Possibility of a new graphics engine anytime soon?

[enchanted]

From what I've mostly heard, wow runs off the wc3 engine which is nearly 12+ years old as of now. Of course with technical improvements added to it WoW wouldn't be as good as it is now but this got me thinking, when MoP was during beta there was a screenshot of a panda with high res textures wearing old armor from vanilla wow and it looked really bad comparing the detail of the panda and the armor being worn.

Now imagine new models come out with new animation and everything and you're wearing that old armor from vanilla, it would look awkward isn't it? Not just that but some areas in the world actually like elwynn or duskwood although they were refurbished when cata came out but some areas still look old for the new models being made and besides WoW is nearly 10 next year so wouldn't you guys think there should be a new graphical engine if not at blizzcon then within the next 1-2 years?

[Instructor Soki]

The engine they started from is not the engine they're using now.
As GC has said many times, there's been improvements and changes made to it with every expansion - sometimes mid-expansion.

[Troopsmith]

You heard first half, that yes they started with the WC3 engine. It is now nothing at all like WC3. Do not spread this myth any further.

New engine would be a huge waste of time. Going back and redoing old assets is what you are talking about.

[FuxieDK]

Graphics engine was completely rewritten for Cataclysm...

[Normie]

As everyone else has more or less said, the game has had a new engine once or twice or three times or whatever over now.

The game retains its cartoon look, but that's deliberate.

[FuxieDK]

The game retains its cartoon look, but that's deliberate.

TBH, I find both Rift and SWtOR more cartoonish than WoW....

[Bigbazz]

Graphics engine was completely rewritten for Cataclysm...

No it wasn't, the game still looks the same aside from the variety of step by step improvements. A new engine would make leaps ahead in graphical quality. If you go play a game like Guild Wars 2 and just walk around the PVP city it is just in a completely different league in every aspect.

WoW now is just refined and much improved version of the WoW from many years ago, it isn't a "completely rewritten" graphics engine by any stretch of the imagination.

[Arbs]

WoW has aged very well for 9 years, while games that are only 2 years look so out of date & terrible performance isuuses its sad.

[MoanaLisa]

No it wasn't, the game still looks the same aside from the variety of step by step improvements. A new engine would make leaps ahead in graphical quality.

...and knock a few hundred thousand players--maybe more--right out of the game. One of the things about WoW is that it runs well on older computers. The answer to the thread title is no. There won't be a brand new graphics engine unless they can bring in the one they very likely developed for Titan. I suppose that's a possibility but making it run on older computers is certainly a priority for them.

[Deleted]

As long as the game looks as good as it does now, I think slight improvements are enough.

To me the game looks better than Rift and TOR for example. In Pandaria that is.

[Serissa]

Engine update = increased system requirement. I run wow fine on my 3 y.o. PC without major issues (I can't do 25m but 10m runs ok).

I have 0 problems in usual tasks I do (from office to playing blurays). I have no plans to update my PC for next 1-2 years.

Do you think I will waste few hundreds euros just to be able to play "new" WOW? Nah I'll just drop my subscription. Do you think I'm alone?

So pleasuring 1-2 users with new awesome look VS alienating everyone with not so modern PCs... hard choiсe