Next expansions

[Isilbêth]

Did anyone notice what Tom Chilton said in an interview ?

Patch 5.2 Dev Interviews
Today we continue our interviews recap with an interview with Tom Chilton by Twizzcast!
...
There is usually a very light amount of planning for the next three expansions. This is limited to what they would be about, the theme, and some of the major features. Plans usually end up changing, so not a lot of time is spent on it.

Can we understand from this that the next three expansions of WoW are already planned?

[Immitis]

Did anyone notice what Tom Chilton said in an interview ?



Can we understand from this that the next three expansions of WoW are already planned?

no atleast not the next three. they have very loose plans, certain things they plan ahead of time (garrosh becoming warchief and going corrupt at somepoint) however they dont have a tight plan on everything. they work on two expansions at a time, the current one and the next one so as we speak 6.0 is probably in an early internal test phase and they are probably planning out its storyline and making lots of concept art and thinking of new game mechanics and whatnot. the expansion after that is probably in very early stages like maybe a rough outline of some story stuff they'd like to do maybe a few pieces of concept art

[Golden Yak]

Eyyup!

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...ree-Expansions

They won't be totally planned out start to finish, but it seems like they work out at least the theme of the expac and a rough storyline. I figure it's like this:

6.0 - Lots of work being done on it
7.0 - Early concept art being done on it
8.0 - A design document txt file with ideas loosely outline on it

[TJ]

Imagine how badass it would be to be on the development team, knowing everything that's going to happen to the game and being involved in discussions about it.

I'd guess they're already planned, yeah. Obviously not set in stone but as golden yak said, they have ideas ready and obviously the earlier releases will have more work done to them.

[sergel02]

Eyyup!

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...ree-Expansions

They won't be totally planned out start to finish, but it seems like they work out at least the theme of the expac and a rough storyline. I figure it's like this:

6.0 - Lots of work being done on it
7.0 - Early concept art being done on it
8.0 - A design document txt file with ideas loosely outline on it

Probably this. With that said, I wonder what the next expansion will be about?

[Golden Yak]

Earliest signs point to Burning Legion. I think Azshara and the Emerald Dream are two themes that have the potential to carry an expansion. But who knows, they may whip up something completely unexpected, like they did with Mists.

[Synstir]

Did anyone notice what Tom Chilton said in an interview ?



Can we understand from this that the next three expansions of WoW are already planned?

If Tom Chilton says it, why would you question it?
He says exactly how much planning is done and also mentions that it changes along the way.......

Do you think any poster here knows better?
[Eventhough they are trying seeing the posts :-)]

[Sigmar]

Earliest signs point to Burning Legion. I think Azshara and the Emerald Dream are two themes that have the potential to carry an expansion. But who knows, they may whip up something completely unexpected, like they did with Mists.

I think it was pretty much an excepted fact that we'd be going to Pandaria eventually.

[heltvild]

wow is already dead they dont need more expansions.

[ringpriest]

Earliest signs point to Burning Legion. I think Azshara and the Emerald Dream are two themes that have the potential to carry an expansion. But who knows, they may whip up something completely unexpected, like they did with Mists.

Azshara and the Burning Legion are both likely. I think Blizz considers the Emerald Dream storyline 'finished', although I can't find an official quote to that effect at the moment. (Personally it feels more 'abandoned' than finished. )

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

wow is already dead they dont need more expansions.

Right....dead....more subscribers then any pay to play MMO is dead.

[Golden Yak]

I think it was pretty much an excepted fact that we'd be going to Pandaria eventually.

In the form of an entire expansion though? No way anyone saw that coming. Before then Pandaria was described as an 'island kingdom'.

Azshara and the Burning Legion are both likely. I think Blizz considers the Emerald Dream storyline 'finished', although I can't find an official quote to that effect at the moment. (Personally it feels more 'abandoned' than finished. )

That's common misinformation. Blizzard's last word on the subject was 'it's a matter of when, not if.' People usually point to the Stormrage novel as the Nightmare being 'finished,' cuz a lot of people spout off about how the Nightmare was defeated in it and the Dream is 'done' now, missing the fact that in-game the Nightmare is spreading again.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Sounds to me like they're planning 3 expansions at least.

We know Expansion V is being revealed November 8th at the Blizzcon opening ceremonies.

Likely they're sitting down and discussing "After Expansion V, where do we take the story?" and planning potential races, villains, classes, etc.

[ringpriest]

In the form of an entire expansion though? No way anyone saw that coming. Before then Pandaria was described as an 'island kingdom'.



That's common misinformation. Blizzard's last word on the subject was 'it's a matter of when, not if.' People usually point to the Stormrage novel as the Nightmare being 'finished,' cuz a lot of people spout off about how the Nightmare was defeated in it and the Dream is 'done' now, missing the fact that in-game the Nightmare is spreading again.

Good to know, thanks. I've always liked the Emerald Dream.

[Kathranis]

This is really nothing new. We knew they had Cataclysm in development and Mists planned while Wrath was still going on, since they said back then that they'd had the next two expansions planned. If you look back at the Cataclysm concept artwork, most is dated back to like 2008; they started serious design work before Wrath was even released.

A considerable amount of work will have already started on the next expansion by now, most likely the environment artists are currently designing the new zones, a lot of which will be ready to show to the public at Blizzcon this November. Most of their teams will probably be focusing on the next expansion whenever they're not working on the content patches. IE, when the environment team doesn't need to design new areas for patches, they're working on the expansion. When the props artists aren't working on props for patches, they're working on the expansion. Etc.


As for the Emerald Nightmare, a lot of people apparantly didn't actually read Stormrage. They sealed the corruption temporarily in the Rift of Aln while outright teasing at a greater power lurking inside. And the Emerald Nightmare's already started to return in Cataclysm in several zones.