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UPDATE: Is This Blizzard's Release Schedule For The Next Four Years?

UPDATE: Blizzard has provided the following response to the supposed leak:

"As always, we appreciate the interest in Blizzard’s current and upcoming games, but we don’t comment on rumors or speculation and we don’t have any new announcements to make. Right now we’re fully focused on the upcoming launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and we’re very much looking forward to celebrating that event with players around the world starting on December 7."

ORIGINAL STORY: Virtually no one in the industry is as tight-lipped about when they plan to release games as Blizzard. After building up a reputation for taking as long as they need to work on a game before releasing, the triple-A developer has gotten into the habit of not revealing an official release date for games until mere months before they launch. Though this ensures that gamers won't be disappointed by delays, it also leaves us wondering when they plan to release some of our most-anticipated titles. A new supposed leak may give us insight into their planned release frames.

The image above, supposedly detailing Blizzard's planned release schedule from now until the end of 2014, was leaked to MMO Game Site by a source "speaking on condition of anonymity." There are a few noteworthy potential releases on the list:

-Battle.net map market launching in mid-2011
-Battle.net "third parties" launching at the start of 2012 -- possibly meaning third-party releases available for download on Battle.net or using Battle.net for matchmaking? A Steam competitor?
-StarCraft II's first expansion as well as something called "StarCraft II Phoenix" coming at the end of 2011. The second StarCraft II expansion planned for beginning of 2013
-Diablo III releasing at the end of 2011 with two expansions planned
-World of Warcraft launching in Brazil in mid-2011, with a fourth expansion in mid-2012 and a fifth expansion at the end of 2013. Also some mystery project called "WOW TOG"
-an unannounced project called Titan launching at the end of 2013 (presumably this is Blizzard's unannounced MMO)

So obviously this list should be taken with a fairly large grain of salt. There are also a couple of big reasons to question it:

-The WOW movie is listed for the end of 2013. For a project that keeps starting and stalling, it seems unlikely that Blizzard would be counting on its release for a specific timeframe, much less listing a product that's not technically theirs on a product slate
-With Cataclysm's release next week, we'll have received a somewhat shocking two Blizzard products launching in a single year. That's pretty awesome, but this calendar suggests that we'll get something along the lines of eight Blizzard releases over the next four years. As a fan of their games who has to live with the speed that they take to develop, I find that pretty difficult to believe.

Even in the case that this planned schedule is legit, these releases obviously aren't set in stone, which is why they aren't officially public, so don't be shocked if nothing ends up releasing quite like it looks here. In the mean time, I've reached out to Blizzard to see if they have any official comment on the supposed leak.

Comments
  • Well if Diablo 3 has two expansions then I guess that's cool news from a rumor.

  • I'll be ok if they made something free with the options to pay.

  • Hopefully diablo release date is right, I wanna play Diablo already!!
  • I hope SC2 Phoenix is a revival of Ghost.

    It also makes me sad that Warcraft will be getting expansion 4 and 5 within a year of each other :-(

  • 8 games within 4 years??? No no no...I think you might of got the wrong chart. Now if you switch 8 and 4 around and put a 1 in front of 8 then you got the correct chart 18 years 4 games.
  • Tough to believe, but all I care about is D3, and if we can get it in 2011 I'll be extremely satisfied.

  • Why no Warcraft IV? Seriously though, I want more OG Warcraft.
  • Cool.  I'll take ALL of them.

  • I'm thinking the "WOW TOG" actually says "WOW TCG". Use a photo previewer to zoom in and you can tell that the "O" is different from the other "O"s. Again, my guess goes to a new set of cards for the TCG game.
  • Don't think it's gonna happen!

  • I love that they didn't completely shut down and deny this chart's legitimacy.

  • The only thing on this list that has me even slightly excited is Diablo 3. I've always wanted to play a Diablo, but never got around to it, so this might finally be my chance.

  • Hm... "Titan"? Sounds exciting. If this chart is real, it'll be Blizzard's first new IP since StarCraft.

  • so blizzard technically isn't saying no. Interesting...

  • I hope Diablo III is so amazing I'll still be playing it in 2015...
  • Some how with Titan and WOW X5 launching in the last quarter of 2013, makes me think they are interconnected, or why would blizzard release them so close together. But I guess if one is a new mmo it won't pull people from WOW, but to me is doesn't make much sense from a profit stand point.

  • I assume WoW:TOG was supposed to be The Old Gods. But yeah, even though this is almost certainly fake, Blizzard games are becoming the next Call of Duty series. But unlike Call of Duty, I'm done riding this train.
  • These are all urban legends with the way Blizzard gets things done.

  • I'm callin' fake

  • Im dying for Diablo 3 right now...ever since I stopped playing WoW I've craved an RPG where loot is greatly varied heh. I beat the 2nd Diablo last year finally and I just can't bother with continuing the leveling process on that, I've played that gamne with way too many alts...those expansions would be sweet as well, but never has Blizzard released an official expansion for a Diablo game (Hellfire wasn't by them right? Cant remember...)
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