World of Warcraft
"World of Warcraft" was first announced by Blizzard at the ECTS trade show in September 2001. Released in 2004, development of the game took roughly 4–5 years, including extensive testing. The 3D graphics in "World of Warcraft" use elements of the proprietary graphics engine originally used in "Warcraft III". The game was designed to be an open environment where players are allowed to do what they please. Quests are optional and were designed to help guide players, allow character development, and to spread characters across different zones to try to avoid what developers called "player collision". The game interface allows players to customize appearance and controls, and to install add-ons and other modifications.
Sam Raimi's unrealized projects
On July 22, 2009, Blizzard Entertainment reported that Raimi was hired to direct a film adaptation of its popular video game "Warcraft" entitled "World of Warcraft". However, on July 13, 2012, it was announced that Raimi would not direct the "Warcraft" film because he was working on "Oz the Great and Powerful" and he needed to finish its post-production. The film was finally released in 2016 as "Warcraft" and directed by Duncan Jones.