11.13.08

[Lissa]

What will probably happen is that after this expansion development for future WoW releases will be passed to another developer or group. This will not be the last WoW expansion. Will NOT. There has already been rumblings from the developers in random interviews about a graphical update in post wrath updates or expansions.

You misunderstand, this is the last expansion that they're going to sell in stores. Any further expansions will probably either be free for those that have bought the expansions up to this point or they will be purchased through Blizzard for a nominal fee for download (say $10 to $15 since there will be no need for packaging and middle men).

There is just too much money in WoW for them not to run it till it's dry. Everquest 1 (one!) is about to release a new expansion 10+ years later. in fact, the 5-6 year cycle you mention is illusory. MMO's follow a pattern, either they die in about 2 years ala AC2 or they keep milking the subscriptions for as long as possible. The two oldest MMO's are still going "strong" (everquest and ultima online). Subsequent releases are still out there finding their own niche like SW Galaxies and Anarchy Online (with AO switching to a free play model.)

5 to 6 years is when the technology of a MMO really starts to show how long in the teeth it is. It also tends to be the time when you start to see a slow decline in subscribers as newer MMOs with better technology come out. Right now, there isn't much competition against WoW because no one has quite figured out Blizzard's formula. Likewise, SOE has proven that you can run multiple MMOs at once and still make a good amount of money.