Breakfast Topic: What do you think of the new WoW website?

Who would have thought a website would be so divisive? Yet when Blizzard rolled out a new World of Warcraft website and forums this week, it met with some player outcry. The old website may not have been perfect, but we were used to it and change is always hard… even for a minor thing like this.

I’ve been trying to keep an open mind about the revamped website… but after a few days I just can’t. I hate the new website.

My biggest problem with the updated design is that the home page makes me nauseous. The video that dramatically pans over Legion’s landscapes in the background while still text hovers over it makes my stomach flip. Then there’s the strangely huge text, light on a dark background that seems to be either shouting or trying to give you a headache… or maybe both at once. If you have a browser that allows it, the site seems to look better zoomed out to around 75% — though you’ll still have to deal with the animation and the light text.

But — since I can’t ignore the Warcraft website forever due to professional commitments — I’ve discovered that the site looks fantastic on mobile. If you’ve only seen it on your PC, you should check out what it looks like on your phone. The text feels appropriately sized, the graphics don’t feel overwhelmingly large, and better still there’s nothing animated. The desktop version seems designed to mimic the mobile version a little too much — because what looks great on your phone doesn’t always look great on the big screen.

I think by now it’s clear that I have strong feelings about web design. Possibly too strong. So I’m going to toss this one out to you, readers: what do you think about the redesigned website? Love it, hate it, or just don’t care?