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Ahead of the OTK Shareholders meeting, we had a chance to chat with Zach Diaz about the various World of Warcraft events that have both happened in the past and are coming in the future. It’s not a secret that many of the OTK content creators are long-time fans and players of WoW, so it’s been interesting to see such intense PVP events like the Mak’gora take the spotlight on such a public level.
I spoke to Zach Diaz about past and future World of Warcraft events that OTK are planning. While many of their plans appear to still be secret, I, for one, am very excited to see what’s on the way. The notion that so many cool MMO-themed competitions are on the way is exciting.
Despite OTK having so many WoW content creators, there is still a huge, untapped market in the MMO for drawing in viewers, as well as introducing their audience to World of Warcraft, potentially for the first time. It’s a great time to be a fan of MMOs, that’s for sure.
OTK’s Zach Diaz discusses World of Warcraft events, success of the Mak’gora, and more
Q. First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! For those who might not be aware, could you please introduce yourself to our audience?
Zach Diaz: Hi y’all! My name is Zachary Diaz, and I’m the Chief Strategy Officer here at OTK. I started in this industry about 20 years ago in esports and have been fascinated by the development of gaming creators, streaming, and the creator economy ever since. After spending a decade at Twitch and then TikTok, I joined up with my best friends at OTK to help them navigate their immense success and opportunities in the space.
From content and platform strategy to business development to memes, I’m here to help make sure OTK is thinking about today, tomorrow, and ten years from now.
Q. Congratulations on the success of the OTK Hardcore Mak'gora! WoW Classic Hardcore really picked up popularity over the last year, and it only grew, thanks to the tournament. Was there any input or aid from Blizzard Entertainment for the tournament, or was it only internal?
Zach Diaz: The support from Blizzard was instrumental in the success of the Starforge Mak’gora tournament. Their explicit permission and assistance allowed us to work with our community to organize the most successful event the Hardcore scene has ever experienced.
Q. On that note, OTK WoW events do a lot to bring attention to the already popular World of Warcraft MMO. Have you considered/have there been talks with Blizzard to potentially gain access to private, competitive servers for any of your events, or would you rather them be on the live servers, with all the chaos they can bring?
Zach Diaz: While things like tournament realms for World of Warcraft events certainly make sense, there’s something entirely different about hosting our events on the live servers that anyone and everyone can have access to. Some events demand the separation from the large community and chaos of a live server, but we feel like our events are more suited to the existing live realms.
Q. What went into the tournament planning? Before Mak'gora was added to the game, players already had Hardcore in the form of an add-on. Was there a discussion of a Hardcore-only tournament before, or was the stage set by adding Mak'gora Duels?
Zach Diaz: So much went into the planning! We definitely had ideas about a tournament before the official servers were added, but it felt too difficult to ensure competitive fairness.
The official servers brought about a surefire way to make sure that the ‘rules’ of Hardcore were followed while ALSO bringing the seriousness of the rule of the Mak’gora: a duel to the death. Not only did it mean something to win the tournament, but entering was a risk of losing your character!
Q. We also saw that, during the OTK Shareholders meeting, there's going to be an OTK 1v1 Season of Discovery Invitational. Will this feel similar to the Mak'gora tournament?
Zach Diaz: The OTK SoD: 1v1 Tournament will probably feel quite different from the Mak’gora tournament. The structure of 1v1 duels will remain the same, but the class balance is going to be entirely different.
Not only will in-game characters only be level 40, but they’ll also have access to all the new runes, items, and abilities that are available in Season of Discovery. We got to see Snutz, a Warlock, come out on top in the Mak’gora, but who knows what's waiting for the competitors this time around.
Q. The WoW Games sound incredibly fun as well. Scheduled for July 2024, is the plan to bring this event to life to coincide with the launch of World of Warcraft: The War Within?
Zach Diaz: The WoW Games are going to be coming later this year, but we’re not quite ready to reveal more details without giving away all the fun. There are some special teasers and Easter Eggs that’ll appear throughout our announcements and our other shows, but you’ll have to stay tuned to see them.
Q. What exactly are the WoW Games, though? What inspired them, and what can players expect?
Zach Diaz: The WoW Games are going to be a multi-day competition that combines many different expertise and skills. It is the ultimate test of knowledge and skill for the World of Warcraft gamer. While most events stick to one kind of competition, this is not like most events – and we’re looking to see who really is the all-around WoW champion.
Q. Can anyone join when it comes to trying to participate in OTK competitive tournaments?
Zach Diaz: Some events we organize are specific invitationals to recognize prowess and dedication to the community, so we spend a lot of time discussing who the best players are to invite and highlight.
However, we also know that the community is so large and diverse that we’d be missing out on some amazing games, so some events feature open brackets or qualifiers to allow anyone to come in and participate.
Q. Going back to the Mak'gora briefly, was there any effort put in to balance who fought who? Players' experience, equipment, and builds often vary wildly in events like these.
Zach Diaz: Of course! We put a lot of thought into what kind of items were fair and balanced and what would present both a good test of skills versus a good battle to watch. We’re constantly discussing with class and PvP experts in addition to our community to make sure we’re making the right choices along the way.
Q. There are so many active WoW players in OTK: Esfand, Sodapoppin, Asmongold, among others, I'm sure. What sort of input do they have in any of these events?
Zach Diaz: So much. I know they’re all fans of different aspects of Warcraft and pay attention to different classes, specs, and metas – especially when it comes to something like Classic or Hardcore. We make sure we’re creating events with their input and vision – these events don’t come to life without them!
Q. What does the future hold for competitive WoW events for OTK? If you could put together the most ambitious event, what do you foresee?
Zach Diaz: I think we’d want to put on the event to see someone named the next Warchief of the Horde.
The OTK Network continues to bring fresh, interesting content across a variety of genres, and the MMO space is no exception. The WoW Games are coming later in 2024, though a date has not been announced.
