"World of Warcraft: Legion" will feature several returning characters from the series.
IGN reported that a lot of iconic characters were missing in "Warlords of Draenor." Fan favorites such as Jaina and Sylvanas were conspicuously absent as well as the legendary Orcs.
It is highly likely that this is one of the factors that contributed to the drop in subscriptions for the game. Activision has revealed that subscriptions for "World of Warcraft" have fallen to 5.6 million. In mid-2010, the MMO game had 12 million subscribers but has since dropped to 7.1 million in May and is continuing the drop.
"World of Warcraft: Legion" will be bringing back Sylvanas, who will play a huge role in the expansion. The iconic warden from the "RTS" games Maiev Shadowsong will be returning as well.
"We'll see an evolution of Thrall in 'Legion' as we always do," creative director Alex Afrasiabi said. "He's an important character in the 'Warcraft' universe and he still has a story to tell."
Blizzard may have realized that it needs strong characters to encourage player engagement with their decision to resurrect Illidan. Arthas and Illidan are two of the most legendary villain that players can identify with.
There will be no "World of Warcraft 2" according to Blizzard. Executive producer J. Allen Brack explained at Gamescom 2015 that he does not believe in MMO sequels. He also revealed that they are thinking about the expansion after "Legion."
"You know, there's not really a great model for a successful sequel MMO," Brack told IGN. "We're not actively working on anything on the MMO front that is not 'World of Warcraft.'"
"We were completely dedicated to the 'Warlords of Draenor' expansion and now the 'Legion' expansion. We're even thinking about the expansion after that - we're already talking about what comes next."
Blizzard has confirmed, however, that they are considering on making "Warcraft 4." They admitted that although there is a lot of potential for "StarCraft 3" to focus on all-new characters, they have other options including the development of the next "Warcraft" installment.
