World of Warcraft game director joins mystery MMORPG

Jeff Kaplan bids aideu to massively multiplayer money-minter to work on Blizzard's top secret Next Big Thing.

In December 2007, Blizzard Entertainment CEO Michael Morhaime confirmed rumors that his company had begun work on a top-secret massively multiplayer game. Since then, the publisher has released almost no information about the project, other than it would be so different from World of Warcraft that the two could not be considered competitors. This led to further speculation that the unnamed MMORPG might be coming to consoles.

"We definitely aren't adapting World of Warcraft to the console at this time," Blizzard lead designer Jeffrey Kaplan told MTV. "But that's not to say that other MMOs couldn't [work well on consoles]. And we have a pretty savvy group of console developers--a lot of the guys we inherited from [Starcraft: Ghost developer] Swingin' Ape really know what they're doing on next-gen consoles. So we might have a few tricks up our sleeves in that regard."

This morning, Kaplan stirred up more headlines about Blizzard's mystery MMORPG. He did so by announcing that he is leaving his post as game director of World of Warcraft and its Wrath of the Lich King expansion to work in the same capacity on the new unnamed game.

"I wanted to take a moment to let the community know that I've switched roles here at Blizzard to work on our upcoming, unannounced MMO," he declared on the official WOW forums. Kaplan will be succeeded by game director Tom Chilton and production director J. Allen Brack.

71 Comments

  • jmal2578

    Posted Feb 4, 2010 8:57 am PT

    I dream of an MMO where the quality of a characters gear relies on the talent of the person playing the character.

    NOT the amount of time he has spent playing it... Maybe im dreaming.

  • runnermpls

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 6:14 am PT

    it seems like at a certain point WoW has to end. otherwise you end up with players at level 150 with 300k hp and it just becomes ridiculous. personally i would like to see either a WoW 2 or a successor that takes what that game does well and translates into a new experience with people starting back at low levels. i don't enjoy WoW anymore that it's become 100% endgame focused.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 9:35 pm PT

    You will want to play more and you would want to buy it.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 9:35 pm PT

    Maybe those Blizzard haters are jealous? But it MUST be known it is a GREAT game. Try the trial.

  • battle_chaser9

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 1:04 pm PT

    Compilation--- I understand about the extreme "hype" thing, most developers don't follow through, but and it's a BIG BUT this is Blizzard not EA.

  • battle_chaser9

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 1:02 pm PT

    Im really tired of people saying "Blizzard is greedy". Whatever, these guys pump out some of the best games out there and love it or hate it WoW is brilliant; and the care about their fans enought where when they make a game you don't need a 5,000 dollar computer to play it on, so keep making money blizzard because if they go broke and Diablo or Warcraft or Starcraft disappears we will see how many people will regret not having them. So screw all Blizzard haters!

  • Hilda1

    Posted Feb 15, 2009 11:58 am PT

    E&B was raped by developers. I played from beta till the very last day and felt they cut it off way too soon. If they brought that back I just might have to split my time between WoW and E&B.

  • LinkDragon90

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 6:49 pm PT

    They are bringing Earth and Beyond back to life!!

  • matte989

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 8:35 am PT

    If this next secret MMO is a massive hit I think that confirms it.. Blizzard is run by aliens. ;-p

  • xdeiri posted Feb 13, 2009 11:26 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    xdeiri

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 11:26 pm PT (hide)

    next project game called : world of morons, the dumb king

  • Donari

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 10:40 pm PT

    Like they didn't have enough money already LOL!

    [hypnose]Nah, just kidding, I play WoW too.[/hypnose]

    *snap*

  • absinthewfaust

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 8:32 pm PT

    whatever it is, it is going to be on the consoles, it's not that hard to figure out.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 7:26 pm PT

    If you think the game name is World of something then you need to think. It has to be COMPLETELY different. I don't think that it's going to start with World of... . When it says different it might mean a casual game, a game that might be on the Wii. You never know .

  • Killingspree303

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:24 pm PT

    "The game would be so different from World of Warcraft that the two could not be considered competitors".

    It's not Diablo, and it's not Starcraft. Both of those franchises have already a game in development. Maybe they've come up with a new franchise, or maybe not. Either way, Blizzard knows what they're doing.

  • K_M82

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:49 pm PT

    It won't be WoW 2, WoW 2 would compete directly with current WoW. maybe Dungeons of Diablo?

  • Link_Destined_1

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:04 pm PT

    My money's on either WoW 2 or Universe of Starcraft.

    *imagines a bunch of Koreans playing Zerglings* Oh lawdie.

  • Compilation

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:00 pm PT

    WoW is a competitive match. I don't play it, not have I engrossed in it properly, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that this new MMO will struggle to defend itself. It'll be a hard time. Personally though, I don't care. The sequence of 'extreme hype > total letdown' will kick in no doubt about that.

  • XimeOn

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:35 pm PT

    Well...I don't like StarCraft that much. I hope to have a good time with Diablo III. They're both being developed, so I don't think Blizzard is planning to transfer those games to an MMO (yet). About the consoles...I agree with most people. Blizzard is dedicated to PC (and I like that =P). I don't think an exclusive console game will be released. Maybe for PC and for some consoles, probably XBox. I don't know if it's a successor to WoW but I think after this expansion has had it's glory, the game will need to be remodeled. Things have changed since 2004. I hope it's something like that because I always loved the Warcraft series and I'll always support Blizzard. 8D

  • Valas_Azuviir

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:28 pm PT

    @ chappy_man

    Don't think you need to worry about them running out of funding for this, Chappy..

    I think it was last week, that an article came out which stated that Blizzard has a 3 billion dollar warchest for development at this point.

    Now, if you meant that it would be competing with WoW, well according to what little has been said, the game could not be considered a WoW competitor. Most likely meaning a different genre/theme. So that's a non worry as well.

    Lastly, if on the other hand you mean, hasn't Blizzard earned enough money? They're a regular company with bills to pay. Having a profit is pretty much the aim of every company in existence, and having a big profit is deemed even better. It's how the entire economic system works. More and more and more.

    So dinging Blizzard for that is kinda silly.

  • caocca

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 12:25 pm PT

    Strange stuff.... I mean WoW is popular because it's a great MMORPG based on great games. What I'm trying to say is that if blizzard comes out with a new franchise and make it MMORPG it's got to be a great one because without the back up of previews games people won't feel encourage to play it.

  • Kenji_Masamune

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 10:49 am PT

    world (universe) of starcraft, DUH. Whatever game they make will be the only competition that WoW will ever have, so my guess is that it's a SC MMO. I'd say diablo, however they are already working on D3.. that and a D MMO would be a little too much like WoW.. cept more violent. Here's looking to roll a terran ghost

  • 5TeN

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 10:30 am PT

    @PC Gamer 94:

    Actually Blizzards games are universal binaries so they arent just for PC's. They are for computers in general pretty much, another super smart move by Blizz.

  • 5TeN

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 10:29 am PT

    Another blizzard powerhouse mmo? Wow.
    I dont think they will be the ones to bring mmo's to consoles but Im very curious to see what their next venture is. They have to create something completely different I think since there are so many mmo's coming out that are just cloning World of Warcraft. Plus Biowares new Star Wars Old Republic mmo is in development and thats expected to be great. Smart move by Blizzard!

  • Ranger1086

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 9:21 am PT

    A darker game would be Alot better,blood with be a nice effect,Better graphics. Like one pain in the neck thing in WoW is Org, like who ever made it did he like get the last crayon in the box or something?

  • warorc

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 9:18 am PT

    Anyone that says PS3 is a joke either couldn't afford one, don't know SONY very well or is just a dumb kid with a Wii

  • Genchild

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 8:53 am PT

    Perhaps a darker M rated game geared toward a more adult audience? If the game can't be considered a competitor it must be after a different market. Ideally the 17+ market. World of Cthulhu?

  • QuasarZ71

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 8:36 am PT

    World of Speculation?

  • Scullyy

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 7:52 am PT

    pc>console

  • Ranger1086

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 7:44 am PT

    I bet it is World of Starcraft, since they will want to counter THQ and Vigil games since they are making Warhammer 40k MMO. Although it is bad enough we got a warhammer knockoff but starcraft would just be a warhammer 40k knockoff.

  • PC_Gamer_94

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 7:33 am PT

    Blizzard will release games only on PC, so go away with your damn consoles! PC 4 Ever!!!

  • uwlbpwnd

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 6:39 am PT

    @ Mr.Gaines: Don't be such a poopyhead. The RP is finished now. I think you're right, a console MMO would work pretty well, but you should probably review your numbers before saying nothing works for Wii. Just about every major game that has come out in the last year or so is being ported to the Wii, because lots of games need that huge ass install base to sell well. The two I'm most looking forward to are Dead Rising, and Dead Space. MadWorld and Hose of the Dead are also exciting, but they're being developed specifically for the Wii. Anyhow, with the online capacity of XBox and Wii I think a Console based MMO would easily work on either. And everybody know, the PS3 is a joke.

  • atopp399

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 6:31 am PT

    A World of Starcraft or maybe an MMO similar to Fallout 3 would be awesome!

  • MrGaines

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 6:21 am PT

    Let me end the whole mmos dont work for console argument. PS1 and PS2 games work on PS3 so if wow came out now for PS3 it would most likely work on PS4 and PS5. same goes for xbox. as for nintendo: nothing works on nintendo... its for kids...

  • alixkid

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 5:42 am PT

    Uuumm World of Grinding??

  • korno640

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:26 am PT

    why is everyoe nameing all these worlds of this worlds of that?

    didnt he say that were to be so distinguishable from each other they wouldn't seem like competitors

  • BloodMist

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 3:17 am PT

    World of Starcraft sounds good to me.Especially if they made it like Star Wars Galaxies before it was gutted.An MMO with real complexity.Or something like Planetside which had a great concept but was really flawed.

  • auroracs

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 2:09 am PT

    World of Call of Duty?
    World of Guitar Hero?

  • Pyro978

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 11:55 pm PT

    World of Diablo!

  • silentmage_245

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 11:29 pm PT

    World of Starcraft or something like that?

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 9:31 pm PT

    I hope that game is a Real-time strategy MMORPG. That would be interesting and I'm big fan of that genre.

  • mesylf

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 9:27 pm PT

    I'm saying (hoping) some type of mmo-fps, maybe using the call-of-duty franchise? infinity ward and blizzard on same project (possible due to merger). I'm wet thinking of that.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 9:23 pm PT

    why so many mmorg's?

  • 7vaan7

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 9:22 pm PT

    i hope it's a carbon copy of WoW, just with way better aesthetics, only reason i can't bring myself to play it, it's utterly impossible to make your character look... ehh

    well, idk, you catch my drift if you've played a lot of other RPG's...

  • TheHappyCamper

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 8:15 pm PT

    So whats it going to be then? MMO-what: RPG? RTS? FPS? some strange three letter acronym i havent even heard of yet?

  • Hear-No-Evil

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 8:00 pm PT

    uuuuhhh another MMORG...I want the old days back of regualr warcraft.

  • bigelf72

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 7:54 pm PT

    Just FYI, this post is the first leak about the unknown MMO. This MMO is a completely new franchise not based on the worlds of Warcraft, Starcraft, or Diablo.

  • DontEatCream

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 6:32 pm PT

    Well, it's gotta be completely different from WoW. Like, on completely opposite sides of the gaming spectrum.

    Thus, I think Blizzard is working on Barbie Island Adventure: The Adventure of Barbie's Island. Hell. Yes.

  • ISuperGamerI

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 6:12 pm PT

    I bet it's most likely going to be World of Starcraft, because imo, it would be the only MMO that can compete with WoW and that they can also have it run similar to WoW without any effort at all. You heard it from me first folks, WoS is the new WoW. Get ready!

  • starbead

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 5:49 pm PT

    The guy who took the fun out of WoW is going to the new game. Good news for WoW, bad news for the mystery game. Although with Kaplan involved, I am guessing it is nothing but raiding, raiding and raiding some more. Perhaps ONLY raiding? Picture a newbie zone in some far out locale. Your first quest: "Gather 49 friends and meet me at the entrance to the cave in the south."

  • Warchief_Zuljin

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 5:42 pm PT

    Good residence to bad trash. Now they just need to get rid of Tom Chilton.

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