Blizzcon: How Much Will We Really See?
Posted by 
Amatera on Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 19 Comments Tags: Lore, blizzcon, blues, cataclysm, diablo 3, icc, icecrown citadel, mike morhaime, speculation, starcraft 2, wrath of the lich king
Amatera on Thursday, August 13, 2009 - 19 Comments Tags: Lore, blizzcon, blues, cataclysm, diablo 3, icc, icecrown citadel, mike morhaime, speculation, starcraft 2, wrath of the lich king
With the great shadow of Blizzcon looming on the horizon, how can we not get worked up about it? How can we not begin to wonder what goodies they're just waiting to unleash on us die-hard fans like front-liners at a GWAR concert? We expect to walk away from this thing tired, satisfied, and maybe just a little sticky!
But laying restless in bed this morning, I began to think: Blizzard's got this huge expansion coming up, but they've still got at least one major piece of content to release for Lich King. Likewise, they stated they'd like to get a new expansion out every year -- an unrealistic goal for a company like this, but perhaps a year-and-a-half is within the realm of possibility. And then I remembered that they just pushed StarCraft 2 back into 2010. Having two major releases coming out back-to-back like that is virtually unheard of! That might push Cataclysm (as we assume the expansion to be named) to next Fall for a release date similar to Lich King two years previous.
And that means that they've got until next Blizzcon to give us all of the real juicy details. I believe that most people, at this point, assume that there's going to be a deluge of information about Cataclysm this year, but that may be jumping the gun. No doubt we'll get something, perhaps a reveal of new races and some very early look at the content, a trailer even, but let's not forget that there is still the matter of the Lich King to resolve.
If the rumors of Icecrown Citadel being enormous are true (not 31-boss big, of course, but I believe the intention of size was expressed), I expect we may hear a log more about how this expansion is going to wrap up before even going into the next one. Once again, I'm going mostly on conjecture here, but I do remember one of the Blues mentioning (when asked about how far off the Argent Coliseum would be) that their timetable was not as lengthy as we players might expect. And, indeed, we saw the release of 3.2 just three months or so after Ulduar.
Now that opens the possibility of seeing the Citadel released by the end of the year or early next. If Cataclysm releases in the Summer, no biggie. But Fall 2010? That would leave a huge 9-10 month gap between content releases. That would mean that there may be some post-ICC release, a 3.4 if you will, that would function much like Sunwell at the end of Burning Crusade. If that's the case, we may begin to hear something about that content, as well.
And really, when it boils right down to it, the end of the Lich King is potentially such a big deal, are they going to want us knowing a whole lot about the aftermath just yet (which learning about Cataclysm would probably entail)?
My head's spinning just trying to consider all this and I hope you're all still with me at this point. But I'm currently of the opinion that we're going to get a real introductory look at the next expansion, with the remainder of Wrath content getting the bulk of attention at the show. Do I hope I'm wrong? Most certainly. I'd love nothing more than to experience the largest fangasm ever from the impending surge of information that could be coming our way. I'd die for Mike Morhaime to ascend to the stage and tell us that they're finished with Icecrown Citadel, the expansion's coming within six months, and that, Oprah-style, we all get a beta invite.
But I also expect Blizzard to take as much time as they feel they need to complete their products, and considering their track record, that's what supersedes everything else. They're tackling more releases at this point in time than they ever have at once before. We're going to hear tons about StarCraft 2 and the revamped Battle.net. We'll get the dish about Diablo, too. Let's not forget there's also that "next-gen MMO" hanging on the horizon, as well. If they wanted to release all of these games on the same day, they could probably get away with it. So maybe it's not so far-fetched to consider the sequel to StarCraft and the new expansion to hit shelves so close to each other. After all, one shouldn't really cannibalize sales of the other... much.
Don't worry for a second. Blizzcon will be packed to the brim with details, but with so many things to cover, I just keep coming back to the idea that Cataclysm's dynamite reveal may quickly be overtaken by the rest of the show's content.
What do you guys and gals think? I know I presented a lot of possibilities above, a lot of variables to consider. This kind of idle thinking leads to a whole lot of brain spew (something else you'll see at a GWAR concert, by the way). Do you agree? Disagree? The way content is being handled, just what will we end up hearing about at Blizzcon? Maybe the reveal of new races and a quick overview? A teaser trailer for Cataclysm? Is Blizzard ready to show us that much of the game's future?
But laying restless in bed this morning, I began to think: Blizzard's got this huge expansion coming up, but they've still got at least one major piece of content to release for Lich King. Likewise, they stated they'd like to get a new expansion out every year -- an unrealistic goal for a company like this, but perhaps a year-and-a-half is within the realm of possibility. And then I remembered that they just pushed StarCraft 2 back into 2010. Having two major releases coming out back-to-back like that is virtually unheard of! That might push Cataclysm (as we assume the expansion to be named) to next Fall for a release date similar to Lich King two years previous.And that means that they've got until next Blizzcon to give us all of the real juicy details. I believe that most people, at this point, assume that there's going to be a deluge of information about Cataclysm this year, but that may be jumping the gun. No doubt we'll get something, perhaps a reveal of new races and some very early look at the content, a trailer even, but let's not forget that there is still the matter of the Lich King to resolve.
If the rumors of Icecrown Citadel being enormous are true (not 31-boss big, of course, but I believe the intention of size was expressed), I expect we may hear a log more about how this expansion is going to wrap up before even going into the next one. Once again, I'm going mostly on conjecture here, but I do remember one of the Blues mentioning (when asked about how far off the Argent Coliseum would be) that their timetable was not as lengthy as we players might expect. And, indeed, we saw the release of 3.2 just three months or so after Ulduar.
Now that opens the possibility of seeing the Citadel released by the end of the year or early next. If Cataclysm releases in the Summer, no biggie. But Fall 2010? That would leave a huge 9-10 month gap between content releases. That would mean that there may be some post-ICC release, a 3.4 if you will, that would function much like Sunwell at the end of Burning Crusade. If that's the case, we may begin to hear something about that content, as well.
And really, when it boils right down to it, the end of the Lich King is potentially such a big deal, are they going to want us knowing a whole lot about the aftermath just yet (which learning about Cataclysm would probably entail)?
My head's spinning just trying to consider all this and I hope you're all still with me at this point. But I'm currently of the opinion that we're going to get a real introductory look at the next expansion, with the remainder of Wrath content getting the bulk of attention at the show. Do I hope I'm wrong? Most certainly. I'd love nothing more than to experience the largest fangasm ever from the impending surge of information that could be coming our way. I'd die for Mike Morhaime to ascend to the stage and tell us that they're finished with Icecrown Citadel, the expansion's coming within six months, and that, Oprah-style, we all get a beta invite.
But I also expect Blizzard to take as much time as they feel they need to complete their products, and considering their track record, that's what supersedes everything else. They're tackling more releases at this point in time than they ever have at once before. We're going to hear tons about StarCraft 2 and the revamped Battle.net. We'll get the dish about Diablo, too. Let's not forget there's also that "next-gen MMO" hanging on the horizon, as well. If they wanted to release all of these games on the same day, they could probably get away with it. So maybe it's not so far-fetched to consider the sequel to StarCraft and the new expansion to hit shelves so close to each other. After all, one shouldn't really cannibalize sales of the other... much.
Don't worry for a second. Blizzcon will be packed to the brim with details, but with so many things to cover, I just keep coming back to the idea that Cataclysm's dynamite reveal may quickly be overtaken by the rest of the show's content.
What do you guys and gals think? I know I presented a lot of possibilities above, a lot of variables to consider. This kind of idle thinking leads to a whole lot of brain spew (something else you'll see at a GWAR concert, by the way). Do you agree? Disagree? The way content is being handled, just what will we end up hearing about at Blizzcon? Maybe the reveal of new races and a quick overview? A teaser trailer for Cataclysm? Is Blizzard ready to show us that much of the game's future?
Reader Comments (19)
is anyone from project lore going?photos willl we get :D?
I think we may see more of Cataclysm than you think, the story sounds pretty independent of the Lich King, and they want to keep their huge WoW fan base appeased with new content that we can blow our expendable incomes on!
Too fast.
Servers lag. Clients crash. Add-on interfaces won't work. Extended server maintenance cuts into play-time. MORE BUGS TO KILL!!
i rather Blizzard invest in new servers to replace old ones and stabilise their patches a tad bit more before they even release them
/agree with Tacks
work on crap before finishing and moving on. I mean.. seriously.. when 3.2 came out.. the released heroics started bugging on my server. Certain things didn't work..
Like you said.. if they do ICC late this year/early next.. I hope they leave that 9-10 month period before the next X-Pack.
Previously I've stated.. I came late to BC. I feel like I've been cheated. I got to 80 about 3 months to 3.1, and everyone was already geared and rejecting me. After 3.1 I finally get to start being with the big boys, until 3.2 rears it's ugly head and everything stops. IMO they should done it different. 3.1 came out 2 months earlier, and 3.2 should've came out 3 months from NOW.
Just my two cents ...
blizzard needs to focus on their customer support more then expansions because its been 5 days since my account got hacked and have they helped me at all? NO! have i sent countless emails? YES!
@Trial
I believe some people will be making the trip. As much as I'd love to, I won't be going this year. I just made a big move across the country and it just isn't in my budget (plus, I completely missed the window for buying tickets).
The only product they are going to talk about that I have any interest in is StarCraft 2. I have a feeling I won't be playing this game by the time the next expansion pack hits. I'm growing out of love with this game slowly but surely. Every time someone talks about worgen/goblin being playable races makes me feel like my call is the right one.
The Old Republic looks better and better every day. And if that doesn't live up to my expectations. I'm saving $15 a month......
@Dan
I'm with you on the Worgens/Goblins stuff. Problem is that's about all that we (supposedly) know at this point, so people are really hammering on the speculation.
I'm more interested in hearing what's going to happen with other aspects of the game, myself. New races, unless they have some really interesting perks (new starting zones?), won't hold my interest for long.
When they announced BC and Wrath, they gave us detail to the following:
-New Additions to game (Race/Class)
-Main Plot and Baddies
-Main NPCs of expansion
-Revisions to Old World
-Additional New Features
I expect the same for E.C (Emerald Cataclysm: The speculated FULL name of expansion"
what i want is are the dragon raids..... the one near OS the green blue red and brown i hope they release it:P to test us :D like between this patch and ICC :P
I agree with the others who think Blizzard is pushing too fast. Patch 3.2 should've waited until at least sometime in early September because as far as I can tell, it wasn't until about 3-4 weeks before 3.2 that most guilds had made at least some serious progression into Ulduar 25 (not everyone spends their entire leisure time on WoW, after all).
And then there's issues such as server stability, instance availability, getting disconnected and/or being unable to log in... That's just only the beginning of stuff that's been neglected by Blizzard.
So all in all, I really hope that patch 3.3 doesn't come out until at least sometime in January 2010. If not, it'll just be more of the too-much-too-fast routine that Blizzard seems to know so well.
I must admit, I'm constantly surprised at how you guys think Blizzard is moving too fast with the content. I know that a vast majority of WoW players progress through the game at a relatively slow pace, but content is content.
If your guild, or group of friends, generally play at the same level, why worry about how often new content comes out? You'll get to all of it in your own time, won't you? For those of us who blaze through most of it, or at the very least desire options for places to raid, the game can quickly become boring if we aren't given constant stimulus.
Now, things like bugs and server instability can present problems, but you know, that's just a fact of life. It's the nature of the medium, and specifically the MMO genre, to suffer from such things. It's going to happen, and just because it isn't fixed at the snap of a finger doesn't mean that Blizz isn't working on it.
These are surprisingly complicated systems to manage and finding out what is causing the problem can be quite a task. You're looking for a needle in a haystack and as the game and player population increases, that haystack gets bigger. This is not an easy fix.
/agree with Amatera
Lol@ all of the above.
6 months ago you were the same people getting all pissed because blizzard was not coming out with new content fast enough, and now they are releasing content to fast. Give blizzard a brake!!! they have informed us that they are hard at work fixing the issues and the issues are obviusly not going to be fixed instantly. Believe it or not, as much money as blizzard makes, they spend alot as well, and there not going to drop everything and buy 120 brand new state of the art servers instantly. I say stop your damn qqing for a little while and just play the game and enjoy your "free" T8
Amatera has a very good point. Content gets old fast. While there are many things that are glitchy, it's just the way a MMO on the scale of WoW is. I defy you to build a game so vast, let alone not have a bug or two along the way. You can't expect every aspect of a game like this to be flawless.
Blizzard is a company. Companies exist for profit. To not keep players interested is to lose profit.
Can't keep up with your guild? Find one your pace. Complaining about lag/glitches? Get over it, it happens.
@Amatera
Bugs are a part of MMOs, this is true. When I am playing Atlantica or Warrior Epic (free MMOs) I totally get the server lag, or trouble zoning into certain areas, or even big glitches during events. When I'm playing WoW however, these things make me very angry, for the simple reason that I'm paying them a large chunk of change every month to play. I know that in the agreement it says that content may or may not be available. That also doesn't change the fact that Old World instances being all down (Additional instance servers cannot be launched, please try again later) and even new instances being bugged is a real turn off to wanting to pay Blizzard for the services they are providing.
On a side note, I think that where they are going with content is a great direction and speed. ToC has barely been released, and already they're re-releasing good old Onyxia. In my opinion this will keep competitive players appeased:spend longer fixing their bugs and their server issues, but provide a constant stream of revamped content with a good deal of difficult achievements. /endrant
yeah and if ur guild is too fast paced for you to keep up either join another one or create your own then get some people in it even newbies and level them up real fast then you can start raids and such at your own pace and then you won't have to worry about the expansions and also since Wotlk and the recruit a friend wow has gotten over half a million new players and on the realm madoran which is the one i play on there are a lot of newbies and returning players
I myself am a returning player and my friend who is 80 made a guild and it's mostly newbies and we're focused on leveling em all up so we can start NAXX and that is like 5 patches ago but we dont care we'll get there at our own pace!
i disagree with alot of the people that say that wow is going to fast i was lvl 65 when woltk hit and only 76 when 3.1 hit and ive got pretty good gear. not good enough to top the dps charts or anything but i certainly dont feel cheated.
the world of warcraft stops for no one
Very true, fuzzy
iv always been a slower player and when i hit 80 i was extreamly worryed about losing things to do. but iv progressed slow enough through heroics that the game is becomeing alot funner for me and i am progressing into the end game raids. i wont be getting tired befor the next expantion release :)