How Blizzard Manages World of Warcraft Server Infrastructure
Leveraging a Global Network of Data Centers
Blizzard owns and operates a vast global network of secure data centers to host World of Warcraft game servers around the world. With over 25 million monthly active players spread across the continents, proximity to players is key to ensuring low latency and a smooth experience. Their data centers are strategically placed in major markets like North America, Europe, and Asia to facilitate this. Within these regions, multiple availability zones are utilized to establish redundancy. Should a data center face an outage for any reason, servers can seamlessly failover to alternate facilities with no interruption to gameplay. This geographical diversity is foundational to Blizzard’s approach in delivering a stable, responsive experience for all World of Warcraft subscribers worldwide.
Leveraging Advanced Virtualization Technology
Blizzard’s infrastructure leverages cutting-edge virtualization on a massive scale. With hundreds of thousands of virtual servers dynamically provisioned across the different data centers each day, resources can quickly scale up or down as needed. During expansion launches and major in-game events, additional capacity is provisioned through virtualization within minutes to support surges in concurrent users. New hardware would take far longer to procure and deploy, whereas the virtual infrastructure allows utilizing existing server hardware more efficiently. Come expansion end, these virtual servers are rapidly reclaimed, keeping infrastructure costs optimized. Players see no difference whether they are connecting to physical or virtual machines, thanks to years of refining this technology behind the scenes.
Augmenting On-Demand with Cloud Infrastructure
When the release of the Classic World of Warcraft PvP servers caused demand to far exceed expectations, Blizzard rapidly spun up supplementary capacity on cloud providers. Public cloud infastructure delivered hundreds of additional virtual servers within hours versus the weeks conventional expansion would require. As activity levels stabilized, these virtual servers were migrated back to Blizzard’s internal environment. Leveraging third-party clouds in a targeted, temporary manner allows addressing unexpected peaks without expensive long-term commitments. Players benefited from smooth seamless access without delay or queue times, keeping the experience disruption-free during this handoff.
Outsourcing Regional Operations Strategically
While Blizzard directly manages most worldwide game infrastructure, specific geographical markets utilize trusted local partners for operations. In mainland China, NetEase has operated World of Warcraft under an exclusive licensing agreement for over a decade. Korean and other Asian servers are run through Nexon, while level-up operates subscribers in South America. These regional operators localize services like billing, customer support and content to best serve local players. However, core game servers and systems remain globally consistent. Outsourcing alleviates localization needs while retaining administrative control over the gaming experience globally.
Maintaining Proprietary Systems In-House
Notwithstanding third-party assistance, Blizzard’s core technical architecture and platforms powering World of Warcraft always remain fully internal. Proprietary systems handle all game logic, economies, and virtual worlds behind the scenes. While spikes are addressed through clouds, ongoing operations depend on Blizzard’s private infrastructure. This ensures ultimate oversight over quality, stability, and most importantly data protection and security. Engineers have 15+ years of optimizing these systems tailored exactly for massively multiplayer realms at world-scale. No external partner can match this focus or depth of expertise in sustaining the living world of Azeroth.
Advanced Container Technologies Driving Scale
At the core of Blizzard’s virtualization platform lies Docker containers, allowing immense flexibility deploying and connecting discrete microservices. Individual game realms, chat systems and various other components run as independent containers which can autoscale independently based on real-time demand. This advanced containerization enables innovative features across regions like cross-realm zones and improved dungeon finding. Container architecture further futureproofs the infrastructure, easing integrations for emerging technologies. Engineers spend years iteratively optimizing these containerized systems, continuously hardening performance, and developing new capabilities to enhance the player experience.
Colocating Physical Assets for Lowest Latency
While virtualization streamlines operations, Blizzard also strategically sites physical servers to minimize latency for large clustered player communities. Servers located directly in metro datacenters provide the least possible lag for major population centers. As an example, Los Angeles-based servers are best suited for millions of west coast North American subscribers. Colocating dedicated physical hardware ensures hardcore raiding guilds or PvP teams benefit from absolute lowest possible response times when milliseconds matter. Balancing virtual flexibility with targeted physical placements positions Blizzard to deliver both horizontal scalability and “bare-metal” performance where needed.
Evolving with New Technologies
After 15 years of refinements, Blizzard’s technical expertise continues cutting new ground. Architects study emerging techniques like container orchestration, microservices, serverless computing and more to optimize the platform for years ahead. Initiatives underway include server meshing across regions for unified multiplayer, container-native data services and expanded use of AI/ML for tasks like predictive scaling. All while limiting disruption for the existing dedicated community. The infrastructure strategy will adapt alongside the ever-changing landscape of online technologies to keep Azeroth thriving for the foreseeable future.