Thread: Cataclysm last *real* wow expansion?

Any thoughts on whether or not Cataclysm will be Blizz's last real expansion to WoW? I half expect their new MMO to be announced at Blizzcon.

When I say last *real* expansion, I am inferring that while there will likely be another one, it won't be as epic as the last ones. Rather it will be a bone thrown to feed the hungry. All energy thereafter will be put towards the newer MMO.

Then again... knowing Blizzard, they are probably 4 years away from actually releasing a new MMO.

What about the Emerald dream?! We need to fix that up and free the green dragons and druids stuck in that Nightmare.

Originally Posted by Mix

What about the Emerald dream?! We need to fix that up and free the green dragons and druids stuck in that Nightmare.

I thought Malfurion and Cenarius already dealt with the Nightmare hence both are in Cataclysm fighting Ragnaros.

I think i readed once from somewhere, that blizzard promised that there will be at least 6 WoW expansions. Im not sure about that thought.

Originally Posted by Anderone

I thought Malfurion and Cenarius already dealt with the Nightmare hence both are in Cataclysm fighting Ragnaros.

No, you've been misinformed.
Blizz said LOOONG ago that the Emerald Dream will most probably have it's own expansion.
So, yes, atleast 2 more coming our way.

Don't forget that Sargeras and Azshara are still alive...
And we have never meet the titans from Pantheon

Good points guys, however Blizzard doesn't *have* to let us 'beat' the universe that this game exists in. That would be stupid, buisness-wise, for them to do. They want to milk this franchise forever. So until there is lore to suggest that Sargaras isn't the baddest of bad, I don't expect there will be any plans for him to be someone that can be killed.

Rather, we are more likely to see the following happen from Blizzard.

WoW - Catacylsm - 2010
WoW - Last Expansion - 2012
New MMO - 2014
Warcraft 4 - 2015 <--- start off where Last Expansion left off
Warcraft 4: Expansion - 2016
WoW2 - 2020 <--- start off where Warcraft 4 left off

Originally Posted by lordhakera

No, you've been misinformed.
Blizz said LOOONG ago that the Emerald Dream will most probably have it's own expansion.
So, yes, atleast 2 more coming our way.

They said it long ago that it was something they wanted to do, true. But then some months back the Stormrage book was released, effectively solving the problems within the Emerald Dream. I think that boat is gone. Perhaps it could be a part of an expansion, but not an expansion itself.

Originally Posted by Mehdi

Good points guys, however Blizzard doesn't *have* to let us 'beat' the universe that this game exists in. That would be stupid, buisness-wise, for them to do. They want to milk this franchise forever. So until there is lore to suggest that Sargaras isn't the baddest of bad, I don't expect there will be any plans for him to be someone that can be killed.

Rather, we are more likely to see the following happen from Blizzard.

WoW - Catacylsm - 2010
WoW - Last Expansion - 2012
New MMO - 2014
Warcraft 4 - 2015 <--- start off where Last Expansion left off
Warcraft 4: Expansion - 2016
WoW2 - 2020 <--- start off where Warcraft 4 left off

In this scenario would the 2012 be the expansion where everybody loses. IE. 90% of all life on Azeroth is destroyed (including the players) in patch 6.4 or something silly and then we all start at level 1 in WoW2 with new classes + the basic Warrior/Priest. I think it would really make for a good outcome and Warcraft 4 can work on new heroes that build upon this total extinction of some species being wiped out. Kind of like the Mammals after the Dinosaurs went extinct.

Personally, I dont see the advantage of going to a "WoW2", when they can charge the same to keep the story lines going as expansions of the existing game. They have already setup the advancement of the game via specifically named expansions (i.e. Burning Crusade, WotLK, etc), so the "WoW2" moniker isnt really necessary. They can do everything that they want to expand the game, upgrade the game and keep the funds coming in via the existing path. Plus, with new IPs in the pipeline why fix what ain't broke, when you can just keep rolling out the content for the foreseeable future.

Originally Posted by Merlandec

Personally, I dont see the advantage of going to a "WoW2", when they can charge the same to keep the story lines going as expansions of the existing game. They have already setup the advancement of the game via specifically named expansions (i.e. Burning Crusade, WotLK, etc), so the "WoW2" moniker isnt really necessary. They can do everything that they want to expand the game, upgrade the game and keep the funds coming in via the existing path. Plus, with new IPs in the pipeline why fix what ain't broke, when you can just keep rolling out the content for the foreseeable future.

Note, that my claim is that WoW2 would be released in the 2020 timeframe. That is 10 years from now. There is no way the game would be running on the same engine.

However, if EVE is any retort, then perhaps WoW *can* follow the model you suggest.

However, from a buisness perspective, I find that they are more likely to make money when shifting 70% of their userbase from WoW -> New MMO -> WoW2. In short, I believe that this would be done because (a) Supporting 2 MMOs is nuts and (b) You can reignite your customer base by releasing entirely new worlds every 10 years, rather then relying on only sustaining them.

However, to amend my previous claim... WoW2 would probably release much after 2020 ( perhaps 2024 ). I imagine a 10 year cycle for an MMO is healthy.

Their new MMO should take a really long while before it is released. Blizzard has Starcraft 2 being released shortly. Then, a new xpac for WoW. After that comes Diablo 3. Xpacs for Starcraft and Diablo 3. And guess what? WoW has achieved a very sustainable status. It loses a few players here, get new players there. Even if it had almost a 50% cut on the playerbase it would still be amazingly profitable.

WoW dominates the market. WoW is dying since it was released, just like each and every one of us. We are still alive and kicking, and coming back for more WoW.

One more expansion at the very least and even though I am a big fan of Druid lore, the Emerald Dream and the Green Dragonflight, I hope they do not make Emerald Dream have an entire xpac dedicated to it. If a huge amount of regular people has access to it, it would already be WAY beyond salvation. The world in the xpac could be immense, but the Emerald Dream is a verdant paradise and not a large scale battlefield. If it ever comes to that it would be doomed very quickly, especially with the leadership of imbeciles like Garrosh, Varian Wrynn and especially the Forsaken, which are not part of the nature. They are just magic gone wrong. Having their aid and presence there would make even the most open-minded green dragon flinch in disgust.

Originally Posted by MushroomBomb

They said it long ago that it was something they wanted to do, true. But then some months back the Stormrage book was released, effectively solving the problems within the Emerald Dream. I think that boat is gone. Perhaps it could be a part of an expansion, but not an expansion itself.

To people who want to go to the emerald dream and fight villains there, why would u mess up the blue prints of azeroth ... for loot?

Nice, i want incoming!

I hope it'll be the last. It's getting old.