Dragonflight Proves World of Warcraft Needs a Sequel, Not an Expansion

In some ways, World of Warcraft feels a bit like a time capsule. Despite its many expansion packs and add-ons over the years, the game feels a bit like the era it was released in. It’s been nearly 20 years since the game first launched, an impressive feat unmatched by most games despite how much Todd Howard continues to push Skyrim our way. But with the launch of Dragonflight, perhaps it’s finally time for the sun to set on this world, this plane, for the last time. Many fans over the years have probably wondered aloud over the years – where is World of Warcraft 2?

Where Is World of Warcraft 2?

World of Warcraft 2 feels equal if not further away as the next Elder Scrolls game or Half-Life 3. These two long-rumored installments have taken on a near-mythical place in pop culture for their lack of punctuality. Sadly, a sequel to the Warcraft franchise doesn’t even hold that to its name. There was a planned Warcraft spin-off for mobile gamers, which may have captured some of that magic.

But as fans now know, Project Neptune after disagreements behind the scenes within Blizzard. These days the company continues to make headlines more for its real-life drama than the products they are producing. With no World of Warcraft 2 even rumored, fans will have to wait a long while before a sequel could form. As of now, at least they have new content to satisfy them, but Dragonflight proves that the franchise needs a sequel sooner rather than later.

World of Warcraft Dominated Pop Culture

Rewinding to the early 2000s, World of Warcraft was the juggernaut of video games. While there may be MMORGs before and sense, peak-2000s World of Warcraft was the epitome of the genre. Not only did it capture fans like few games did at the time, it also made the jump into the collective pop culture. Shows like South Park wound up lampooning the game while World of Warcraft also even breached the realm of car commercials. In 2010, the game reached its pinnacle with a staggering 12 million subscribers.

These days the game still has several million users, but it’s a far cry from what it was. Expansions used to dominate the news, but the past few expansions have stumbled a bit out of the gate. For some of the fandom, Shadowlands was an abject failure, ruining the story arcs for major characters. Meanwhile, Dragonflight launched with several glitches and bugs (what game doesn’t in 2022 though?). Some players have found the experience to not be worth the wait.

Additionally, the biggest thing that built World of Warcraft up is also what is ultimately killing it. The game built itself on a continuous experience able to be played without a sequel. It is in many ways the O.G. live service game back before everyone tried to ride Destiny’s coattails. The MMORPG genre has gotten much more crowded in the year since with Lost Ark and League of Legends among others, so the fact that World of Warcraft has held its own all these years is impressive.

Dragonflight Offers New Content But Its Fans Deserve Better

But, the video game industry has changed a lot since the days of the Bush administration. While expansions continue to offer some improvements and new content, it can be argued that a brand-new game would offer the biggest opportunities for growth and innovation. Additionally, World of Warcraft appears inaccessible for new fans to try to jump into the game. Whether that’s actually true or not is up for to debate, but it’s a reputation that could turn fans away.

A new game that takes advantage of the increases in technology and AI systems would completely transform the franchise into something fresh and modern. Of course, there is also the risk of failing and further damaging the franchise. Perhaps, fans will be unwilling to leave characters they’ve journeyed with for the better part of almost two decades. But nothing worthwhile is done without a little risk.

Perhaps, risk is just what the franchise needs right now.