A World of Warcraft expansion coming out in 2022 is becoming less likely as Blizzard stalls the release of Shadowlands patches. According to Blizzard Entertainment, Patch 9.2 will be the final patch of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and will release on Feb. 22.
Shadowlands has been criticized by players for the wait time between patches. According to a spreadsheet by cptshooter, after its release on Nov. 23, 2020, players had to wait 218 days until Patch 9.1 was released. This makes Shadowlands’ release patch the longest expansion release in World of Warcraft’s history.
Combined with the controversy surrounding Blizzard Entertainment and the COVID-19 pandemic, Blizzard’s release schedule has been slower than in previous years. However, according to leaks on MMO Champion, some believe that the new expansion could release around Nov. 14, 2022.
While it is unlikely that a World of Warcraft expansion will come out in 2022, leaks and data-mined information show World of Warcraft’s potential future.
Michael “Bellular” Bell, made a video analyzing the leaks and data-mined information for the potential new expansion, World of Warcraft: Empire of Dragons.
According to Icy Veins moderator, “Starym”, the new expansion will take players to the Dragon Isles, which has been a rumored expansion since World of Warcraft’s original launch in 2004. While fans and players eagerly wait for an announcement, Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon convention has been canceled.
The cancellation of BlizzCon adds to the ambiguity behind the future of World of Warcraft. With the absence of BlizzCon 2022, the release date of the new expansion remains up to speculation from players and content creators.
