Blizzard is concerned that no one will want to play Patch 9.1 of World of Warcraft when it is eventually finished. At least that is what a streamer with developer contacts claims.
Just yesterday, I wrote in an opinion piece about how bleak things look for WoW: Shadowlands because there is no sign of Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination. This is a topic being discussed by many people in the community. Some streamers are also talking about it and even claim to have statements from developers. They are worried because they know that time is running out for them.
Who is speaking? Roberto “Towelliee” Garcia has been a Twitch streamer for many years, primarily plays WoW, and has built a quite large following due to the good atmosphere and his likable character.
In the past, he has had contact with Blizzard employees, who have chatted with him a bit.
What was said? According to Towelliee, he spoke with someone at Blizzard about Patch 9.1 and the situation that the patch seems to be so far away. Towelliee explained during the stream:
I spoke with someone there. And I said, ‘9.1, I am concerned’ and the person responded, ‘I am concerned too.’ Many people at Blizzard are concerned. If 9.1 takes as long as they suspect it will, people might not want to play it at all when it releases because it has just taken SO long.
These are the people ‘over there’ [at Blizzard] saying this. They know they are in trouble. That’s really sad. Because they want 9.1 and this expansion to be good and are just having a hard time making that happen.
This is still a lot of uncharted territory. And no, Covid is not a cheap excuse, I think that’s completely acceptable. I don’t think it’s good that it’s all taking this long, but I understand why it’s happening.
We can only hope that in the coming months everyone gets vaccinated and they [the developers] can go back to the offices so they can get back to cranking out stuff, so we at least get a proper Patch 9.2.
Keep in mind that these statements do not come officially from Blizzard, but Towelliee has been considered reliable and accurate in the past.
Why is it delayed? The main reason for the delay seems to be the Corona pandemic and the related shift to remote work. Although it has reportedly gone almost without problems and loss of effectiveness according to Blizzard’s statements, this claim is becoming increasingly shaky as the time between release and Patch 9.1 continues.
Could you live with Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination taking until summer? Or will you turn your back on WoW if such a long wait time occurs?
