Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
Blizzard Entertainment's previously promised livestream for World of Warcraft's all-new Dragonflight expansion began making the rounds earlier this month, thanks to leaked information that hit the web via source code on the game's official website.
The leaks in question suggested the content release would boast three separate pre-purchase options, including Base, Heroic, and Epic editions. In addition, previously datamined findings from website Wowhead hinted at the next expansion featuring items such as a Green Dragon mount and dragon-like spell effects. Regardless of the specifics, World of Warcraft seems in desperate need of a new lease on life. WoW: Shadowlands brought players back in droves upon its 2020 release, yet lengthy periods without updates, community-dividing features, and the abuse accusations leveled against Activision Blizzard sparked an exodus from which the experience has yet to fully recover. The hope is that Blizzard's future plans for the MMORPG warrant an increase in player interest.
Today, Blizzard Entertainment hosted a YouTube livestream on the official World of Warcraft to announce the game's next big expansion. Titled Dragonflight, the next World of Warcraft chapter will return to Azeroth with five different zones in the Dragon Isles, one of which includes a previously unseen starter zone. Better still, Dragonflight marks the start of a new age wherein players will get to assume the role of a race called Dracthyr, a dragon/humanoid hybrid race that can only adopt the Evoker class. The reveal stream also shared cursory details about Dragonriding, a interface overhaul, fresh dungeons, and raids. As of writing, Blizzard has yet to share release date information for Dragonflight. Check out the expansion's cinematic in the World of Warcraft post below:
The Dragonflight reveal comes weeks after Blizzard rolled out World of Warcraft's Cross-Factions update, a game-changing patch that some fans argue arrived a little too late. It'll be interesting to see how players receive Dragonflight once all is said and done, especially since the expansion will drastically overhaul the experience in of gameplay, navigation, and the base experience.
Of course, Dragonflight's story content should prove impactful, as well. The above cinematic begins with the Dragons leaving Dragon Isles to help heal the "sundered" world. Notably, the Watchers were left to protect the Dragons' ancestral home for some 10,000 years. Now that the majestic creatures have returned, a new age can indeed begin.
World of Warcraft is playable on PC; its Dragonflight expansion currently lacks a due date.
