With all the games coming out in 2011, it makes me wonder. Did Blizzard create this massive update in response to the other games coming up, so as to not be forgotten (not that it could realistically) in the deluge of new games coming out or was this always part of their plan and just happens to come out just before the other games?

Just curious what you all think.

Blizzard is big enough that they release things on their own schedule without regard to what the rest of the market is doing.

Developing a good expansion takes a long time.  It's not like Blizzard could have looked at the market six months ago, said, oh no, there are all these new games coming, and created a new expansion from scratch in six months.

Not so much of a response, but def want to suck up as many people back into WoW before new games come out.

Planned response.

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Originally posted by Skraeling
Planned response.

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I think WoW is big enough, that they don't really have to respond to other games coming out. They have to fear that their players get bored and stop playing MMOs, not that their players would migrate to any other MMO.

GW2 is already coming out since 2007, 2008, 2009, ...etc.

Cataclysm was planned before the release of Wotlk (see Blizzard statements of the past at BlizzCon 2009).

It is a smart move because MMO's die when populations are no longer concentrated in huge parts of the game. One of those reasons is the spreading out of the players over too much content and too much levels (hence Azeroth 2 and only 5 new but longer levels).

I think the only one element that influenced Cata is that they underestimated the time to redo Azeroth2. As a result the expansion took too long to get published. Everything points this way. Normally Cata would have been launched in Apr/May 2010. Remember the earthquakes already back in Nov/Dec 2009?

Somewhere in 2009 someone decided they had to redo MORE than initially planned

There is proof of that all over the place: old dungeons are redone on a one to one basis even as the expansion is launched.

I think they didn't want to redo all 3000 quests and not all dungeons of those first 60 levels. But they got caught into the "logic" and so it took them 6 to 8 months more to redo the complete 1-60.

Individual competition had nothing to do with it, but they simply wanted to raise the standards of old Vanilla Wow design to the newer full 3D experiences in Outland and Northrend and they couldn't do it in 1.5 years (incl. the real 3D boundaries and no longer the fake painted 2D/3D).

So the large gap between ICC and Cata of 12 months was not planned but it wasn't a response either since CATA was planned and prepared before the launch of Wotlk.

     It's a planned response.. The perverbial carrot so to speak..  A true expansion can be produced at the rate of 1 a year, or 18 months tops if you are integrating new concepts.  But in Blizz's case.. Why spit it out that fast, when you don't have to?  I can guarantee you that if the population got bored of the ICC dungeon runs a year ago and refused to take part in the ICC tier raid chase,  Cataclysm would of been ready a year ago.. They will do the same with Cat as they did with WoTLK.. Toss out an expanson then divert into raid chase content patches.. Keep people chasing the carrot for another 2 years.. LOL

you have to remember that the vortex was always part of their plan and including these change was for the best since azeroth(1-60)where tyhe vortex is was aging ,so it bring new life in the original starting area and bring us closer to the meastrom

content!

I also think that the changes to Azeroth were needed as they plan future expansions. What is interesting to me will be the next expansion and when it comes. I am curious if they will announce it at the next BlizzCon and it comes sooner or if there will be a huge gap and Blizzard is assuming that CATA will hold players over for 18-24 months (there is no way).

My assumption is that they will announce earlier and the next expansion will be smaller. Again 5 levels and will be something like the Emerald Dream - something self-contained like that. Or it could be Undermine since Goblins are being added too.

I just wonder if Blizzard is planning to do smaller, quicker expansions.

The neat thing about CATA is it is sorta a "return to your roots" expansion where players go back to where they were 6 years ago (in terms of location). It is so wierd to be bound in Org again! I think is was planned but maybe not at this point. We already know that Blizzard had intended to do WOTLK first and BC second so sometimes the order changes. I think CATA got moved in terms of the expansion release order.

Just really curious where Blizzard goes from here.

Anyone wanna bet that a couple years from now Cata will be reversed and the old areas will be back again. Somewhat different but brought back.

Response? nooo they have released a x pack every 2 years this one is no different. And why would WoW have to compete with games when so far i could name 5 thats were so called WoW killers... APB was a wow killer at one time and its focus was to please all the people here who wanted something new in an MMO. I guess the majority spoke with that one.

Originally posted by Elsabolts

Anyone wanna bet that a couple years from now Cata will be reversed and the old areas will be back again. Somewhat different but brought back.

First Outland will be reshaped (already confirmed at BlizzCon 2010).

I think they'll go to lvl 100 and then rethink the franchize into a complete other game. Perhaps even a console game with BG's and based on the same responsive engine: it would be a tremendous hit on consoles.

Wow's engine is dynamite for playing PvP in Battlegrounds on (limited) console hardware. But it will be a different game the next time they'll redo Azeroth.

Make this smaller BG/dungeon console game complete B2P and everyone will play it for a decade.

They are releasing expansions in a particular order. Obvously, since Wrath came way after BC and Cata (Wrath is the main finale to the WoW story). So there is some kind of method to their choices of release. And in an earlier post, it was said that they are doing it because in preperation for future expansions. I believe this is true. They made 2 different zones (other than origonal Azeroth) and now they are fixing Azeroth so they can then move onto deeper things.

Originally posted by whilan

With all the games coming out in 2011, it makes me wonder. Did Blizzard create this massive update in response to the other games coming up, so as to not be forgotten (not that it could realistically) in the deluge of new games coming out or was this always part of their plan and just happens to come out just before the other games?

Just curious what you all think.

Yes, and years ago it was Warhammer and AOC that were coming out.  blah blah blah.  People are always and ALWAYS have made it seem like Blizzard has to respond to a new game.  When the fact is that over the past 5 years, there hasn't been a game that even made a dent in WOW's numbers for even a short amount of time.

My honest guess is this.  Blizzard always had the Maelstrom planned as this expansion.  But one of the things they got as feedback from current players and new players is that level 1-60 isn't good anymore.  Anyone that has leveled in Outland and Northrend has to cringe when they reroll.   So my hunch is they cut a few planned 80+ zones and decided to redo all of the old content.

This has nothing to do with new games, this has everything to do with feedback from current players.  1-60 is terrible compared to 60+.  Flying in the old world was a very requested feature since BC.  Blizzard is just doing what is best for the game.  They are going to keep current players entertained, as their is now a huge incentive to add even more alts.  New players are going to have a much better gaming experience because the new questing is far better than anything ever added, and most importantly, a ton of retired players are going to come back.