With Blizzcon merely two days away, the internet cabals that concern themselves with World of Warcraft are alight with rumors. Given Blizzard's stated intent to release one expansion pack per year, the timing sounds about right for this kind of info to start surfacing.
The first--and far more plausible--rumor is that the expac will be entitled World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Late last night, news leaked that the USK (Germany's answer to the ESRB) had received a submission for a product of the same name, for consideration at the Games Convention in Leipzeig. The genre was "add on," and the submitter was Vivendi Deutschland. Further evidence comes in the form of a leaked excerpt from the Video Games Live orchestra's Blizzcon playlist. The significant titles? "Northerend 1"," 2," and "3." Notherend is the name of the continent where Arthas, the Lich King, holed up after causing a ruckus in Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne.
The second rumor, which is beginning to seem far less likely of being legit, originates from an anonymous e-mail sent to an assortment of enthusiast gaming press outlets early this week. According to the alleged Blizzard mole, the expansion pack to be announced at Blizzcon is actually World of Warcraft: Into the Maelstrom. The author divulges some plausible-sounding game details, and even offered to follow up inquiries with further details.
In any event, I suspect we'll know the truth sooner rather than later.
As some of the stronger evidence here suggests, news like this has a difficult time staying secret.
