Blizzard Patches 'Warcraft III,' Offers Modern System Compatibility

Perhaps there is a hint of nostalgia in the air over at Blizzard Entertainment, which just released an update for another one of its classic PC games, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. The patch comes on the heels of a similar update to another of Blizzard’s back-in-the-day blockbusters, Diablo II.

Last November, Blizzard quietly announced the creation of a classic games division with the intent of bringing its original core game titles, including StarCraft, Warcraft III and Diablo II up to speed with modern computer systems. Diablo II got its recent patch 16 years after its release, and now Warcraft III is getting the same treatment 14 years after its debut.

Patch 1.27a improves compatibility for Warcraft III in Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 in addition to adding a new installer for Mac 10.10 and 10.11. To put it into perspective, the game debuted with compatibility for Windows 98, ME (shudder), 2000 and XP. Those operating systems are long gone, save the declining population of users clinging to unsupported software and hardware, likely so they can play their favorite classic PC games. Blizzard says now you don’t have to, because Warcraft III lives on.

Although there are still some lingering issues addressed in the patch changelog, the Classic developer account posted to Blizzard’s forums, stating that they are still working on a balance change and a new map pool for Warcraft III, signifying that this is only the first of possibly many updates for the classic game title.

Blizzard’s revival of the classic game titles that made the company what it is today has been generally well-received by its fan base. At this rate, an update for Starcraft could be just around the corner.

Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.