World of Warcraftrecently announcedDragonflight, its ninth expansion pack. In a recent roundtable interview,World of Warcraftconfirmed it was farther along in the development ofDragonflightthan many expected.
The interview, hosted by Taliesin of the popularWorld of Warcraftcontent creator duo Taliesin and Evitel, was with game director Ion Hazzikostas and lead narrative designer Steve Danuser. In the interview, Taliesin asked questions from the community about the upcomingDragonflightexpansion.
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One of the final questions of the interview pertained tothe progress ofDragonflight, and when players could expect to see alpha testing begin. Hazzikostas confirmed the expansion was “pretty far along” in the development process and that alpha testing would begin “Soon TM, but also soon without the TM.”
Hazzikostas has said similar things in other interviews. In a translated interview from German news site Buffed, Hazzikostas had stated the expansion has been in development for a couple of years at this point. WhileWorld of Warcraftis not ready to commit to a definitive release timetable, it may be closer than most assumed. It was this interview that drove Taliesin to ask about the expansion’s progress in the first place.
Further evidence was found in the data files forWorld of Warcraft’sPublic Test Realm, where a new, encrypted build of the game was recently discovered. This build is almost certainly forDragonflightand seems to corroborate Hazzikostas’ comment. If it does, the beta forDragonflight, which began signups alongside the expansion’s announcement, could begin a few months after, possibly as early September.
World of Warcraftfans are excited theDragonflightalpha could begin soon. Many fans are thrilled with what they have seen on the expansion so far and can’t wait to explore the Dragon Isles.Dragonflightseems to have learned a great deal from themistakes ofBattle for AzerothandShadowlandsthus far, and the consistent updates and communication from Blizzard about the expansion have been a promising trend.
However, many fans are not ready to buy intoDragonflightjust yet. Between a rocky release period withShadowlandsand thesexual assault and discrimination controversies surrounding Blizzard, many fans are scrutinizingWorld of Warcraft’severy move right now, if they haven’t given up on it entirely. The venerable MMORPG has a lot to prove to its fans, and it is fair to say thatDragonflightcould make or breakWorld of Warcraft.
