Is ‘Warlords Of Draenor’ The Next ‘WoW’ Expansion? Trademarks In US, Europe, New Zealand And Australia Suggest Yes

Last week Blizzard Entertainment filed a trademark for "Warlords of Draenor" in New Zealand and Australia, which immediately let fans to believe that this will be the next big expansion to "World of Warcraft!" If that wasn't enough excitement, it has been discovered that Blizzard also filled trademarks in the United States and Europe for "Warlords of Draenor" -- take a look at the trademarks here. In "World of Warcraft" Draenor is the homeland of the orc race and the main area of the game's first expansion, which is "The burning Crusade."

The trademark was filed on November 1 and it covers "Computer game software, computer game discs, downloadable computer game software, computer game software downloadable from a global computer network, interactive multimedia computer game program; downloadable electronic game software for use on portable electronic devices such as mobile and cellular phones, laptops, handheld computers, and tablet PCs."

It's worth noting that the usage listing for the trademark also hints at connection to an online service. It reads: "Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing on-line non-downloadable computer games that may be accessed via a global computer network; providing online news and information in the field of computer games."

Meanwhile, in October the domain name WarlordsofDraenor.com was registered -- although the site is currently empty. If Blizzard's past is any indication of where this news is going, then an announcement of the new expansion will be soon. In previous incidents, trademarks have shown up right before the announcement of the expansion for Blizzard's MMOs. Perhaps this new information is lining up with Blizzards annual convention, Blizzcon, which is set to take place this weekend in Anaheim, Calif.