Rumorville: Will we actually see Pandaren in the next WoW expansion?

As many of you know by now, Blizzard recently filed a trademark for the term “Mists of Pandaria” and since then the internet has been a rumormill rumor mill asking “What does this mean?” for World of Warcraft. For those who may not know, Pandaren were introduced as an April Fools joke on April 1, 2005 with Pandaren Xpress to make fun of the business deal between Everquest II and Pizza Hut. What started out initially as a joke turned out to become a huge fan favorite, spawning some small in-game references and a non-combat pet. But does this trademark really mean we may actually see Pandaren in WoW?

The trademark seems legit. It also follows a lot of the same patterns with online trademarks and international codes that the Cataclysm brand did. Not surprisingly Blizzard themselves have not commented on the situation. Based on some comments from Metzen at SDCC, we should expect some big news at Blizzcon besides Diablo news, and considering Blizzard’s pattern with releasing expansions for WoW, an announcement of a new expansion isn’t out of the realms of possibility. But with so little mention of Pandaren in the lore, besides some RPG books whom Blizzard have stated are not necessarily part of the canon, how would they even fit into the world as it is now?

I’ve read around some of the forums as well as some WoW sites, plus listened to some podcasts and quite a few people bring up good points. I think my favorite was Anne Stickney’s article over at WoW Insider. She really delves deep into the lore and how the discovery (or re-discovery for the Night Elves) could actually fit into the story and make sense. Anne also brings up some good points regarding Jaina Proudmoore’s homeland of Kul Tiras, which has been forgotten, as well as the trolls in Zandalar and their feelings after their defeats in Zul’Aman and Zul’Gurub. Nobody really knows what is going on in Kul Tiras, and the Trolls will definitely come back for some revenge after the defeats they suffered.

Some other speculation is that we may see some sort of a Monk hero class, and this is where the Pandaren come in. I know that many people would love to see another hero class, and one that can be some sort of a potential healing class, but I’m not sure that Blizzard will do it at this time. Personally I just don’t think it’s time yet for the next hero class.

I’m actually on the fence with most of the theories. I think it’d be super awesome to be able to play a race of humanoid Pandas who could have epic brewing contests with the Dwarves and know kung fu. But at the same time, even with some good lore speculation that could actually work I’m just not entirely sure it’s an expansion. I do agree with one theory in that it’s related to the WoW TCG; speculated as a potential digital version of the game. It wouldn’t surprise me if they tried a digital version of the TCG after seeing the success with Magic: The Gathering on the Xbox 360. Bringing Pandaren into the mix of a new digital venture would make sense to draw in the fanbase that Blizzard already knows exists. Plus this could also go with their angle about wanting to work more with consoles.

In any case, I’m sure that something good will come out of it. Whether it’s a new WoW expansion, something related to the TCG or just a cool monk hero class, something good will probably happen. Unfortunately we won’t know until Blizzcon in October what Blizzard has up their sleeves.