The next expansion of World of Warcraft is surely already in development. A first teaser is now fueling speculation.
A few days ago, Blizzard announced that BlizzCon will return in November 2023. The company’s own fair could not take place at all or only in a limited digital form during the Corona pandemic years. However, this year it will be held again, and it seems practically confirmed that Blizzard will reveal the next expansion of World of Warcraft here.
A first small hint is provided by the “Key Art” for BlizzCon 2023. It features the orc Thrall. Following the tradition of the past, this is a first hint at the 10th expansion of World of Warcraft.
What does the Key Art featuring Thrall mean? The fact that Thrall was chosen for the Key Art is quite interesting. Because at the present moment, Thrall has no role in Dragonflight. Therefore, he has nothing to do with the current focus of the story.
At the same time, Thrall symbolically represents the “old” World of Warcraft, essentially the classic game world as we knew it from Vanilla. This would fit well with the theory that Blizzard is planning a major overhaul of World of Warcraft, essentially a “Cataclysm 2.0”, which would bring the world up to date with the current narrative and visually enhance it significantly.
In principle, there is also the possibility that Thrall has nothing or very little to do with the next expansion. However, looking at the history of the “Key Art” of BlizzCon, this seems rather unlikely.
What did the Key Art mean in the past? That the so-called “Key Art”, essentially the artistic centerpiece used to promote BlizzCon, prominently features a character has already been a clear hint in the past, even if little could be inferred from it.
- In 2017, Jaina was depicted there. The expansion “Battle for Azeroth” was announced in which she played a major role and was appointed leader of Kul Tiras.
- In 2019, Sylvanas Windrunner was featured in the image. At the time, it was assumed that she appeared due to her significant role in Battle for Azeroth, but she also became the great antagonist in Shadowlands and was then prominently depicted in the cinematic.
This is how things will continue with WoW next week:
What role Thrall will play in the next expansion of World of Warcraft will likely be revealed by early November. Until then, there is still plenty of time for speculation. So feel free to let us know in the comments what you believe the next direction of World of Warcraft will be.
