Why WoW Forever added another elf race: Blizzard explains the Skyborne

Blizzard has started explaining why World of Warcraft: Forever’s one new race is, yet again, a race of elves. Across separate interviews, developers pointed to player demand, faction balance, an unexplored corner of classic lore, and a nudge from Warcraft veteran Chris Metzen.

The popularity argument

Windows Central’s Jez Corden put the question to Blizzard directly at BlizzCon, referencing the running “World of Elfcraft” jokes that followed void elves, nightborne and other additions. Lead Classic Designer Tim Jones answered with the game’s own history:

• In 2004 and 2005, Jones said, the population leaned about 60% Alliance to 40% Horde.
• Once blood elves gave the Horde a “pretty” option in The Burning Crusade, he said that split flipped to roughly 60% Horde.
• His conclusion was that being able to make an attractive character matters a great deal to players.

Jones also stressed that the Skyborne are “not the same as the elves we know” and that the team has a story to tell with them. Windows Central reports the race will be open to both Horde and Alliance.

A lore hook from Dire Maul

Principal Designer Kris Zierhut connected the race to the Shen’dralas and the history of Eldre’thalas, the city that eventually became Dire Maul. He framed it around an unanswered question: who resisted Prince Tortheldrin when he drained his own people to gain the power to summon demons? Zierhut described that as one of many unfinished classic-era stories the team wants to expand, and said the Skyborne were tied into it.

Windows Central also notes that Forever is set in a separate “what if” timeline that does not change official WoW lore, which gives designers space for additions like this one.

Chris Metzen’s role

GamesRadar+ highlights a different piece of the story, taken from GameSpot’s interview with senior game designer Josh Greenfield. According to Greenfield, the team decided early that it wanted some kind of elf, brought Metzen a range of pitches and variants, and Metzen encouraged them to “get a little crazy with it.” Greenfield said the team then enjoyed concepting the race alongside him.

The criticism hasn’t gone away

Neither explanation has ended the debate. GamesRadar+ says plenty of Reddit users still think the Skyborne look out of place in Forever, Metzen’s involvement or not.

Corden, for his part, called it “not ideal” that Blizzard is adding elves because they are popular and then selling them in a separate $29.99 pack, which he describes as the first time Blizzard has sold a race. He also relayed a worry circulating among players: if Skyborne racial abilities prove strong enough to become the meta choice, a paid race could drift toward pay-to-win. Neither report details what those racials actually are.

What it means for players

Blizzard’s reasoning is now on record. Elves are popular, they shifted faction balance once before, and the team wanted to explore a gap in Dire Maul’s backstory. What is still missing is how the Skyborne play in practice. Until the racial abilities are published, it is too early to judge whether the race matters competitively. In the meantime, the classes themselves are easier to evaluate, and you can explore them in our talent calculator.