Next Blizzard MMO is new IP
It's also a "shell of a game".
Blizzard has confirmed that its next MMO won't belong to any of its existing game series, and is very early in development.
"We have nothing to advertise for the new MMO because it's a shell of a game thus far," said Blizzard poster Zarhym in a spirited response to some fan criticism of a perceived shift in the developer's direction.
"We've already stated it'll be a brand new franchise," he said, although to be honest we can't remember Blizzard saying any such thing, "which means the lore, art, and gameplay are being developed entirely from scratch. It's an overwhelming process, but a process through which we excel. Our track record supports this," Zahrym said.
Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce had already poured cold water on the idea of a StarCraft MMO, which has been the subject of speculation almost since World of Warcraft was announced.
Meanwhile, statements from Blizzard luminaries like president Mike Morhaime and designer Jeff Kaplan have strongly suggested the game will head in a different direction to WOW.
We won't know what that direction is for a very long time, but the news that Blizzard is definitely going to launch its first new intellectual property since StarCraft in 1998 is an exciting one all the same.