The World of Warcraft community is upset with the 9.1.5 update, and its most popular streamer feels the same way.
The update may be small, but 9.1.5 has caused quite a commotion. World of Warcraft players are fine with the tweaks to the four Covenants and the ability to now swap between them after a certain level. But they noticed something in the patch notes that really caused an uproar: Some classic World of Warcraft paintings have seen changes that tone down their sexuality.
Popular World of Warcraft streamer Asmongold has is quite vocal about updates to his favorite MMORPG. The changes were first spotted by Wowhead earlier in the week, causing an abundance of WoW players to speak up. This includes Asmongold, who recently returned from his Twitch break.
“What a f—— joke,” Asmongold said.
According to Asmongold, World of Warcraft developers have changed content that “doesn’t conform to their world view and message” and they are using WoW to promote this message. And Asmongold has a problem with the message.
“It’s stupid and reductive,” Asmongold continued on Twitter. “There’s nothing wrong with cleavage or sexuality. But there is something wrong with pretending like there is.”
World of Warcraft players react to patch 9.1.5
Many of the artworks that received a conservative update have been in World of Warcraft for years prior to patch 9.1.5. This includes a woman in Stormwind SI:7 having her very low-cut robe closed up and a nude in Ravenholdt changing to a very inoffensive bowl of fruit.
Some World of Warcraft players agreed that the update was pointless. Others felt that it wasn’t a big deal and not worth getting mad about since it didn’t change the gameplay. Still, other WoW players were disappointed with the idea of even more things getting toned down such as the Succubus model and Black Mageweave.
The painting updates aren’t the only time that Blizzard has made updates like this in World of Warcraft. Earlier this month, Blizzard renamed several World of Warcraft achievements that had sexual references. “My Sack is Gigantique” was renamed to “My Storage is Gigantique” and “Bros Before Ho Ho Hos” was renamed to “Holiday Bromance.”
These name changes bothered World of Warcraft players at the time, mostly because fans wanted real changes that addressed major problems regarding WoW gameplay rather than something so ineffectual. Fans joked that the renamed achievements had truly “saved” the game. Others called it “low effort virtue signaling.”
Blizzard may have made these updates due to a very public lawsuit the developers are currently facing after it was accused multiple times of gender discrimination and sexism. In response to the lawsuit, Blizzard has also vowed to change the name of Overwatch’s cowboy, McCree, who was named after a developer involved with the infamous Cosby Suite.
But these aren’t the first such changes made by Blizzard. The developer has previously made moves to lessen the sexuality of other games including Hearthstone.
Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman
Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.
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