When is 9.1 coming out?

[GreenJesus]

But there not cutting or reusing content baring art In 9.1 and art is likely already always a head so reusing some won’t recoup lost time.

If they do cut 9.3/make 9.2 smaller then that would help ya as it’s a full tiers worth of code and design they can throw at a new expan but that’s get to be seen.

Its almost guaranteed at this point since each expansion is supposed to be 24 months (its been this way for every expansion so far). WoD and BFA were 26 months tho.
Shadowlands launch - November 2020
9.0 - 9 months
9.1 - 6 months
9.2 - 6 months
That is already 21 months.

In order to launch 10.0 by Christmas time for box sales it needs to be released by the 25th month.

That gives 9.3 only 3-4 months to be live and I was being generous assuming 9.1 and 9.2 only lasted 6 months.

[catalystical]

Its almost guaranteed at this point since each expansion is supposed to be 24 months (its been this way for every expansion so far). WoD and BFA were 26 months tho.
Shadowlands launch - November 2020
9.0 - 9 months
9.1 - 6 months
9.2 - 6 months
That is already 21 months.

In order to launch 10.0 by Christmas time for box sales it needs to be released by the 25th month.

That gives 9.3 only 3-4 months to be live and I was being generous assuming 9.1 and 9.2 only lasted 6 months.

Pretty much this timeline.

I'd say 9.1 will come after the 4th of July weekend. That will be...

Shadowlands launch - End of November 2020
9.0 - 7.5 months, Dec 2020 to Mid July 2021
9.1 - 7.5 months, Mid July 2021 to mid Feb 2022
9.2 - 7.5 or 8.5 months, Mid Feb 2022 to End Sep/Oct 2022

Pre-patch to happen at the beginning of Oct or Nov 2022, and then 10.0 to launch 4 weeks after.

[Nyel]

It's pretty easy to get a sense for the upcoming patch / expansion timeline: just look at BfA.

8.2: June (end of)
8.3: January (mid)
9.0: November (end of)

9.1: June (end of) / July
9.2: January / February
10.0: November

We're basically in the same timeline as BfA right now, except one entire content patch has been left out.

[uncl55]

ye its sad, but SL will be definitely two patch expansion.

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

Okay so I've heard today is the final week for June to have a release date for this month. Some leak about corporate date saying June 28th/29th?

[Dracullus]

Okay so I've heard today is the final week for June to have a release date for this month. Some leak about corporate date saying June 28th/29th?

Not today, but this week. End of season notice could be today, tomorrow or even Thursday.

Also remember patch is not season. I expect it 2 or 3 weeks later (July 20th would match New World Beta).

[apelsinjuice]

end of pvp season annoucement with the 2 week notice will come sometime in the next 1-3 days

[MORGATH99]

when its ready ? ( well close to ready )

[Unholyvamp]

August to me.

and by the way, after a year stuck at home bacause the Covid, I dont think its a smart idea lauch a patch during a summer holidays where we can go out for the first time (cinema, concert, events etc).

Real WoW players do not go out during summer.
They stay inside instead playing whatever content Blizzard has released.

[Tartys]

Real WoW players do not go out during summer.
They stay inside instead playing whatever content Blizzard has released.

by now it's quite easy, cause the curfew... but in a couple of weeks, when restriction will be lifted...

[Soon-TM]

ye its sad, but SL will be definitely two patch expansion.

Sad? I honestly think it would be a smart move, there are too many things wrong (imo) with fundamental game systems, fixing them would be a really big endeavour that Blizzard usually reserves for new expansions (and when they didn't, it threw all existing schedules under the bus, as Ion commented once about 8.2 and its associated systems). If SL ever ends up getting the WoD treatment, I won't even be mad - quite the opposite, actually.

[Unholyvamp]

by now it's quite easy, cause the curfew... but in a couple of weeks, when restriction will be lifted...

No, no i kinda meant even without a curfew!Haha

[CaptainV]

Im actually legitimatley starting to believe 9.1 is the final patch of Shadowlands, because blizzard has run out of time for a 9.3 and if they dont release 9.1 by July, then August it will already be too late for a 9.2 because the cycle will be, just impossible without massive decline from wow subs.

Black Temple will likley be used to try to plug the gap but lets be honest, only a few niche people care about TBC, and its not gonna last long.

Were gonna see likley a huger drop-off around 9.1's first month because many people wont even bother to do the content.

Yes, it is that bad, by the time 9.1 drops, the content itself wont be enough to excite people, and worse still, the raid wont launch when 9.1 does so people wont be getting a new raid until at least ... a month, after 9.1 drops, so september, optimistically, october, realistically, because blizz knows releasing it in october will possibly give them time to keep people from leaving for Endwalker when it drops in november.

Unless they actually have the idocity to try competing with the most popular competitors expansion with a raid, cause I promise you that wont work out well for blizzard.

I did say, Its actually possible they may even try to release 9.1 in september and the raid in november to try to compete with Endwalker, I actually wouldnt BE surprised if that ends up being true.

But ill be honest, if it does, fire Ion, oh my god, fire him, hes done beyond all words at that point and if they dont get their own Yoshi P to fix the mess Wow is in, they're in serious trouble.

[justandulas]

Im actually legitimatley starting to believe 9.1 is the final patch of Shadowlands, because blizzard has run out of time for a 9.3 and if they dont release 9.1 by July, then August it will already be too late for a 9.2 because the cycle will be, just impossible without massive decline from wow subs.

Black Temple will likley be used to try to plug the gap but lets be honest, only a few niche people care about TBC, and its not gonna last long.

Were gonna see likley a huger drop-off around 9.1's first month because many people wont even bother to do the content.

Yes, it is that bad, by the time 9.1 drops, the content itself wont be enough to excite people, and worse still, the raid wont launch when 9.1 does so people wont be getting a new raid until at least ... a month, after 9.1 drops, so september, optimistically, october, realistically, because blizz knows releasing it in october will possibly give them time to keep people from leaving for Endwalker when it drops in november.

Unless they actually have the idocity to try competing with the most popular competitors expansion with a raid, cause I promise you that wont work out well for blizzard.

I did say, Its actually possible they may even try to release 9.1 in september and the raid in november to try to compete with Endwalker, I actually wouldnt BE surprised if that ends up being true.

But ill be honest, if it does, fire Ion, oh my god, fire him, hes done beyond all words at that point and if they dont get their own Yoshi P to fix the mess Wow is in, they're in serious trouble.

Everything of what you said is true, but i'd like to add a nugget to your final note... even IF they found their version of "Yoshi P" the chosen one who had the ideas to turn WoW into everything it could be and more.... would ATVI be willing to invest in WoW 2.0 essentially, like SE was with FF14? I have my doubts

[Soon-TM]

Everything of what you said is true, but i'd like to add a nugget to your final note... even IF they found their version of "Yoshi P" the chosen one who had the ideas to turn WoW into everything it could be and more.... would ATVI be willing to invest in WoW 2.0 essentially, like SE was with FF14? I have my doubts

I don't know... My guess is that someone high in the food chain of Blizzard would rather have a game with 1M subscribers paying $60 in average (thanks to tokens, boosts, transfers, etc.) instead of trying to make a game for 4M subscribers paying $15 in average.

[justandulas]

I don't know... My guess is that someone high in the food chain of Blizzard would rather have a game with 1M subscribers paying $60 in average (thanks to tokens, boosts, transfers, etc.) instead of trying to make a game for 4M subscribers paying $15 in average.

they have been open that they are making more from MTX than subs at this point, so you are absolutely correct.

I'd venture even further and say they've probably crunched the numbers and think they can survive on a bare base minimum of the like 100k whales, and 500k never leave subs (in the same way EQ still has it's long term forever players) so they are willing to do less for a bigger profit margin rather than invest the needed cash into the game to make it as good as it possibly could be

[rhorle]

I'd venture even further and say they've probably crunched the numbers and think they can survive on a bare base minimum of the like 100k whales, and 500k never leave subs (in the same way EQ still has it's long term forever players) so they are willing to do less for a bigger profit margin rather than invest the needed cash into the game to make it as good as it possibly could be

Everquest has 66,000 subscribers and 86,000 MAU (they define it as monthly active players technically) and made $11.5 million in 2020. EQ2 has 22,000 subscribers and 29,000 MAU and made $6.5 million.

Blizzard can more then survive on a fraction of the players they currently have. That doesn't mean the game is going in that direction because of that. Micro transactions were a naturally evolution in the industry and Blizzard has had them in WoW since WotLK if you exclude the TCG. They also haven't gone crazy with it. Also for comparisons the one Overwatch charity skin, pink mercy, sold more then all the other WoW charities pets combined.

If anything WoW is making under its potential.

[Ihavewaffles]

The base patch is almost 7 months old. 9.1 was announced in February or March..? It is now June 9th, 6 days from the 2nd quarter of June. June 21st marks the first day of Summer. When is this patch going to release? This has been one of the longest if not the longest content droughts for a -patch- I've ever seen. No, not counting the patches between patch and next expac like Siege.


The reaction of some notable players:

I wanted the option "This year" seems that's the most plausible (I mean come on, they can't wait until 2022 unless they get hit by an earthquake n they are spread out workers across the US, working from zoom calls, long distance? Pretty hard for some natural disaster to hit them all...

[Lorgar Aurelian]

I don't know... My guess is that someone high in the food chain of Blizzard would rather have a game with 1M subscribers paying $60 in average (thanks to tokens, boosts, transfers, etc.) instead of trying to make a game for 4M subscribers paying $15 in average.

Any bean pushers worth there salt would go for for the 4m. More people mean more people to target MTX towards while still getting the 60 from the 1m whales. Most Company’s don’t want to just make enough they want to keep making more and more.

[Gorsameth]

Im actually legitimatley starting to believe 9.1 is the final patch of Shadowlands, because blizzard has run out of time for a 9.3 and if they dont release 9.1 by July, then August it will already be too late for a 9.2 because the cycle will be, just impossible without massive decline from wow subs.

Where does the belief that they have the release the next expansions by X-X-X come from?
Yes 9.1 is massively delayed at this point. But they can simply push the next expansion ahead along with it and put out 9.2 and 9.3 as intended.

And please, have a better answer then "Activision will make them".