Blizzard’s internal issues reportedly doomed Sylvanas’ story in WoW
Blizzard EntertainmentSeveral pillars within the World of Warcraft community have claimed that former Senior Creative Director for WoW, Alex Afrasiabi, is responsible for “destroying” Sylvanas’ story.
Sylvanas Windrunner has etched herself into World of Warcraft history for all the wrong reasons. From genocide to deceit, the Banshee Queen has done it all, leading to players wanting the character killed off to save her from poor narrative choices.
Coming into the final chapter in the Shadowlands saga, Eternity’s End, the Forsaken warrior appears to be getting a redemption arc, one which has been heavily criticized by Twitch streamer and longtime WoW icon, Asmongold.
Some members of the community, however, are blaming Blizzard’s internal issues for the Ranger General’s dramatic fall from grace, directing their ire toward former Senior Creator Director, Alex Afrasiabi, for allegedly “destroying” the fan-favorite character.
WoW community blame Afrasiabi for Sylvanas storyline
Following the destruction of Teldrassil at the end of Battle for Azeroth, Sylvanas’ continued meddling in all things dark and evil has left fans out in the cold.
A series of tweets between December 2021 and January 2022 have pointed the finger at Afrasiabi for supposedly ruining the Dark Lady’s storyline – one of which comes from Hearthstone voice actor for Allera Windrunner (Sylvanas’ sister), Michelle Morrow.
“I’m saddened by the leaked cinematic,” she writes, referring to the ‘Shattered Legacies‘ cinematic which shows off a redeemed Sylvanas. “Her entire character was basically sacrificed for the worst storyline in Warcraft history. I heard from a trusted source the burning of Teladrassil is Afrasiabi’s fault. No idea. Regardless my girl is gone to the retcon.”
https://twitter.com/michelemorrow/status/1470817673097330688
This has been followed up by several other Blizzard community leaders. Streaming duo Taliesin & Evitel note: “Morrow isn’t the only one to say this. I have multiple unconnected sources at Blizzard that have independently confirmed it.”
Morrow isn’t the only one to say this. I have multiple unconnected sources at Blizz that have independently confirmed it
— Taliesin & Evitel (@TaliesinEvitel) January 20, 2022
BelluarGaming echoes both sentiments, stating: “Wild that Afrasabi decided to have the last laugh with Sylvanas, pretty much destroying her arc & surely leaving remaining writers in a strange position.”
Wild that Afrasabi decided to have the last laugh with Sylvanas, pretty much destroying her arc & surely leaving remaining writers in a strange position.
Turns out our ‘wtf this is dogshit’ reaction to her in BFA was well warranted.
— Michael (@BellularGaming) January 23, 2022
Importantly, while it was initially claimed that there was a personal motive to the alterations in the Sylvanas storyline, it has been confirmed that these were exaggerated in a back and forth between Morrow and Ian Bates, another major player in the WoW community.
While these are simply rumors, it’s clear that Blizzard have struggled to recover the fan-favorite character following the events of BFA.
As all eyes look to the next WoW expansion, it will be interesting to see where the future takes the Banshee Queen.