Summary
- Blizzard president Mike Ybarra says rumors of a pirate-themed World of Warcraft expansion are false, but fans remain skeptical.
- Ybarra's comment may not be definitive, as WoW developers have previously manipulated the truth to preserve secrets.
- Fans are still speculating on the possibility of a seafaring expansion and believe a pirate character could still be involved.
Blizzard president Mike Ybarra seemingly confirmed recently that rumors saying the next World of Warcraft expansion would be about pirates are inaccurate. Despite this, many World of Warcraft players are skeptical that his statement means these World of Warcraft rumors are wholly untrue.
With Dragonflight through over half its lifespan, and BlizzCon right around the corner, many World of Warcraft players have begun speculating on what the next expansion might be. One of the more popular theories currently points at a seafaring expansion, largely due to in-game lore referencing lost continents and pirate fleets, as well as several items in the World of Warcraft cash shop sharing a theme of waterborne exploration.
World of Warcraft fan and content creator Mr. Dave was one of the many voices weighing in on the rumor mill. Though the pirate-themed World of Warcraft expansion theory appeals to many, Mr. Dave was less enthusiastic. As he discussed his own thoughts on the matter with other fans who saw his post on Twitter, Ybarra appeared in the comments, adding two words to the discussion that seemingly brought an end to the expansion rumor: “No pirates.”
However, Ybarra’s comment is not actually as definitive as it might seem. In the past, World of Warcraft developers have intentionally misled the community to help preserve secrets using similar statements. During Battle for Azeroth, they insisted there were “no Old Gods in BFA” as a tongue-in-cheek joke, and before they revealed the Augmentation Evoker in Dragonflight, they had avoided the topic with careful diction. While none of these were malicious lies, World of Warcraft has previously manipulated the truth intentionally, and also just by changing its mind on matters later on.
Needless to say, World of Warcraft fans are already searching for the loopholes in Ybarra’s comment. Many pointed out that saying “No pirates” doesn’t actually discount the idea of a seafaring expansion, and that a journey to an unknown continent could still happen. Others said that, regardless of what the expansion was, the chances of a pirate character appearing somewhere in it seems pretty high, so fans shouldn’t take Ybarra’s words as law.
Either way, players won’t have to wait long to find out what is next for WoW. BlizzCon starts on November 3, and fans believe World of Warcraft will be announcing the next expansion at the convention. Regardless of what it is, players are looking forward to seeing what World of Warcraft has learned from Dragonflight, and if it can keep up the momentum it has created for itself.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.