New informations (Spoilers)

[Dhomeli]

I would say its all at least possible.

Those commenting on the Dark Below, I would keep in mind that they denied MoP several times before they actually announced it. It is not beyond them to flat out lie to try and cover something up. I don't blame them, I would too, but that one denial doesn't mean it can't happen.

Wouldn't shock me at all that there is no F&F Alpha as they didn't have one for MoP either. They got tired of the leaks and I think they have probably figured out that they can't really stop them, but they can change things up to try and control it some.

We will see I suppose, but if history has shown me one thing, just about the time we say someone is nuts and making something up, it turns out to be true.

Plus "Heroes of Warcraft" was trademarked long before Hearthstone was even announced IIRC.

[Ronduwil]

Nope, there was just a short period at the beginning of beta where friends, family and press had access before AP holders got in.

That's pretty much the definition of an alpha.

[adamzz]

That's pretty much the definition of an alpha.

No it is not, if you think early access is the same as alpha then you clearly do not know what alpha is.

[Armourboy]

That's pretty much the definition of an alpha.

Yeah but it didn't last long, more like an early access kind of thing. It wasn't anything like the old ones where it would be out for a couple of months.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

That's pretty much the definition of an alpha.

No, it really isn't.

[Traveler Voltin]

its in alpha now so i have no idea what your smoking

[Peso]

- Hearthstone release date: 15 april
- Warlords of Draenor release date: 24 june
- Heroes of the Storm wont be released this year
- The Dark Below is still the name of the project name Titan and the team grew 50%
- The Warlords of Draenor Cinematic Trailer is 70 % finished. It will be released 2 months before the release
- The Cinematic Team is also working on the SC2 LotV Cinematic Trailer. The plan is that it will be shown at BlizzCon 2014
- The first Warcraft Movie Trailer will be shown a half year before the release, NOT at BlizzCon 2014
- Informations about The Dark Below wont be revealed at BlizzCon 2014
- The Team is thinking about to cancel BlizzCon 2014
- A new game is in development
- Warcraft IV is not planned
- The StarCraft Team are thinking about StarCraft: Ghosts
- Two new Diablo III expansions are in development
- Two new World of Warcraft expansions are in development
- A Hearthstone expansion is in development. It wont be a Diablo or StarCraft edition
- The Team wants to launch expansions faster but it is still a problem because there arent enough good developers who applied at Blizzard Entertainment
- Soon you will get more informations about the new character models. 50% of them are done right now.
- New models for worgen and goblins are planned with the 6th expansion. Photoshops of them are already done but it takes a long time to get them into life
- The Diablo III Team didnt grow. 40% of the StarCraft Team are now in the HotS Team thats why LotV takes a long time
- The new Lead Designer will be.... you will hear it in february.

Source:
Versailles Office

Your source holds no water without a proper link.

[Sainur]

June? wat

Nope.

/10wats.char

[Peso]

Didn't J. Allen Brack specifically tell at Blizzcon at the DirecTV panel talk that The Dark Below wasn't their trademark and they just walked into the office one day and were surprised that that was making the rounds on the internet?

Yes something like that. It's way too generic people are too gullible.

[Iseeyou]

July (24 June = July) release


wat

[CosmicGuitars]

June? wat

Nope.

/10wats.char

They bumped the pre-expansion book up to May, which always releases alongside the pre-expansion patch, so if that remains their target then June sounds right. It'd be as long a beta as they had with BC and WOTLK, though.

[Azrile]

Didn't J. Allen Brack specifically tell at Blizzcon at the DirecTV panel talk that The Dark Below wasn't their trademark and they just walked into the office one day and were surprised that that was making the rounds on the internet?

Exactly, some kid went to the patent website for the US gov´t and partially filled in the form to apply for a patent using Blizzards information. took a screenshot of the partially filled in form.. then spammed the web. The form still had red * next to the fields that needed to be filled in. It wasn´t a completed form and the patent was never paid for.

[Ronduwil]

No it is not, if you think early access is the same as alpha then you clearly do not know what alpha is.

Taken from The International Software Testing Qualification Board Glossary of Testing Terms :

alpha testing: Simulated or actual operational testing by potential users/customers or an independent test team at the developers’ site, but outside the development organization.
Alpha testing is often employed for off-the-shelf software as a form of internal acceptance testing.

beta testing: Operational testing by potential and/or existing users/customers at an external site not otherwise involved with the developers, to determine whether or not a component or system satisfies the user/customer needs and fits within the business processes.
Beta testing is often employed as a form of external acceptance testing for off-the-shelf software in order to acquire feedback from the market.

The more you know...

[Lockula]

Bunch of stuff to be reveled at Blizzcon 2014. Except no Blizzcon 2014 maybe.

[edmorte]

Canceling Blizzcon on wow 10th year anniversary...

Seems legit.

[Damerflinn]

It all seemed pretty reasonable, and along the lines of my own suspicions. I don't think it's that close though.

I think the WoD release date is probably really close to correct.

But they said AT blizzcon this year that they would have one next year, doesn't mean they couldn't cancel it, but I think people underestimate how much time and energy goes into Blizzcon, if it's getting canceled they know already, because if it's not at least the pre planning has already started.

I also don't see HotS being delayed til 2015 as we knew about it long before we knew about Hearthstone, and while they are very different games in terms of development requirements, we're talking like a full year before Hearthstone, so it's likely really close to at least a closed beta already. Knowing Blizzard though Beta will last a long time.

The rest I don't particularly care that much about though.

[lordjust]

Things sound plausible and last weekend Blizzard invited some fansites and streamers so there was actually an event where some people got new information and as some streamers said it was pretty big info and they're bound to an NDA.

No Blizzcon 2014 would also make sense if they can't finish HotS (Heroes of the Storm) or the next Starcraft expansion for next year. Apart from these two games everything else is covered so that there's no other info to show on Blizzcon and Blizzard already skipped one year because they had nothing to show.

[TheWindWalker]

Taken from -snip-


The more you know...

Semantics. When people say "alpha" what they mean is any build prior to beta builds and the "f&f first dibs period" was letting them at the front of the line for the beta. It's like calling a pre-screening of a movie a pre-production showcase.

[Count Zero]

Canceling Blizzcon on wow 10th year anniversary...

Seems legit.

But what news is there to break at it ? It's Blizzcon, not WoWcon.

I'm not saying it's certain either way, but it's a gamble whether the 10th anniversary WoW party it would be would outweigh the lack of new information

[Dhomeli]

Things sound plausible and last weekend Blizzard invited some fansites and streamers so there was actually an event where some people got new information and as some streamers said it was pretty big info and they're bound to an NDA.

No Blizzcon 2014 would also make sense if they can't finish HotS (Heroes of the Storm) or the next Starcraft expansion for next year. Apart from these two games everything else is covered so that there's no other info to show on Blizzcon and Blizzard already skipped one year because they had nothing to show.

This is the first I've heard of this... was it specifically WoW streamers, or?

(Just curious if it was related to these Twitch Blizzard Streamer awards of if it was Warcraft streamers and fansites.)