With vanilla returning....

[McCrazy]

If people want classic, why do they also want expansions to it? Then it wouldn't be classic anymore, right? So, just make this thing from lvl 1 to 60 and be done with it.

[Nutrition]

You don't want the current team to touch vanilla and expand on it if you like classic. Mostly speaking of artists.

Other than this I can't see them doing what they did a second time differently for 15 years. It would be suicide : high risk of quality failure, profit failure, everything will be stuff already seen on live at some point and so on.

I wouldn't want pure classic servers mixed with this but rather another offshoot.

[Dizson]

There will be only vanilla servers, they aren't going to add new content and stuff like that, it is just a 1 year project when they will fully try and then Classic will die off anyway. The reason they do classic even is just to get back subs and try to convert them to retail, it is still a gap that they can use with the next expansion, make it good and try to convert as many people over as possible.

[Jujudrood]

While this, in theory, could be interesting, it would be a poor move.
Classic servers are for those who want to play the game they think they remember, and that's that.
Branching off into new territory would split the playerbase a bit more, given that it's *new* content as opposed to the old junk all over again.

A more likely scenario is they go the EQ route, where they launch Classic servers, see the progress people make (it will be much quicker this time around), then they will create the evolving servers.
EQ launches a server, then on some timeframe (3-6 months? maybe more or less, been a hot minute since I've looked into it), they launch the next xpac, then they run the list of their like 20 or so xpacs, so the server constantly evolves at a quick pace.
I could see Blizz experimenting with that if Classic servers hold well, but creating new content for an old game state is, for them, far too unlikely.

Besides, 9.0 will be a Return to Northrend, where they will update the map to show the reign of the dead up there all over again and this time give us the bug raid in AN/AK and the serpent raid under Gundrak, all while also dealing with batshit Bolvar and whatever else they throw in.
So, in a way, live will do what you want, in that it feels like it goes back in time and rewrites itself.

[moremana]

That would be horrible imo. Splitting your playerbase in an already (slowly) declining game...

There is a reason its declining.

[Wishblade]

I can see the thought behind it but from what I can tell, people who want Classic are those that wanna play Vanilla till the end of time.

No need to develop more when all they want is do Vanilla content, so let them do that and keep the evolving world to actual WoW.

[Vorenos]

That would actually be really interesting, like an alternate history of Azeroth with Classic v2 as the jumping off point.

They could revisit all of the content that they had planned and scrapped over the years such as Emerald Dream, Azol Nerub, etc. Could be interesting.

[NihilSustinet]

vanilla "returning" lol

[babyback]

People who want to play classic will play classic. Not an alternate version of it. With this Blizzard will also have to develop new secondary classic expansions along the retail expansions.

[Tiwack]

Do you think it would be possible although I know unlikely to see a "alternate" history of warcraft being released? One were the time line and game systems would differ from the current live version of the game?

For example lets say instead of Northrend most of the expansion would instead take place in underneath it dealing with the Azjol-Nerub empire or perhaps the scarlet crusade.

Don't get me wrong I still enjoy current wow but I would really like to see a second product be offered that would be in essence Vanilla/TBC era mechanics but in new setting and themes.

What do you think good idea? Bad idea?

Absolutely. One with fast queue and play and one with the longer hauls for the different(often older) audience.

- - - Updated - - -

If people want classic, why do they also want expansions to it? Then it wouldn't be classic anymore, right? So, just make this thing from lvl 1 to 60 and be done with it.

In a nutshell:
It's the cross-realm and lfd tools that make or break it for them. To them it's more humane to take your time and learn a little about the people you're grouping with as you group and run to the dungeons, instead of demanding the world revolves around you because that's entertaining and you can't get your gratification fast enough.

It's two different perspectives on what you want from a video game. One mans tedium is another mans fun and vice versa.

If Classic is a success they will definitely try to capitalize on it with expansions within the border-framework of vanilla. WoW has been through over 100 million players and they'd love to have some return, attract new ones or just keep the ones they've got playing. Even if that means a few forever-vanilla-servers for the nostalgic crowd.

[Dug]

Sure its a neat idea but the chances of that happening are 0.0000000000000001%