Blizzard says it does pay attention to the 'shoutiest of the shouty' but WoW's Plunderstorm mode 'is not a failure'

World of Warcraft recently began a series of what it calls experiments in the industry's pre-eminent MMO, aiming to give players a wider range of ways to engage with Azeroth and each other. First was Plunderstorm, a piratical battle royale that encourages bitesize PvP encounters, with a Mists of Pandaria remix also on the horizon.

Plunderstorm has proven both popular and divisive, as one might expect, with many players delighted at the appearance of such a fun one-off (in a game that, let's remember...