Warcraft 3: Reforged player creates side-by-side comparison of BlizzCon 2018 cutscene and its current version

Warcraft 3: Reforged was released yesterday and its launch has been shaky, at best.

Though Blizzard’s remastered version of the hit 2003 real-time strategy game promised updated graphics and features, fans are complaining about being misled. One Warcraft 3 fan posted a YouTube video last night that compares a BlizzCon 2018 cutscene with its current version, highlighting a vast difference in production.

The BlizzCon cutscene showed off astounding graphics with varying camera shots that panned over a well-designed background, shiny and intricate armor, and a wonderfully-refined Arthas. The current 2020 cutscene, on the other hand, takes a more simplistic approach with few close-ups and a more basic background.

Though the difference is certainly felt, the BlizzCon 2018 cutscene likely took far more time to complete. Creating a cutscene of the same magnitude for every mission would’ve taken longer and a larger team. And with Blizzard already pushing the game back a month, time seems like a luxury that developers didn’t have.

But many Warcraft 3 fans feel cheated nonetheless and claim that this maneuver was a “bait and switch.” Some players are refunding the game and there’s a petition going around asking Blizzard to reinclude “what was promised.”

To accompany these complaints, there are typical launch issues like bugs, frame rate drops, and trouble logging in. Blizzard should have these problems under control in upcoming hotfixes and patches.