timeline for wow. How long can it go on for? 2015? 2020?

[Huntardo]

Next expansion I'm guessing that alot of peoples subscriptions will end cause of the fact more people this time around have pretty epics and alot of people don't want to start all over again. Also the hardcore raiders probably aren't feeling challanged anymore. Or maybe they sucked all along and the general population of wow was able to do end game all along. Who knows?

I'm guessing by 2012 they will have to start merging servers. 2013 half of Blizzard staff get fired for a crappy expansion. 2014 wow is down to 3 servers. 2015 mass suicides around the word cause wow goes offline and people are faced with real life. The end. 8)

[Imbashiethz]

Wow losing some of it's population will be a good thing! The casuals will cba to play it anymore because of some other MMO and the hardcore people will be left, and the obvious thing then is to make the game like it was pretbc! Remove badges, free epics and that noobshit. Wow will be great again.

[gringo]

World of Warcraft Launch Date: Nov. 23, 2004

In a month, WoW will have been around for 5 years, and we are only in the 3rd expansion. Personally I can see WoW being around well after 2015. As long as they generate new content to entertain the existing player base, streamline the leveling process to make sure new customers catch up fairly quick and make a small update to the graphics every other expansion, WoW can go on forever.

As many ppl pointed out, WoW will end, when the costs of running/supporting the game outweigh the income. The WoW player base will take a huge hit when a true contester hits the market, even games from Blizzard themselves such as Diablo 3 or maybe the confirmed, but secretly kept MMO.

The real question here is: will YOU still be around in 2015? I hope I will have moved on then (Can't believe I have been playing this game for almost 5 years now.)

edit: basic math fail -.-

[asheara-cz]

World of Warcraft Launch Date: Nov. 23, 2004

In a month, WoW will have been around for 6 years...

2009 - 2004 = 5 (years) ;D ;D ;D

[Unholyground]

Its got a 10 year life, then its done. their new mmo will be out and no one will play wow once they see how amazing it is. WoW will end at level 100 on expansion 6.

[kynd]

diablo iii will not ruin WoW. Look at the setup that wow has, the interface is perfect, the community is completely integrated. Now lets look at battle.net for diii.

Player A: WTB SoJ
Player B: OK! Game ABC123/ABC123
Player A: Are going to create the game already?...

D3 will take up a couple months maybe of someones time, when they beat the game, they will come back to wow, because wow cant be beaten ;p

[Recompence]

All mmo's eventually die. I give WoW till 2012 or 2013 tops. It is possible WoW will end or slow down content wise once Blizz launches their next MMO.

[blahism]

I think cataclysm will be the "hump" that starts the consolidation of servers and userbase. Its going to give one last hoorah to classic content and freshen it up a abit and infuse some re-rolls and possibly some new customers back in.

I wouldn't mind seeing some server merges.. a decent population is a good thing. Can't wait for cross realm LFG myself and i hope they do more to bring Battlegroups closer together as one realm. MMO's in general should work to scale vertical instead of horizontal and i think cross realm lfg is good for that.

Other then that, i'd say 10 year lifespan on the game.. once the "market" around the game dries up with the last or next to last xpac people will dwindle.. the gold spammers will shrink, the people who roll to buy/sell/trade accounts will dwindle..during the last xpac once you beat the last boss is there really any more point? don't need anymore gear!

[Shamb]

Wow will live as long as Blizzard have imagination for new xpac.

If they make 10 more xpac, it will live 15-20 more years. And no... no other game will ''kill'' wow before a HUGE jump is made into technology and a whole new gaming experience is offered to mmo fans. (No clue in mind, else I'd be stinkin rich...)

So to make it short: WoW will live on as long as blizzard wants, unless there is a crazy major breakthrough in technology that can be applied to mmo's.

Or unless blizzard bankrupt... but their investors would REALLY have to suck BIG TIME for that to ever happen...

[Immadk]

This game will be there for another good 5+ years.

Probably I may not care after 2015, I will be 35+ by that time :'(

[Eurytos]

I'm surprised the List hasn't made its way on to this thread, to prove when and what will be the next expansions. Just a matter of time I guess.

[Kapowette]

I really still think the only game that could replace WoW would be a blizz-created one. So to be honest, I'm looking more towards their developments than anyone elses.

I really dont think they'd bring the level cap any higher than 100 - it's a logical number, and in all honesty I doubt newbs would be keen on levelling if the road seemed that long and winding. I see it going to 100 then being wound down, if only cause i dont see how they can introduce new content beyond that, and they cant hold players with stale content.

[mikeyforge]

Obviously Cataclysm will use up 2 years so that makes it 2012. What comes after that?

Nothing, that's the year of the apocalpyse.

[CowBoyTX]

This is how long WoW will last.

Start ---------------------------- NERDRAGE ------------------------------------- Nerfs----------------------------------- Even crappier PvP ----------------------------------- Sargeras 5 man raid ------------------------------------------------------------ Blizzard adding a new class which is a combination of DK + Ret Paladin + Disc Priest + Warrior + Destro Lock.

How long will that be? 42

[Pieuvre]

Nothing, that's the year of the apocalpyse.

No, it's the year of the Cataclysm!

[Elementium]

>.> Oh noes.

Time to start practicing my magic skills.

[Rogue]

How much more is there to be done in terms of Lore and exploration.

Obviously Cataclysm will use up 2 years so that makes it 2012. What comes after that? Southrend? Emerald Dream?
Do the Naaru take the fight to Sargeras? More Old Gods making an appearance from somewhere?
Will players crack level 100? Will there be a wow killer soon? No one else seems to have the resources to compete on the scale of WOW, it seems.
Will Blizzards new but yet to be announced game cause a mass exodus that will deplete numbers? Or will it be an entirely separate genre?
In terms of a market cycle, WOW is still a cash cow but that can only go on for so long. They will need a new game to excite people. Or will they? Is the only Blizzard competition Blizzard itself?

Until Blizzard decides to kill it with their new MMO, keeping us Blizzard fans excited with a new storyline, game engine, etc, and most importantly, keeping the cash flow to them.

My prediction? 5 years. We'll see two more expansions, including Cataclysm. Just a guess, which is all anyone here can claim to muster.

[Amgyn]

have people stopped playing everquest? diablo? Ultima? DaoC? nope... WoW will end for me when i can no longer afford to buy a big enough HDD to accomodate game files... which will be never.

[Flute]

21st December 2012... Clearly...

[Richie]

timeline for wow. How long can it go on for?

Cataclysm will heat up Azeroth so that most parts of Northrend will melt, which results into an immense increase of the sea level and therefore, the rest of Azeroth floods. That's the end.