Twitch streamer Preach Gaming hung up his WoW hat at the height of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, joining the exodus to the brighter MMORPG pastures of Final Fantasy XIV. A new Twitter video implies that Azeroth may have lured him back to its shores ahead of Dragonflight, though, prompting a mixed reaction from the community.
In an October 24 Tweet, Preach is seen sitting eating in front of the iconic WoW statue that watches over the entrance to Blizzard Irvine HQ. “Hey guys, I’m really sorry there’s no stream today,” he greets the camera. “I’ve got some stuff to do, and I don’t actually think we’re going to be back until Monday.”
Casting a furtive glance to the side, he then offers his can of Pringles to a puzzled Ion Hazzikostas, game director for WoW, who replies “didn’t you quit?” A spurned Preach replies “I didn’t say that,” as the camera pans up to show off the statue.
— Mike (@PreachGaming) October 24, 2022
While the video itself is short and sweet, it’s clear that The Dragon Isles’ magic has enticed the streamer back to the ever-expanding world of Azeroth. What he’s doing at Blizzard HQ, though, remains a mystery.
Preach is a WoW icon, akin to the likes of Asmongold or Caroline ‘Naguura’ Forer. His decision to quit the game following the lawsuit was mammoth, likely influencing thousands of other OG players to do the same.
Some have welcomed him back with open arms, with co-founder and COO of Asmongold’s iconic streaming org OTK, ‘TipsOut’, writing “Loooool this is great.” This is echoed by WoW caster Peyton ‘tettles’ Tettleton, who comments “this is a f**king banger.”
“I literally laughed out loud… interesting they’re bringing in Preach before Dragonflight launches. Got to be for something,” replies another.
Others, however, are not as impressed. “Ditches the game at its lowest point. Then jumps back in to cash in on Dragonflight hype,” reads one response, with a final comment linking to the video revealing he was quitting WoW.
Preach returning to WoW is a big deal. A one of the main pillars of the WoW community, it implies that the British streamer has faith that Dragonflight does, indeed, go back to WoW’s roots – those fabled good old days we all reminisce over.
I too felt like I’d stepped back into the Warcraft of old during my WoW Dragonflight alpha preview, and have high hopes for Alexstrasza’s triumphant return to Azeroth. In fact, my hopes are so high I’ve even downloaded the best WoW addons in anticipation.