Blizzard teases ‘World of Warcraft’ expansion news coming at Blizzcon 2017

By Gabe Gurwin October 4, 2017

BlizzCon 2017 Virtual Ticket

It has been well over a year since the release of World of Warcraft: Legion, the latest expansion in the massively popular online game, and dedicated players have been working their way through dungeons and raids as they became reacquainted with The Burning Crusade antagonist Illidan. And for those hoping for information on the next expansion, it appears that you’ll be getting it very soon.

Developer Blizzard has released its schedule for the upcoming Blizzcon, an annual event used to showcase high-level competitive play and announce new content for its games. On Friday, November 3, a segment of the event titled, “World of Warcraft — What’s Next” will take place on the main stage, and will contain “an overview of what’s in store next for the heroes of the Horde and the Alliance.”

The presentation is scheduled to run for an hour and doesn’t explicitly say that information on a new expansion will be revealed, but as Eurogamer pointed out, director Ion Hazzikostas heavily implied this in a developer diary posted last week. In the video, he said that he knows “players are wondering what’s coming next,” and we’re curious, as well. The “power creep” inherent in most MMO games has effectively turned average players into gods, and Blizzard will likely have to get creative in order to give them a fair challenge.

Of course, Blizzcon isn’t just about World of Warcraft. Several of the studio’s other games will be on display, as well, and we’ll learn new information on both Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm. The latest character in Overwatch, Doomfist, was released several months ago at this point, so it’s a pretty safe bet that Jeff Kaplan and his team are planning to unveil a new hero.

If you want access to all of Blizzcon’s announcements as they happen — and some extra in-game loot like a World of Warcraft mount — you can purchase a Virtual Ticket for $40. This also includes access to the closing ceremony, which always features a big-name guest. Past performers include Linkin Park, Blink-182, Metallica, and Weird Al Yankovic. The event will take place on November 3 and November 4.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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