In the wake of the lawsuit over alleged discrimination and harassment at Activision Blizzard, the company announced that the annual fan convention BlizzCon was on indefinite hold. But development on games continues amid the controversy, and the Blizzard side of the business is finding smaller, more targeted ways to provide announcements on upcoming software, including the next World of Warcraft expansion.
“On April 19, the World of Warcraft development team will reveal the next expansion,” the company says in a new announcement. “We’re excited to show you what we’ve been working on and where your adventures in Azeroth will go next.” There are no details yet on what form that announcement will take.
Historically, WoW expansions have launched roughly every two years, which would put the upcoming expansion in for a 2022 release. However, given the disruption at Blizzard over the past few years – not just the lawsuit, but the COVID-19 pandemic that’s affected the entire industry – it would not be surprising to see the expansion slip from that window.
Blizzard also intends to announce the next Hearthstone expansion next week, on March 15. A reveal for the long-teased Warcraft mobile game is coming in May.
In July 2021, the state of California filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard alleging years of workplace discrimination and harassment. The story has since embroiled CEO Bobby Kotick and prompted the US federal government to open an investigation. It continues to unfold and to be of immense importance to the game industry. You can catch up on all the developments so far in this regularly updated explainer article.
The next expansion is on the horizon.
Join us. April 19.
✨ https://t.co/u5mEMf2WYj pic.twitter.com/dOIyAFBjcM
— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) March 7, 2022
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