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Blizzard won't be making WoW expansions forever, also annual content photo

Blizzard will not be churning out content for World of Warcraft until the sky rips in half and the ground begins bubbling blood. In the meantime, it looks as though Blizzard is quite content with putting out expansions through the global warming crisis. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime confirmed that his company wouldn’t toss out content for WoW forever, but will strive to “decrease the amount of time in between expansions.”

From the interview:
[O]ur goal that we've talked about is to put out an annual expansion, but we haven't quite been able to do that. We had one early last year and now we're sort of late this year, but we do want to decrease the amount of time in between expansions. Although we'll probably never get it down to a year [between each one] because there's just so much content. We do want each expansion to be considered a big value for players.

While I don’t play WoW, I can only imagine this is music to the MMO fan’s ears. How many of you think you will still be playing this for the next few years? Are you glad that Blizzard will continue to support it and are obviously willing to consider it a viable title years down the road?

[Via 1UP]


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20 comments | showing # 1 to 20

Mxyzptlk's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:05
Mxyzptlk
Of course they won't be making expansions forever; eventually the sun is going to burn out.
emuscles's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:05
emuscles
is the post header/intro supposed to be satirical or some shit?
Kathos's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:16
Kathos
Just like everything else it'll jump the shark, until they do the inevitable crossover with Starcraft/Warcraft/Diablo.
nefas's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:17
nefas
Considering the life span of past Blizzard games and the high price they still command at retail, I imagine this game will have a very long lifecycle. I can imagine them reducing the monthly subscription fee before they turn off the servers. Even if 7 years from now they keep only 5% of their player base, that is still around 600,000 players. That is still a pretty damn huge revenue base.
benjaxez's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:19
benjaxez
I love the warcraft universe and a lot of people do, and I don't think it will continue this strong years down the road, but I'm sure there will be a community strong enough to keep supporting it. Even if blizzard has to close down and merge servers.
benjaxez's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:21
benjaxez
lol maybe even free subcription but in-game ads in the future :P
Tascar's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:21
Tascar
I wrote a very extensive cblog that sort of alludes to this, but I have to believe that Blizzard will definitely keep WoW going as long as possible because once they start to wane off WoW and get players into whatever new game they put out then, that will be the best time possible for a competing game to grab all the WoW-fans looking for a new place.
KaL YoshiKa's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 08:39
KaL YoshiKa
The risk of losing their sheeple to another MMO is serious the moment they start talking about shutting down.

On the other hand it might be wise to take heed to the lessons learned in Ultima Online where by the end of the game new players could not become involved because the requirements to be able to play within the game became so outrageous that only long time players stood a chance.
Kia's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 09:04
Kia
I'll almost definitely be playing through the next few years. WoW is just so head-and-shoulders above anything else out there it's not even a question. There's so much to do, and each expansion improves on the ones by so much it's insane. The atmosphere in Wrath is practically palpable even in the starting zones, let alone the rest of Northrend. There's so much more of the world to see, too, and as a lore addict that alone is enough to keep me going. Pandaria, the Maelstrom, the Isle of Kezan, of course the Emerald Dream...Add to that that I'm an avid rper there, and there's almost always something to do even if I'm not questing or working with professions.
Drake00991's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 09:13
Drake00991
I play WoW, been playing for about a month and a half now.

Before WoW, I was playing GuildWars for 3 years, the only reason I stopped playing that game after so long was because Anet announced Eye of the North to be the "last" expansion for the game (and then went ahead and announced Guild Wars 2 at the same time). In waiting for GW2 I ended up with a WoW box in my hand, and now I don't care for GW anymore, WoW has my attention now <3.

If you stop giving people a reason to play they'll eventually stop playing. Expansions make people come back (I have a friend who got into WoW on 3 separate occasions, launch, BC launch, and now WoTL launch).
ShawnKelfonne's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 09:42
ShawnKelfonne
I think I would be happier if Wrath of the Lich king ended everything with a big battle against Arthas, thus finishing off the story arc set up in Warcraft III. Then, they can go and make Warcraft IV to start a new storyline.

Seriously, WoW needs to end sometime or we'll never see another Warcraft RTS.
TorpedoTed's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 09:45
TorpedoTed
I cant see the atraction of playing one game for so so long, i liked guild wars but glad it had an ending.
It obviously appeals to loads of people, but the people i know who play this have no life outside the game..kinda sad really...
Nogarda's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 09:59
Nogarda
They day WoW announces its official last exspansion for the game, a week or month later SOE will be like Everquest 3 FINALLY HERE! and it'll fade slowly away.

Now I agree with previous statements that Warcraft 4 needs to come. But yet I also can't see it coming until WoW has "ended" , which i think will be a estimated lv 100 clearly. and if they increase the level cap to 85 , 90, 95 100 etc per exspansion it'll last out and ppl will still buy it.And if memory serves WC3 was 2002 and if we use starcraft as a mesuring stick your looking at a 2012 announcement date.
Cuban B's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 10:30
Cuban B
I think they did an awesome job on WotLK as far as design goes, and I will continue to play as long as the content doesn't suck balls. However, once SC2 and Diablo 3 comes out... /uninstallWoW
ZaxCG2's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 10:31
ZaxCG2
So uh... does this mean they're never going to update the graphic engine... ever? I know how much I'd be burned for this ... but... seriously it looks so ugly!

At least the environments. The characters do have a sort of charm to them.
Clbull's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 11:06
Clbull
Well to be honest, WoW would have to end sooner or later. Levels 1 - 80 would take a lot of time, and imagine if they go all the way to 100?

Thats 100 levels... Its gonna take AGES to get to there for a new player.
CaptainApocalypse's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 11:10
CaptainApocalypse
@ZaxCG2

I'll not flame you for that. The graphics are way behind other MMOs, but it adds to the install base and ease of entry for those with less than stellar rigs. It doesn't really bother me, especially since my graphics card is pretty good.
Kia's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 11:27
Kia
@Zax

They've discussed a graphics upgrade around the release (or after) the next expansion.
Major Mustard's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/18/2008 15:57
Major Mustard
@ ZaxCG2
I personally wouldn't want them to update the engine. That would either mean having to buy a totally different game or a better pc to run the damn thing. I like the way the game looks. It's got its own style which doesn't really require tuning up.

Unfortunately that's not enough to keep me playing. =P
I bought the battle chest during the summer and played it for like a month straight. Now i'm still only level 25 it seems like there's not much I can do without getting my ass kicked. I'll get back to it at some point but I kinda enjoy progression in video games. Maybe I'm just not a natural born grinder.
Ratkin's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/23/2008 11:25
Ratkin
My friend played the european beta, he thought it was so good that as a birthday present he bought me the game. So I've played since the european servers opened. Not continuously, but it's been a long time. It opened my eyes to online gaming as I'd only briefly dabbled with UO before then. I keep looking for other games that can grab my attention like wow does, but so far I keep coming back. Addicted? Possibly, but that's due to there not being anything out there that grabs me like wow does. Now that's my personal taste, there probably are better games out there, it's just that I haven't been drawn to them. I'll gladly keep playing wow until something better comes along. As for the game not lasting forever? That's cool. Video games aren't immortal, just their characters.
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