WoW's LONGEST content drought incoming

[Soon-TM]

The beta was planned for 2020 at exilecon not 2021, it was then pushed back to 2021 and then just recently back again to 2022, they aren’t even close to back on track.



https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.nme....3fjwsource=cl&

That's correct, but the PoE 2 delays had been happening from long before the pandemic, probably due to internal issues. But PoE 1 had only a one month delay for Heist league, which was admittedly half baked though. Hopefully Blizzard won't do the same with 9.1 lol.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

That's correct, but the PoE 2 delays had been happening from long before the pandemic, probably due to internal issues. But PoE 1 had only a one month delay for Heist league, which was admittedly half baked though. Hopefully Blizzard won't do the same with 9.1 lol.

Even if they had delays before which is dubious they them selfs have sighted COVID as the reason for the recent ones putting them in the exact same boat as blizzard with one lesser product on track while the larger one is behind.

[Soon-TM]

Even if they had delays before which is dubious they them selfs have sighted COVID as the reason for the recent ones putting them in the exact same boat as blizzard with one lesser product on track while the larger one is behind.

GGG has openly said that covid forced them to delay stuff. I wish Blizzard would have done the same, instead of this awful radio silence.

[Alroxas]

They don't need to be at the office to make content I imagine.

They screwed up, and that is the truth of it.

Eh... Disagree. For instance, in corporate setting a change may require multiple approvals from different departments to sign off on. In an office setting, you could just literally go from 1 person to the next. In a WFH, you're probably e-mailing around and depending on when people are actually at their desks/computers may add in delays.

Also collaborations are also more difficult to do from a WFH setting. For instance, instead of just being able to get a quick input from a co-worker sitting the next office/cubical over do you call them up? Schedule a zoom meeting? Shoot off an e-mail or wait until the next scheduled meeting to raise up the question for input? What if you just finished up a long meeting and just realized there was a question that you forgot to ask. One that may/may not open to a round of discussion? Do you call back everyone in the meeting? Shoot an e-mail? Hold it until the next meeting?

[Usernameforforums]

We're in the middle of a pandemic.

Yeah. A relatively mild pandemic. Yeah it sucks that people died over it but its nothing in comparison to the black plague or spanish flu.

Theyve already acclimated to the new environment. The pandemic shouldnt be too much of a problem. Its just an excuse. Maybe a year ago you could have used this argument but facts are, the ptr should have had 9.1 3-6 weeks ago and it release around within this week to an additional 3 weeks. But its coming to ptr 2 weeks from now with an additional 4-6 weeks or more before it comes to live.

Ffxiv patch 5.3 was delayed for 2 months due to pandemic. Then the following patch was back on schedule. Shadowlands was delayed similarly so it should have been back on schedule. Blizzard even stated themselves that the pandemic didnt effect them too much and was able to adapt fairly quickly. The pandemic at this point is not an excuse.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

GGG has openly said that covid forced them to delay stuff. I wish Blizzard would have done the same, instead of this awful radio silence.

Ya that I can agree with, they should just come out and say it like they did with shadowlands launch it’s not the PR could hurt them.

[Alroxas]

Sure, there have been delays: PoE2 and Heist league, which felt quite rushed. But one year later, everything's back to normal

Is it though? Because I don't see PoE2 moving back up to an earlier release date. In fact, have any AAA games actually been moved up/earlier in release date since COVID?

[Toby451]

You can call it whatever you want: "drama", "clickbait" etc, doesn't make what he's saying any less wrong.

The game is gonna die

Been hearing this for more than a decade now. If you honestly think they are going free to play any time soon your on some serious hardcore drugs. With the emergence of classic servers, nothing is changing for subs any time soon. They have at least the next 10 years worth of subs to milk out of people from nostalgia alone.


Oh yeah, and people STILL come back and buy new expansions in record breaking numbers because its by far the best MMO on the market.

[Alroxas]

Ffxiv patch 5.3 was delayed for 2 months due to pandemic. Then the following patch was back on schedule. Shadowlands was delayed similarly so it should have been back on schedule. Blizzard even stated themselves that the pandemic didnt effect them too much and was able to adapt fairly quickly. The pandemic at this point is not an excuse.

Close but not 100% back to schedule.

Original prediction (pre-COVID) was 112 days (~16 weeks) between major patches. Adjusted Projection date = Actual Release Date + 112 days

Major Patch	Projected Date	Adjusted Projected Date	Actual Release Date
5.1	Oct 22, 2019	n/a	Oct 29, 2019
5.2	Feb 11, 2020	Feb 18, 2020	Feb 18, 2020
5.3	Jun 2, 2020	Jun 9, 2020	Aug 11, 2020
5.4	Sept 22, 2020	Dec 1, 2020	Dec 8, 2020
5.5	Sep 22, 2020	Mar 30, 2021	Apr 13, 2021

Patch 5.2 was spot on but 5.3 definitely delayed (which Square did state) but 5.4 was off by 1 week and 5.5 is looking to be off by 2 weeks.

[Toby451]

Is it though? Because I don't see PoE2 moving back up to an earlier release date. In fact, have any AAA games actually been moved up/earlier in release date since COVID?

In fact, PoE's current/most recent season got delayed even further because they were scared to launch at the same time as Cyberpunk (lol).


PoE 2 has been delayed so bad we havn't even seen anything about it since they announced it at Exilecon in 2019! They originally said beta testing was supposed to begin "late 2020" but here we are, 4 months into 21' and we still don't know anything about PoE2.

[Topornic]

You've lost me at Bellular.

Seriously if your only argument is a video by some neckbeard who earns money by ranting about games you can save the energy of making this thread.

Also wasn't the longest drought after SoO? And over a year long?

Not in the middle of an expansion though, not before the first major patch.

[Usernameforforums]

Close but not 100% back to schedule.

Original prediction (pre-COVID) was 112 days (~16 weeks) between major patches. Adjusted Projection date = Actual Release Date + 112 days

Major Patch	Projected Date	Adjusted Projected Date	Actual Release Date
5.1	Oct 22, 2019	n/a	Oct 29, 2019
5.2	Feb 11, 2020	Feb 18, 2020	Feb 18, 2020
5.3	Jun 2, 2020	Jun 9, 2020	Aug 11, 2020
5.4	Sept 22, 2020	Dec 1, 2020	Dec 8, 2020
5.5	Sep 22, 2020	Mar 30, 2021	Apr 13, 2021

Patch 5.2 was spot on but 5.3 definitely delayed (which Square did state) but 5.4 was off by 1 week and 5.5 is looking to be off by 2 weeks.

Yeah. Basically back on schedule with margin of error.

[razorpax]

POE2 isn't going to be in beta anytime during 2021, something that had already been stated during Exilecon, i.e. long before the pandemic stroke. And Blizz seems to be back in business as usual, as far as Classic is concerned. Now, for retail...

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The only difference is the mega dungeon, which seems to be coming out nearly in the same timeframe than Mechagon in BfA. The only difference being that this is a. 1 patch, unlike Mechagon's.

The mega dungeon
The new zone
The 4 campaigns

[Nyel]

The mega dungeon
The new zone
The 4 campaigns

Don’t compare it to the delayed BfA schedule (even Blizzard acknowledged that they’ve been late with BfA patches) compare it to the Legion schedule. Then you see the huge difference. But I guess they didn’t try as hard in BfA and Shadowlands as they did in Legion. They thought they can get away with their success from Legion, but that failed directly after BfA launch.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Don’t compare it to the delayed BfA schedule (even Blizzard acknowledged that they’ve been late with BfA patches) compare it to the Legion schedule. Then you see the huge difference. But I guess they didn’t try as hard in BfA and Shadowlands as they did in Legion. They thought they can get away with their success from Legion, but that failed directly after BfA launch.

I don’t think it had any thing to do with them trying harder in legion and more to do with 7.1 being a rather small patch with just a dungeon and some quest and a tiny raid. 8.1 seems like a more reasonable time frame given that it had a full raid a remade dark shore a warfront ect, and matches up with night holds release.

[Nyel]

I don’t think it had any thing to do with them trying harder in legion and more to do with 7.1 being a rather small patch with just a dungeon and some quest and a tiny raid. 8.1 seems like a more reasonable time frame given that it had a full raid a remade dark shore a warfront ect, and matches up with night holds release.

I wasn’t talking about 7.1, I was talking about their entire schedule that worked flawlessly in Legion.

But if we want to go there: 7.1.5 (January 17, 4.5 months after 7.0) and 8.1 (December, 4 months after 8.0; 8.1.5 came out in March, 7 months after 8.0) came both out way sooner. Even 8.1.5 with an additional mini raid took around the same time as 9.1 will.

[razorpax]

Don’t compare it to the delayed BfA schedule (even Blizzard acknowledged that they’ve been late with BfA patches) compare it to the Legion schedule. Then you see the huge difference. But I guess they didn’t try as hard in BfA and Shadowlands as they did in Legion. They thought they can get away with their success from Legion, but that failed directly after BfA launch.

But 9.1 is delayed too
So it should be compared to the other delayed patch
This isn’t even timing released it’s the content within it

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I wasn’t talking about 7.1, I was talking about their entire schedule that worked flawlessly in Legion.

But if we want to go there: 7.1.5 came out sooner than 8.1 (and more than 2 months faster than 9.1).

Yeah it’s almost like legion didn’t have wild fires and a pandemic screw up it’s schedule

[Nyel]

Yeah it’s almost like legion didn’t have wild fires and a pandemic screw up it’s schedule

Okay, then take BfA as an example... but it’s only excuses, excuses, excuses. It’s not like Shadowlands overall has less content than Legion and BfA had at launch, but whatever.

Edit: I mean this is just back and forth. Blizzard‘s schedule is a mild disaster at the moment and we should be thankful that TBC is coming.

[Tiradon]

Ya that I can agree with, they should just come out and say it like they did with shadowlands launch it’s not the PR could hurt them.

Knowing Activision, sadly they would never do it...

[Wangming]

Not in the middle of an expansion though, not before the first major patch.

So let's be specific. Longest mid expansion content drought. Not the same.