History Trivia / WorldOfWarcraft

* ShipTease: WordOfSaintPaul is that the continual [[FlirtingUnderFire banter]] between [[LoveableRogue Flynn Fairwind]] and [[TheSpymaster Mathias Shaw]] during the treasury heist in ''Battle for Azeroth'' was an intentional ShipTease, not Blizzard seeing fandom speculation and deciding to [[AscendedFanon run with it]] in the subsequent story.

** It also happened with the characters and places named after Jesse [=McCree=] (such as "Mac'Aree", renamed "Eredath") in addition to tje character once named after him in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. [=McCree=] was seen on the photo of the infamous Blizzcon hotel suite nicknamed "The Creator/BillCosby Suite" by Afrasiabi.

* TalkingToHimself: Creator/MichaelMcConnohie as the Lich King and spirit of Uther in Halls of Reflection. Also Creator/ChrisMetzen as both Thrall and Varian.

* TheWikiRule: [=WoWWiki=] came online one day after the game launched. Since then there was a schism, and now there is the [[https://wowwiki.fandom.com/wiki/Portal:Main WoWWiki]] on Wikia and [[https://wow.gamepedia.com/Wowpedia Wowpedia]] on Gamepedia. Then Wikia bought Gamepedia, rolling the old [=WoWWiki=] into the more polished Wowpedia.

** The release of ''Shadowlands'' patch 9.1 was received extremely negatively by players. They saw more poorly-received design decisions and significantly controversial story beats in a game whose story was already divisive to begin with. The release of the patch proved to be TheLastStraw, causing many to flock over to ''XIV''. Further fueling the player migrations were prominent ''[=WoW=]'' streamers and content creators who decided to try the game, as well the state of California's lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over workplace practices. All of this resulted in a massive influx of new players to ''XIV'', creating a DemandOverload. The bad reception to 9.1 has had a ripple eeffect well into the next ''[=WoW=] ''expansion, ''Dragonflight'', which has even less players than ''Shadowlands'' despite the content enjoying a much better reception.

** The release of ''Shadowlands'' patch 9.1 was received extremely negatively by players. They saw more poorly-received design decisions and significantly controversial story beats in a game whose story was already divisive to begin with. The release of the patch proved to be TheLastStraw, causing many to flock over to ''XIV''. Further fueling the player migrations were prominent ''[=WoW=]'' streamers and content creators who decided to try the game, as well the state of California's lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over workplace practices. All of this resulted in a massive influx of new players to ''XIV'', creating a DemandOverload.

** Illidan Stormage has had three different voice actor in French: an uncredited one in ''Warcraft III'', Pierre Dourlens (who voiced Illidan's brother Malfurion in ''Warcraft III'', amusingly) in ''The Burning Crusade'', and Creator/VincentViolette in ''Legion''.

** ''Dragonflight'' was prospectively announced for Spring 2023, only to be moved back to November 29, 2022.

** Tragically, Terenas Menethil's voice actor, Ted Whitney, passed away shortly after completing his voice work for Terenas in ''Warcraft III''. Terenas was then voiced by Earl Boen when time came for him to have speaking lines for ''Wrath of the Lich King''.

** Sylvanas also got a new voice actress in French starting with ''Legion'', Creator/LaurenceBreheret (who had already voiced several characters, including many female human [=NPCs=] since the beginnings of the game)

* AcclaimedFlop: ''Dragonflight'' received [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a much better]] reception compared to ''Battle for Azeroth'' and especially ''Shadowlands''. However, [[https://investor.activision.com/node/35836/pdf the expansion's launch sales]] were significantly lower when compared to the two previous expansions'. It's suspected the main reasons for this is due to [[SeasonalRot the very negative taste ]] left by ''Battle for Azeroth'' and ''Shadowlands'', the real world controversies involving Blizzard, and the game [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/world-of-warcraft-offline-china-millions-gamers-bereft ceasing operations]] in China, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff which accounted for a significant amount of subs]].

* AcclaimedFlop: ''Dragonflight'' received [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a much better]] reception compared to ''Battle for Azeroth'' and especially ''Shadowlands''. However, [[https://investor.activision.com/node/35836/pdf the expansion's launch sales]] were significantly lower when compared to the two previous expansions'. It's suspected the main reasons for this is due to [[SeasonalRot the very negative taste ]] left by ''Battle for Azeroth'' and ''Shadowlands'', the real world controversies involving Blizzard, and the game [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/world-of-warcraft-offline-china-millions-gamers-bereft ceasing operations]] in China, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff which accounts for a significant amount of subs]].

* AcclaimedFlop: ''Dragonflight'' received [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a much better]] reception compared to ''Battle for Azeroth'' and especially ''Shadowlands''. However, [[https://investor.activision.com/node/35836/pdf the expansion's launch sales]] were significantly lower when compared to the two previous expansions'. It's suspected the main reasons for this is due to [[SeasonalRot the very negative taste ]] left by ''Battle for Azeroth'' and ''Shadowlands'' along the game [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/world-of-warcraft-offline-china-millions-gamers-bereft ceasing operations]] in China, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff which accounts for a significant amount of subs]].

* AcclaimedFlop: ''Dragonflight'' received [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a much better]] reception compared to ''Battle for Azeroth'' and especially ''Shadowlands''. However, [[https://investor.activision.com/node/35836/pdf the expansion's launch sales]] were significantly lower when compared to the two previous expansions'. It's suspected the main reason for this is due to [[SeasonalRot the very negative taste ]] left by ''Battle for Azeroth'' and ''Shadowlands'' along the game [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/world-of-warcraft-offline-china-millions-gamers-bereft ceasing operations]] in China, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff which accounts for a significant amount of subs]].

* AcclaimedFlop: ''Dragonflight'' is a downplayed example. It received [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel a much better]] reception compared to ''Battle for Azeroth'' and especially ''Shadowlands''. However, [[https://investor.activision.com/node/35836/pdf the expansion's launch sales]] were significantly lower when compared to the two previous expansions'. It's suspected the main reason for this is due to [[SeasonalRot the very negative taste ]] left by ''Battle for Azeroth'' and ''Shadowlands'' along the game [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/23/world-of-warcraft-offline-china-millions-gamers-bereft ceasing operations]] in China, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff which accounts for a significant amount of subs]].

** In-game references to longtime developer Alex Afrasiabi have been removed (such as [=NPCs=] like "Fras Siabi", "Field Marshal Afrasiabi", "Lord Afrasastrasz", who have been renamed). Afrasiabi is, so far, the biggest offender who's been named in the allegations about widespread sexual harassment and sexism at Creator/ActivisionBlizzard that took the gaming world by storm in the summer of 2021.
** The same could happen with the characters and places (such as "Mac'Aree") named after Jesse [=McCree=] (it's already happened for him on ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''), who was seen on the photo of the infamous Blizzcon hotel suite nicknamed "The Creator/BillCosby Suite" by Afrasiabi.

** Players who want to keep playing specific older expansions with the gameplay as it was and not overlayed by the most recent expansion often turn to private "Blizzard-like" servers. The ''Classic'' re-releases are happening partly as a response to this.
** ''Burning Crusade Classic'' servers were all updated to ''Wrath of the Lich King Classic'' upon the latter's launch due to a lack of players, meaning if one wants to play that expansion again one will have to turn to private servers.
* IKnewIt: In the End Time instance, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Murozond is Nozdormu's future self]].

* NamesTheSame: [[VideoGame/AnarchyOnline Another MMORPG]] also had an expansion pack titled "Shadowlands".
** The Primus is unrelated to Primus, the One and Prime of ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' fame.

** The release of ''Shadowlands'' patch 9.1 was received extremely negatively by players. They saw more poorly-received design decisions and significantly controversial story beats in a game whose story was already divisive to begin with. The release of the patch proved to be TheLastStraw, causing many to flock over to ''XIV''. Further fueling the player migrations were prominent ''[=WoW=]'' streamers and content creators who decided to try the game. All of this resulted in a massive influx of new players to ''XIV'', creating a DemandOverload.

** Official ''Burning Crusade Classic'' servers were all updated to ''Wrath of the Lich King Classic'' upon the latter's launch due to a lack of players, meaning if one wants to play that expansion again one will have to turn to private servers.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Players who want to keep playing specific older expansions with the gameplay as it was and not overlayed by the most recent expansion often turn to private "Blizzard-like" servers. The ''Classic'' re-releases are happening partly as a response to this.

** After ''Warlords of Draenor''[='=]s launch in November 2014, the only major updates the game got for seven months were [[WereStillRelevantDammit Twitter integration, a selfie contest]], and the ability to buy tokens for more play-time, while ''FFXIV'' was leading up to the release of its first expansion ''Heavensward'' - only for ''[=WoW=]'' to drop patch 6.2, which added a new zone, a new raid, a new companion, and a major extension to Garrison Campaigns, on the ''same day'' as ''Heavensward''.

* ReleaseDateChange: ''Shadowlands'' is the first expansion to have its release date changed from what was originally announced (from October 27 to November 24, 2020).

** Another in-game example may have been one done unintentionally because of a GoodBadBug: occasionally, a mob will be added that's mistagged as a tameable beast for hunters, whenever this happens Blizzard will usually fix the error, but let anyone who already tamed it keep the pet as-is as a GrandfatherClause. The exception was a Worgen in Howling Fjord who was disguised as a normal wolf, revealed during its relevant quest, who could be tamed by a very obtuse series of exploits - the fact that this was the ''only'' unintended tame in the game's history that Blizzard went out of their way to correct put Worgen on a lot of players' radars, since it smelled like avoiding the UnfortunateImplications of having a player race being "Tameable" in any capacity like an animal.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** The male Blood Elf /silly, "Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" was added because of the song by the Pussy Cat Dolls was popular at the time of ''The Burning Crusade'''s release.
** An Alliance [=NPC=], Moi'bff Jill, was renamed that after a late 2007-early 2008 meme, idk My BFF Jill was also popular.

* TheWikiRule: [=WoWWiki=] came online one day after the game launched. Since then there was a schism, and now there is the [[http://wowwiki.wikia.com/wiki/Portal:Main WoWWiki]] on Wikia and [[https://wow.gamepedia.com/Wowpedia Wowpedia]] on Gamepedia. Then Wikia bought Gamepedia, rolling the old [=WoWWiki=] into the more polished Wowpedia.

** ''Battle for Azeroth'' recycles elements of ''Cataclysm''[='s=] plot with the player allying with a former faction leader (Magni/Thrall) to stabilize Azeroth when the planet is critically damaged by a major antagonist (Sargeras/Deathwing) and ''Mists of Pandaria'''s plot with the Alliance-Horde war being reignited following the unprovoked destruction of an Alliance city (Teldrassil/Theramore) and the Horde's leaders banding against their current Warchief (Sylvanas/Garrosh) who resorts to using eldritch power. The last similarity has received some flak after [[LyingCreator players were told that Sylvanas' story]] ''[[LyingCreator wouldn't]]'' [[LyingCreator fall to this trope]].