World of Warcraft is preparing to move the game in a more story driven direction with their next three upcoming expansions, beginning with The War Within set to release later this year. Before that will be the release of The Dark Heart prepatch which is set to release next Tuesday May 7th. In preparation for this Blizzard has unveiled new in-game cinematic from the new pre-patch.
The cinematic is quite subdued as opposed to more grandiose moments of past expansions. Perhaps this is a quiet moment, but it serves to allow players to get to know their characters on a deeper level. Spectacle is really fun, but spectacle without investment tends to lose its audience eventually. As the MMORPG prepares to begin a three expansion cycle that is attempting to tell one story, these moments leading up to it might give players the investment necessary to see this through. I’m sure most WoW fans who’ve been around since the beginning will probably still enjoy the game as it closes in on its 20th year anniversary.
This new storyline is being headed by Chris Metzen who has worked on the Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft series as a writer, creative director, and voice actor. Chris Metzen has been responsible for a lot of the lore currently existing in the world of World of Warcraft, having written books in the universe on top of his in-game work. The upcoming expansions all have blurbs provided by Metzen from their announcement during Blizz-con last year.
The War Within – “You will be descending into the heart of Azeroth itself, exploring new subterranean kingdoms, and engaging with ancient cultures, like the Earthen and the terrifying nerubians of Azj-kahet.”
Midnight – “You will be returning—ready?—to the Old World, to the fabled lands of Quel’Thalas. There, the forces of the void have invaded Azeroth, intent on snuffing out the light of the Sunwell, and plunging the world into darkness and fear.”
The Last Titan – “You will again be returning to the Old World, this time to the wintery lands of Northrend. And there, at Ulduar, you will bear witness to the return of the Titans to Azeroth.”
It sounds like Blizzard Fans will have a very exciting few years ahead.