With the MS buyout, does the 9th expansion get delayed a bit?

[Zorachus]

So with the HUGE news of Microsoft buying out Activision / Blizzard, do you think the next expansion gets delayed, due to Microsoft maybe wanting to put it on pause and review it to make it better? Or is it just on autopilot and still coming anyways nearly on time?

Also the release date for the 9th expansion, should be this Fall 2022, if it follows the path all previous 8 expansions took, which was always a 2 year release window like clockwork, all WoW expansions have a release date of 2 years between expansions, every one of them. Now maybe not exactly 24 months apart, but some being 22 months, others being 26 months, but in general every 2 years a new expansion released.

If things weren't rocky at Blizzard, and normal times, the 9th expansion would have had a release between Oct. 2022 - Jan. 2023. Do you think this still happens? or it gets delayed to like Spring 2023?

[Kiivar86]

There's no way they'd pause it. The deal won't go through until at least mid 2023.

Until then, they're still separate companies, and they should act as such. It is entirely possible (though not likely) for the deal to fall through. If they paused it and that happened, they'd be majorly screwed.

[XMD7007]

They won't touch it.

[Aurora]

The deal doesn't close for another 6-18 months so Microsoft will have no control or influence before then. The next expansion will probably be out or at least very deep in development before the acquisition happens and even then change will be slow.

[Wadrak]

More like release before its ready lol.

But probably no change.

[AngerFork]

Nah, especially since the deal doesn't close until mid 2023. There's just not enough time nor collaboration at this point for Microsoft's engineering/marketing team to have any sort of influence on the next expansion.

The one after that however I suspect will have Microsoft's fingerprints all over it & likely will gear it more towards Microsoft's corporate vision for the future.

[Segus1992]

Nah, especially since the deal doesn't close until mid 2023. There's just not enough time nor collaboration at this point for Microsoft's engineering/marketing team to have any sort of influence on the next expansion.

The one after that however I suspect will have Microsoft's fingerprints all over it & likely will gear it more towards Microsoft's corporate vision for the future.

It should go without saying that console WoW is likely coming. But maybe Microsoft isn't arrogant enough to push that, I guess we'll find out.

Either way, any effect of Microsoft buying AB isn't going to appear until next year at the earliest.

[Zorachus]

Ok thanks for the replies, forgot business deals like this take a year+, so yeah MS has no involvement in the upcoming 9th expansion.

Do you think it's still on 2 year release track like every expansion before it? Which puts a release this Fall.

If 9.2 comes out in March, 10.0 comes out sometime between Sept - Dec this year?

[Dellis0991]

Ok thanks for the replies, forgot business deals like this take a year+, so yeah MS has no involvement in the upcoming 9th expansion.

Do you think it's still on 2 year release track like every expansion before it? Which puts a release this Fall.

If 9.2 comes out in March, 10.0 comes out sometime between Sept - Dec this year?

I don't think so with the fallout between the pandemic and the legal stuff I think we might only see the next expansion's announcement this year but we won't see a expansion until late 23 or early 24 (maybe).

[AngerFork]

It should go without saying that console WoW is likely coming. But maybe Microsoft isn't arrogant enough to push that, I guess we'll find out.

Either way, any effect of Microsoft buying AB isn't going to appear until next year at the earliest.

I tend to agree, especially with console WoW likely coming once the deal is done. It's partially why I'm starting to bang the drum for the revamp to happen in 11.0, because there's enough code they'll have to work out to make it work for XBox consoles that you might as well revamp while there.

Not to mention console WoW would appeal to a new audience, so you want your best graphics in place when doing so.

[Zorachus]

I don't think so with the fallout between the pandemic and the legal stuff I think we might only see the next expansion's announcement this year but we won't see a expansion until late 23 or early 24 (maybe).

No way they delay it to 24', that'd be like 4 years between expansions. Even 2023 seems very long, because they've pretty much said 9.2 is the last patch for SL, so a year or more stuck on that patch with nothing new, will literally kill subscriber base.

I get it, the Pandemic has something to do it, but we've been living like this almost two years now, so I'm sure they've figured that out. The lawsuits yes, that absolutely could cause a delay. So if typically the 9th expansion would've been out this Fall 2022, I could see worse case it gets pushed back to Spring 2023, no further.

[Khaza-R]

Ok thanks for the replies, forgot business deals like this take a year+, so yeah MS has no involvement in the upcoming 9th expansion.

Do you think it's still on 2 year release track like every expansion before it? Which puts a release this Fall.

If 9.2 comes out in March, 10.0 comes out sometime between Sept - Dec this year?

Really impossible to say at this point because we are already in uncharted waters with a lack of BlizzCon. Once the beta is announced we will have a much better idea of what the release timeline will probably look like.

But going off of how slow patch releases have been this expansion, I think a minimum of 9 months of 9.2 should be expected.

[Baine]

It will likely take years before this purchase has an effect on WoW development.

[roboscorcher]

Maybe.

I'm more interested to see if old devs return at the prospect of a culture shift. Ones that weren't roiled in scandal, that is. Would Kaplan return? Maybe Metzen? Probably hopium, but you never know.

In general, it will be interesting to see if there is a positive culture shift. Preach said recently that some current Blizz devs were told by the company that HR could drop them any day. Imagine going in to work knowing that you could leave the office that day unemployed. I hope that that BS goes away.

[Gaidax]

It will take another 2 years for this deal to even go through, close and be implemented.

People here think as if M$ execs are roundhouse kicking Blizz HQ doors tomorrow and telling everyone to start packing.

[Segus1992]

Ok thanks for the replies, forgot business deals like this take a year+, so yeah MS has no involvement in the upcoming 9th expansion.

Do you think it's still on 2 year release track like every expansion before it? Which puts a release this Fall.

If 9.2 comes out in March, 10.0 comes out sometime between Sept - Dec this year?

Yes. Microsoft buys companies as an investment, just like any company does. You don't buy a company like Activision Blizzard and then start fucking with the business in such major ways. We might see faster (read: lower quality) expansions eventually, but it's not unlikely that'd happen anyway once WoW starts to decline to the point of post expansion patches becoming wasted resources.

- - - Updated - - -

Maybe.

I'm more interested to see if old devs return at the prospect of a culture shift. Ones that weren't roiled in scandal, that is. Would Kaplan return? Maybe Metzen? Probably hopium, but you never know.

In general, it will be interesting to see if there is a positive culture shift. Preach said recently that some current Blizz devs were told by the company that HR could drop them any day. Imagine going in to work knowing that you could leave the office that day unemployed. I hope that that BS goes away.

These people left because Blizzard got too big and corporate, and you think they'd return now that the biggest company in gaming (second after Sony with the acquisition of AB) owns it? That goes beyond hopium.

[Temp name]

Also the release date for the 9th expansion, should be this Fall 2022, if it follows the path all previous 8 expansions took, which was always a 2 year release window like clockwork

If things weren't rocky at Blizzard, and normal times, the 9th expansion would have had a release between Oct. 2022 - Jan. 2023. Do you think this still happens? or it gets delayed to like Spring 2023?

So you're saying we'll have an 6 month first tier, 8+ month second tier, and a 6 month last tier?

Not fucking happening. Q2 2023 or later

But no, MS won't delay the expansion, it'll kill the game

[Zorachus]

So you're saying we'll have an 6 month first tier, 8+ month second tier, and a 6 month last tier?

Not fucking happening. Q2 2023 or later

But no, MS won't delay the expansion, it'll kill the game

So we'll be stuck on 9.2 for 12+ months? The longest drought in WoW history, the worst being the 9+ months after SoO patch to WoD.

Blizz has said that 9.2 will be the final SL patch, no way they keep us on that for over a full year with zero new content.

[Advent]

Wasn't the 3.3 patch the longest raid tier?

[GreenJesus]

Maybe.

I'm more interested to see if old devs return at the prospect of a culture shift. Ones that weren't roiled in scandal, that is. Would Kaplan return? Maybe Metzen? Probably hopium, but you never know.

In general, it will be interesting to see if there is a positive culture shift. Preach said recently that some current Blizz devs were told by the company that HR could drop them any day. Imagine going in to work knowing that you could leave the office that day unemployed. I hope that that BS goes away.

Metzen has his own D&D-esque company. He's happy where he is (of course with the occasional Thrall voice acting on the side).