Speaking with CVG, Blizzard COO Paul Sams confirmed that the fifth expansion to World of Warcraft is already in development.
I got the pitch from Chris Metzen of what they plan for 6.0 and I’m pretty geeked up about it. They already know what they’re going to be doing for multiple expansions ahead.
They have an idea – a general framework. They’re these lore creators. They’re the ones who drive what the world looks like today and what it’ll be like tomorrow and beyond.
Mr. Sams went on to say that he thinks the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansions is “going to breathe huge life” into WoW. However considering the initial uproar over the Pandas, I’d say that’s going to be a long shot.
It’s also not really a huge surprise that developement has already started on the next expansion, as Blizzard as been on a 18-24 month release schedule for each expansion so far. After all, these things do take time to make.