Should Blizzard Skip 9.3?

[Nyel]

Implying there is a 9.3 in the works in the first place

No idea why basically 9/10 people just completely ignore this option.

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Has there ever been the slightest hint how many patches SL was supposed to have in the first place?

Only WoD had just two content patches, every expansion before had either 3 or 4. So 3 was expected, but COVID changed everything I guess.

[Sondrelk]

No idea why basically 9/10 people just completely ignore this option.

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Only WoD had just two content patches, every expansion before had either 3 or 4. So 3 was expected, but COVID changed everything I guess.

WoD also had a continent and a raid conspicously missing. Farahlon is one thing to see disappear, but Shattrath just screams that there was more to it that ended up scrapped, not just the fact that the initial presentation says there is a raid there, but also that the story doesnt have a conclusion and is just left awkwardly with an entire city hidden under a forcefield the entire expansion without an explanation.

[Cosmic Janitor]

No idea why basically 9/10 people just completely ignore this option.

Normally expansions simply have 3(or 4 even) content patches. People don't ignore it, they simply understand the queston correctly and compare it to a standard expansion. I'm sure when Blizzard put up a concept for the exapnsion they didn't set out to make a "short one". That is not how this works. Inadvertedly if we don't get 9.3 they will have skipped it by the most common sense interpretation of question, even if they already knew this while making 9,1 or late into 9.0.

[Nyel]

Normally expansions simply have 3(or 4 even) content patches. People don't ignore it, they simply understand the queston correctly and compare it to a standard expansion. I'm sure when Blizzard put up a concept for the exapnsion they didn't set out to make a "short one". That is not how this works. Inadvertedly if we don't get 9.3 they will have skipped it by the most common sense interpretation of question, even if they already knew this while making 9,1 or late into 9.0.

All of this is true but not for Shadowlands. Shadowlands was developed during the peak of the Corona pandemic. COVID-19 started in February '20, Shadowlands was released 9 months later. Based on this simple fact it's very likely they were already adapting to the situation during development and never considered a 9.3 patch because they knew that they're late and everything will require more time to get finished.

[Cosmic Janitor]

All of this is true but not for Shadowlands. Shadowlands was developed during the peak of the Corona pandemic. COVID-19 started in February '20, Shadowlands was released 9 months later. Based on this simple fact it's very likely they were already adapting to the situation during development and never considered a 9.3 patch because they knew that they're late and everything will require more time to get finished.

You are just splitting hairs about what constitutes planning. Even in februrary Blizzard most likely didn't know what to expect for the pandemic, certainly not continous lockdowns. This was also long before people started leaving them due to the poor working conditions that could no longer be supported while lockdowns are in place. By the point where the brunt of it would have hit them they would have laid out plans for the expansion already.

I think the most likely period for course correction was during the development of 9.1, because the base game shows clear signs of their initial goals of "expansion long systems" while in 9.1 this has already been cut down by giving us extra conduit ranks past the normal iLvl progression, introducing new systems (dom shards), etc.

[uopayroll]

I placed my vote on yes and think they should just go straight 9.6, skip 9.3 to 9.5

[Semyaz]

What good is alpha/beta if they dont listen

[Nyel]

You are just splitting hairs about what constitutes planning. Even in februrary Blizzard most likely didn't know what to expect for the pandemic, certainly not continous lockdowns. This was also long before people started leaving them due to the poor working conditions that could no longer be supported while lockdowns are in place. By the point where the brunt of it would have hit them they would have laid out plans for the expansion already.

I think the most likely period for course correction was during the development of 9.1, because the base game shows clear signs of their initial goals of "expansion long systems" while in 9.1 this has already been cut down by giving us extra conduit ranks past the normal iLvl progression, introducing new systems (dom shards), etc.

Yeah and 9.1 was already in development during peak Coronavirus. Maybe there were initial plans or ideas for 9.3, but nothing really worthwile in 2020. So it would have been easy to just scrap an entire patch or just combine something like 9.2 and 9.3 instead of having them separate. What I want to say: there was enough time to axe 9.3 before they actually started working and wasting manpower on it.

[Softbottom]

Why would Blizzard care what the flavor of the month game does? FOTM players are going to bounce around games anyways. They always come back play the patch and then leave.

Your statement has no validity, I stopped playing WoW in BFA and I never came back for Shadowlands and I never will (long time WoW player who's played since launch). I have no loyalty to this shit company any longer as their content is so subpar. I've been active in FFXIV since it launched also playing both games side by side. FFXIV is vastly superior in every way possible. The only reason I kept subbed to WoW was nostalgia and attachment to my main.

[Empower]

I would say no if they are smart enough to abandon the broken parts of their game...

The 9.3 patch needs to give players max renowned, max conduits, and player crafted sockets on launch day.

[Soon-TM]

No Has blizz ever revealed their planned patch schedule? That don't want to give that sort of commitment to the community

Much less if they actually had planned SL to end with 9.2

[Puri]

No Has blizz ever revealed their planned patch schedule? That don't want to give that sort of commitment to the community

Well yes? Pretty much every single time, at least the amount of raid tiers were hinted directly when the addon was announced (Legion), or was hinted early on for example in BFA when they announced that Azshara will not be the final raid boss.

[Nyel]

Funny enough, up to this day 9.2 hasn't even been specifically mentioned yet.

[dacoolist]

I said yes because I'm bias'd and watched the tali/evi video so - idk I think 9.2 or 9.2.5 should be the end of SL.. as sad as it sounds - I like SLs but I think its possible that they have merged the patches and we may only have one last raid left of the expac

[united]

I really hope they skip 9.3 and just decide to cut their losses with this xpac... it would be a win-win for everyone <3

[GreenJesus]

At the moment and it took them from 2013 to get there.

Ff14 went up over last 8 years and WoW went down. Generally a line trending up is better than a line trending down, but what do I know.

[McNeil]

How realistic would it be for Shadowlands to last till 2023? Thats where the game is heading if they are doing a 9.3

[Redwyrm]

I really hope they skip 9.3 and just decide to cut their losses with this xpac... it would be a win-win for everyone <3

Unfortunately it seems as if they have been cutting their losses for the last three expansions, starting with WoD. And each time we fall for it.

"Next game will be better because they are focusing their efforts on that one instead of trying to fix the current one."

That seems to be the baby blanket we are all clutching to help us feel better.

[Snorri]

Even without the scandal, I don't see 9.3 happening. Parts of the story have been finished, and it looks 9.2 (and then 9.2.5) will wrap everything up.

[Paperfox]

How realistic would it be for Shadowlands to last till 2023? Thats where the game is heading if they are doing a 9.3

I don't see a 2023 release date as being anywhere near viable. If there was then someone would have to answer to the shareholders. You do not want to get between a rich man and his yacht.