The Warcraft III: Reforged meme phenomenon stems from the disastrous 2020 launch of Blizzard's remastered classic, which arrived with missing features, technical bugs, and a controversial UI. Fans quickly turned their frustration into humor, using the 'Reforged' branding as a symbol for any product or update that fails to meet expectations or ends up worse than the original. These memes often compare the high-quality 2018 announcement trailer with the actual gameplay footage, serving as a cautionary tale within the gaming industry about over-promising and under-delivering. It remains a staple for critiquing corporate game development and the loss of the 'old Blizzard' magic.