Gamescom 2013: This is where we'll hear of EXP 5!

[Deleted]

I'm calling it. Gamescom 2013, 21-25 August, is where we'll see the announcement of expansion 5.

It'll be a teaser, with more information to come at Blizzcon. My argument follows below - please read it before you vote. It'll make sense!

UPDATE: Thanks to 'NonameXADX', we could also possibly speculate on whether it'll be queen Azshara and the Seas after all. Check out the water around Thrall! Shamanism or hint of EXP 5's theme?

1) Check out image 1 posted below. It contains characters from all three IPs. When they are only to speak of, say, the Diablo 3 console version, their adverts always look Diabloesque. Check out image 2, from the blog post on the Diablo website... only Thrall featured.

2) Blizzard uses words like '[...] and much more…', '[...] the latest news on our games', etc. in their Gamescom adverts. Not only does this imply more than just 'Diablo 3 for console', but it also means there will actually be news. I doubt they'd use several months' old news, like Hearthstone, to draw attention at Gamescom. Playable demos, yes, but not as news.

3) It fits right with the timeline. A lot of people think Blizzcon is the only place for announcements. This is a big one, so I'll split this point up further:

a) Blizzard wants to release expansions faster. Blizzcon is not until November, which, if you calculate the likely time needed for Patch 5.4 release, EXP 5 beta sign-ups, EXP 5 beta testing, and EXP 5 pre-release marketing, places it much too late in Mists of Pandaria's timeline for an expansion announcement. If they want to stay on track towards faster expansion cycles, that is. Check out the dates below:

Months from Announcement to Release:

Wrath of the Lich King: 15
Cataclysm: 15
Mists of Pandaria: 11

Assuming this figure goes down even further to 9 months for EXP 5, from announcement till launch, once we include the months from 5.4 in September to Blizzcon in November, that leaves us with up to ~11 months of the Siege of Orgrimmar raid! That is just as long as we had the Dragon Soul, and almost as long as Icecrown Citadel. If they remain on 11 months from announcement till launch, that leaves us with a whopping ~13 months of SoO! Ridiculous.

But if we do assume it'll be 9 months between announcement and launch, and that they do announce the expansion at Gamescom in August, however, we can cut that number down to ~9 months in total, which is more acceptable and right on track with their plan of reducing development time and expansion life cycles. It means the launch of EXP 5 would be in Q2 2014.

b) Patch 5.4 is out by September at the latest. This goes into my previous point, but they want to avoid another Dragon Soul and Icecrown Citadel, time wise. If they wait with the announcement until Blizzcon, they won't be able to get the expansion out in time (assuming they want to give the beta and marketing enough time) before the Siege of Orgrimmar is at least 10 months old. Again, this is what they specifically want to avoid.

c) In the past, the expansion announcements have always arrived right before the last major raid patch of an expansion has been released. This places the announcement for MoP around July - August, with patch 5.4 in August - September. Plus, the pre-final patch announcements are tradition, and probably serve to keep us interested in the game even as the current expansion dwindles and slows down. They always want something to attract us 'down the line'.

4) Some think Blizzcon would be lame without an expansion announcement... and it is true that Blizzard promised an epic return of Blizzcon this year, since they skipped last year. But they still have LOTS to show at Blizzcon, even if they formally announce EXP 5 at Gamescom, including:

- More info (and cinematic trailer?) on EXP 5.

- Diablo 3 EXP 1 announcement.

- StarCraft 2 EXP 2 announcement.

- Possibly Titan. Remember, it was pushed back, not cancelled or started from scratch. My guess is that they still have some juicy teasers to show us.

- All-Stars.

- Hearthstone.

That's it for my argument. Vote 'yes' if you think it's plausible for a Gamescom announcement of EXP 5, or vote 'no' if you stick with Blizzcon.

[fangless]

I've learned not to really expect Blizzard to do anything when we think they will, but I hope so?

[Adoxe]

Yes I think so too, also don't they usually leave "hints" on the posters when they are about to announce something? If you would look around them, it's all water, sure it could just be Thrall channeling it or to add the "Blizzard-y" theme to it but then again it could also hint at Azshara expansion that could be the proper lead up to the Burning Legion expansion right after.

[Shampro]

Yes I think so too, also don't they usually leave "hints" on the posters when they are about to announce something? If you would look around them, it's all water, sure it could just be Thrall channeling it or to add the "Blizzard-y" theme to it but then again it could also hint at Azshara expansion that could be the proper lead up to the Burning Legion expansion right after.

Ha was just about to say that. They've done that before several times, and it makes sense. I'd freaking love an Aszhara expac. We'll see what happens in a month or 2.

[Deleted]

Yes I think so too, also don't they usually leave "hints" on the posters when they are about to announce something? If you would look around them, it's all water, sure it could just be Thrall channeling it or to add the "Blizzard-y" theme to it but then again it could also hint at Azshara expansion that could be the proper lead up to the Burning Legion expansion right after.

Good catch! Could be a coincidence, but Azshara is still not entirely out of the question for EXP 5, despite the Burning Legion hints we've received. Perhaps they'll even combine the two themes.

Ha was just about to say that. They've done that before several times, and it makes sense. I'd freaking love an Aszhara expac. We'll see what happens in a month or 2.

Same here, Azshara would be epic. We'll most likely know in ~4 weeks, though, from the trademark.

[enchanted]

I pressed no before I read however after reading I think of an option of: "Maybe". Maybe well because expacs dont usually get announced until Blizzcon and usually then don't unveil something that big during a convention that isn't from blizz but as a teaser? Well could be or just hints like trademarks etc... But your scenario is very possible how the next expac could be released.

[Deleted]

I pressed no before I read however after reading I think of an option of: "Maybe". Maybe well because expacs dont usually get announced until Blizzcon and usually then don't unveil something that big during a convention that isn't from blizz but as a teaser? Well could be or just hints like trademarks etc... But your scenario is very possible how the next expac could be released.

Bummer. Never vote before reading the argument, if there is one!

Either way, thanks for your input!

[DeadmanWalking]

I dont think you will get all this release info at gamescom, Blizzard needs things to reveal at blizzcon or it will be a bust like 'Geek Is'

[Bulls191]

I think they have to do something, may not be for World of Warcraft but I think they do something maybe for Diablo 3. Not sure will be interested to see what they do come August.

[Tziva]

I'm calling it. Gamescom 2013, 21-25 August, is where we'll see the announcement of expansion 5.

Like I said to you in another thread, they more or less told us at the fansite thing that the expansion would be announced at Blizzcon. So there's that.

I mean, they could be just saying that to throw people off, but I don't really find any of your support particularly convincing. The first two points are reaching, and the rest sounds more like interpreting data to match your theory.

Assuming this figure goes down even further to 9 months for EXP 5, from announcement till launch, once we include the months from 5.4 in September to Blizzcon in November, that leaves us with up to ~11 months of the Siege of Orgrimmar raid! That is just as long as we had the Dragon Soul, and almost as long as Icecrown Citadel. If they remain on 11 months from announcement till launch, that leaves us with a whopping ~13 months of SoO! Ridiculous.

I don't understand where you are getting these dates from. None of the things you listed (like beta, or marketing, etc) require that many months. You're inflating the timeline to fit your theory, when there really isn't any reason to presume that timeline is true.

Seige could come out in September and we could still have the expansion in spring or summer of next year. There's nothing to say they couldn't be starting the beta right around Blizzcon.

You're also assuming we don't get any patches after 5.4 and I think 5.5 is a possibility. If it does happen, it won't be a new tier, sure, but that doesn't mean it won't have content, including potentially a small raid to tide us over.

4) Some think Blizzcon would be lame without an expansion announcement... and it is true that Blizzard promised an epic return of Blizzcon this year, since they skipped last year. But they still have LOTS to show at Blizzcon, even if they formally announce EXP 5 at Gamescom, including:

- More info (and cinematic trailer?) on EXP 5.

- Diablo 3 EXP 1 announcement.

- StarCraft 2 EXP 2 announcement.

- Possibly Titan. Remember, it was pushed back, not cancelled or started from scratch. My guess is that they still have some juicy teasers to show us.

- All-Stars.

- Hearthstone.

Titan is highly unlikel and D3 would be the only one among those that is a new accouncement (and may be unlikely now with the console release coming; they have been working on that). Blizzard discovered in '09 that they really need a big announcement to floating the convention. You can't build two days around shit people already know. Hell, Heartstone may be about to release by that point.

[Deleted]

nope, it's going to be at Blizzcon, it's pretty fucking obvious.

[serenka]

we might get a trailer at gamescon, but i think even that would be too much. new expac will be at blizzcon 90% sure of it.

[checking facts]

I don't believe they'll announce the expansion on gamescom. they'll save it for blizzcon.

but I'll bet my pants they'll give us some hints about it. whether those hints will be foreshadowing or misdirection, we'll only discover when they announce it

[Spelorzi]

I think that thrall pic is mostly heartstone stuff, expansion will be on blizzcon.

edit: yup, that thrall is indeed from heartsone: http://images.wikia.com/hearthstone/...allTrailer.png

what they could do tho, is just announce the xPac name/logo and nothing more, to create hype for blizzcon.

[Deleted]

Obviously not. People need a reason to go to Blizzcon, they won't have one if they announce the xpac at gamescon.

[Therougetitan]

I'd say no simply because there is time for them to announce at Blizzcon, no rush.

That water is rather suspicious though. Or not, on second thought. It's the same Thrall from the Hearthstone trailer and has the same water around him.

[MoanaLisa]

Like I said to you in another thread, they more or less told us at the fansite thing that the expansion would be announced at Blizzcon. So there's that.

Yeah, so there's that. Not that it matters much. It'll happen when it happens. Most of the speculation at the top of the thread is a very long reach.

Occam's Razor: look it up.

[Tziva]

That water is rather suspicious though. Or not, on second thought. It's the same Thrall from the Hearthstone trailer and has the same water around him.

Yeah, pretty sure Thrall is one of the shaman heroes you can be.

[jimlow]

why would blizzard release any info about the next xpac at anything other then blizzcon? It makes absolutely no sense as it completely diminishes the hype for their own event.

[Urtag]

They could also be showing some of Blizzard All-Stars but again they may want to save that for Blizzcon also.