Blizzard turns World of Warcraft interior design into competitive esport with new cinematic

Blizzard continues its major promotional campaign for the new housing system in World of Warcraft. During the recent State of Azeroth stream, executive producer Holly Longdale announced Azeroth Interiors – a challenge for content creators armed with "mood boards and design finesse."

The tournament runs from February 17 to 24 and brings together six pairs of participants from around the world in "homeowner" and "builder" format. The competition begins with an actual Pinterest board creation stage, followed by the building phase and a final judging stream showcasing all six builds.

The studio is heavily betting on the housing system in promoting the current expansion – so much so that other new content in the upcoming Midnight expansion, scheduled for March 2, feels somewhat overshadowed. The State of Azeroth stream concluded with a striking trailer from Blizzard's cinematics team, showing an adventurer looting a spiked bracer from a defeated enemy, then returning to her cozy home in a bustling neighborhood and using the trophy as a coffee pot stand.

Continuing the housing theme, Longdale revealed plans for a charity campaign supporting Habitat for Humanity. Players can contribute by purchasing Roofus – an adorable dog wearing a hard hat and tool belt, who comes with a set of home décor items.

All active subscribers who log into the game between the State of Azeroth stream and Midnight's launch will receive a Dark Portal décor item – a recreation of the iconic monumental portal to Outland and Draenor that first appeared in Warcraft 2 and became the hallmark of The Burning Crusade and Warlords of Draenor expansions.

For those interested in returning to the game or trying it for the first time, the free Welcome Back Weekend is available until Sunday, February 1.