Rumor: Blizzard Trademarks The Dark Below

[Andy Chalk]

Rumor: Blizzard Trademarks The Dark Below

The Dark Below is strongly rumored to be an expansion for Diablo III or World of Warcraft that will be revealed to the world at Gamescom.

Multiple sites are reporting that Blizzard has filed a trademark for something called The Dark Below, believed to be either a World of Warcraft or Diablo 3 expansion. It seems to be a toss-up at this point: In July Blizzard teased "a special announcement that's sure to capture the attention of the Heavens, Burning Hells and all the shadowed places that lie between" at Gamescom, which certainly sounds Diablo-esque, but the Wowpedia [http://wowpedia.org/Dark_Below] notes that "the Dark Below" is actually referenced, albeit passingly, in World of Warcraft as "a place inhabited by demons, devils and infernal creatures."

It all seems on the up-and-up and given the proximity of Gamescom the timing for a big announcement is certainly right, but I haven't yet been able to dig up a copy of the actual trademark filing. Most reports trace back to a post on MMO-Champion and Game Informer has a link to a copy of the filing on Scribd [http://www.scribd.com/doc/159754556/%E2%80%AA%E2%80%AB%E2%80%AC%E2%80%AD%E2%80%AE], but that's all we've seen so far. A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website (which I can't link because the session expires after a few minutes) turns up a pile of Blizzard-held trademarks, but nothing on The Dark Below. So while it seems very likely that this is in fact legit, we're calling this one a rumor - a very strong rumor - until we get the official say-so. We'll keep you posted.

Sources: Game Informer [http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/3339-Blizzard-Trademarks-The-Dark-Below-WoW-or-D3-Expansion]


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[Aeshi]

It's probably a D3 expansion, I can't think of anything Warcraft-related that "The Dark Below" would really fit

Plus if memory serves I remember Diablo II referencing some giant underground Demon (possibly meant to be in D2 but Cut) whose name I can't remember because it was spelt like an explosion in a Scrabble factory)
EDIT: Oh no wait, I checked the Diablo wiki and it turns out the critter I'm thinking of (the Reziarfg) was an April Fool's joke.

 

[Kinitawowi]

And nobody's considering the obvious possibility that it's actually both?

 

[Fappy]

WoW/D&D crossover where you go into Hell and do battle with the likes of Mammon and Asmodeus. Come on, you know that'd be fucking sweet.

 

[BanicRhys]

It's probably a D3 expansion, I can't think of anything Warcraft-related that "The Dark Below" would really fit

The Old Gods. Blizzard still has yet to resolve that whole Queen Azshara plot line.

I'm really hoping this is Diablo related, partly because I can't wait for the expansion, and partly because I was hoping the next WoW expansion would revolve around the Burning Legion who would probably be more accurately described as "the fire in the sky" than "the dark below".

 

[scw55]

And nobody's considering the obvious possibility that it's actually both?

I was thinking that.

But then I thought how could this work in a manner that doesn't kill the story in either.
Blizzard still does care about story, even if they don't give as much as people would like in WoW.

There are quite heavy handed hints around WoW that implies the next WoW expansion will be demon themed. Just putting it out there.

 

[Colt47]

It's probably more likely a Diablo 3 expansion or something else entirely. If it is a Warcraft expansion, it at least sounds more rooted than Pandaria ever was. Ugh, I need to wash this entire Garrosh, LFR, Daily end game rep grinder nightmare from my head.

 

[Baldr]

And nobody's considering the obvious possibility that it's actually both?

I was thinking that.

But then I thought how could this work in a manner that doesn't kill the story in either.
Blizzard still does care about story, even if they don't give as much as people would like in WoW.

There are quite heavy handed hints around WoW that implies the next WoW expansion will be demon themed. Just putting it out there.

That because the ultimate villian in World of Warcraft is Sargeras, leader/creator of the Burning Legion, which is mostly demons. He most likely come from the sky(outer space) and not summoned from a portal as been tried many times in the past.

I don't think this is referencing the old gods either, most of the powerful ones C'Thun and Yogg were taken care of directly. Deathwing was using two old gods, N'Zoth and another unnamed one as pawns. Garrosh will be using Y'Shaarj as a weapon in patch 5.4 So they are pretty much cannon fodder at this point, than actual powerful enemies.

 

[Colt47]

It's probably more likely a Diablo 3 expansion or something else entirely. If it is a Warcraft expansion, it at least sounds more rooted than Pandaria ever was. Ugh, I need to wash this entire Garrosh, LFR, Daily end game rep grinder nightmare from my head.

I thought that Pandaria was a lot of fun. The story was interesting, the place was beautiful, the quests fun...

Everything else I could care less about, but the story was a lot of fun

That's the thing, the story would have been fine if it was something we were doing when leveling up in the older days. The issue is that it's in a position that puts the events and characters at the strength of the Burning legion, The Lich King, and the old gods. The Pandarans various troubles are more on par with old Gnomeregan, Wailing Caverns, and the Scarlet Monastery. It demonstrates that Blizzard is way too focused on the end game to be able to incorporate good ideas at levels where the aesthetics make sense.

Beyond that, the entire end game got pretty much nuked by how they handled the reputations and the doubled up solutions for raiding.

 

[scw55]

And nobody's considering the obvious possibility that it's actually both?

I was thinking that.

But then I thought how could this work in a manner that doesn't kill the story in either.
Blizzard still does care about story, even if they don't give as much as people would like in WoW.

There are quite heavy handed hints around WoW that implies the next WoW expansion will be demon themed. Just putting it out there.

That because the ultimate villian in World of Warcraft is Sargeras, leader/creator of the Burning Legion, which is mostly demons. He most likely come from the sky(outer space) and not summoned from a portal as been tried many times in the past.

I don't think this is referencing the old gods either, most of the powerful ones C'Thun and Yogg were taken care of directly. Deathwing was using two old gods, N'Zoth and another unnamed one as pawns. Garrosh will be using Y'Shaarj as a weapon in patch 5.4 So they are pretty much cannon fodder at this point, than actual powerful enemies.

I meant a Diablo 3 and WoW EXP 5 cross-over might not work at all.

On topic of demons:
Wrathion shows the player a simulation of Azeroth being bombarded by meteors and being bathed by fire.
The Last Emperor Animation series heavily implies that Panderia was smothered in mist because the Panderan weren't ready to fight the Legion. The mist parts means than the Panderan are ready... and the Legion might be coming soon...

 

[jurnag12]

And nobody's considering the obvious possibility that it's actually both?

I was thinking that.

But then I thought how could this work in a manner that doesn't kill the story in either.
Blizzard still does care about story, even if they don't give as much as people would like in WoW.

There are quite heavy handed hints around WoW that implies the next WoW expansion will be demon themed. Just putting it out there.

That because the ultimate villian in World of Warcraft is Sargeras, leader/creator of the Burning Legion, which is mostly demons. He most likely come from the sky(outer space) and not summoned from a portal as been tried many times in the past.

I don't think this is referencing the old gods either, most of the powerful ones C'Thun and Yogg were taken care of directly. Deathwing was using two old gods, N'Zoth and another unnamed one as pawns. Garrosh will be using Y'Shaarj as a weapon in patch 5.4 So they are pretty much cannon fodder at this point, than actual powerful enemies.

Some nitpicking:

Deathwing wasn't using any Old Gods as pawns. He was explicitly being used as a pawn by the Old Gods (Hence his massive increase in power since before his disappearance), and even then, his actions in Cataclysm were mostly guided by just one of them: N'Zoth. If I'm correctly assuming that the one you're thinking of when you mean an unnamed one is the one mentioned during the questlines in Vashj'Ir; that's also N'Zoth.

It's also worth pointing out that Y'Shaarj can hardly be used as a pawn, because he's dead. Very, very dead. All Garrosh manages to do with the combined powers of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, is somewhat return his heart to life and gain some manner of control over the power that it still holds. But the God itself is still gone.

 

[Vaccine]

It's most likely WoW related;

"But there is a yawning chasm of darkness beneath you mortals, vast, endless, and all consuming."

Ra-den being a heroic only boss in the current raid tier states this after he is defeated, annnnnnnd the fact the Dark Below has been directly referenced ingame before with a boss in the Throne of the Tides with a title called "Fiend of the Dark Below" [http://www.wowhead.com/npc=44566] which was in Cataclysm.

There was also a box in Cataclysm which you get via archaeology, when used will whisper you random musings of an Old God [http://www.wowhead.com/item=64482/puzzle-box-of-yogg-saron#comments]:

Spoiler

Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron whispers you one upon use:
At the bottom of the ocean even light must die
The silent, sleeping, staring houses in the backwoods always dream. It would be merciful to tear them down.
There is no sharp distinction between the real and the unreal.
Even death may die.
There is a little lamb lost in dark woods.
All places, all things have souls. All souls can be devoured.
What can change the nature of a man?
The stars sweep chill currents that make men shiver in the dark.
You will all be alone in the end.
Do you dream while you sleep or is it an escape from the horrors of reality?
Look around. They will all betray you. Flee screaming into the black forest.
In the land of Ny'alotha there is only sleep.
In the sleeping city of Ny'alotha walk only mad things.
Ny'alotha is a city of old, terrible, unnumbered crimes.
Y'knath k'th'rygg k'yi mrr'ungha gr'mula.
The void sucks at your soul. It is content to feast slowly.
The drowned god's heart is black ice.
It is standing right behind you. Do not move. Do not breathe.
Have you had the dream again? A black goat with seven eyes that watches from the outside.
In the sunken city, he lays dreaming.
Open me! Open me! Open me! Then only will you know peace.
You resist. You cling to your life as if it actually matters. You will learn.
The tortured spirits of your ancestors cling to you, screaming in silence. Apparently they are quite numerous.
The fish know all the secrets. They know the cold. They know the dark.
The giant rook watches from the dead trees. Nothing breathes beneath his shadow.
Beneath the shadow of the darkened spire, there is no light, no mercy, only void, and the chaos within.

A lot of these places and things were found in Y'Shaarj's sound files in the soon-to-be release raid patch, the city of Ny'alotha specifically was directly stated by him.
The reason it's most likely WoW related(which I will not say for certain because there's a tiny chance Blizzard will pull the rug out from under everyone's feet.) is the puzzle box references a lot of dark and below ground things, and Blizzard have said in the past the development cycle for expansions is started many years in advance.

So yeah, it's most likely WoW.

 

[FrozenCones]

While all this is just rumor and speculation i'm literally frothing at the mouth with excitement. GIVE IT TO ME NOW!

Since Diablo and WoW are the strong contenders in this, could we possibly consider this new MMO or perhaps the early makings of the SC2 Protoss campaign?

 

[DugMachine]

Could very well be WoW. Sounds Diablo-esque for sure but "The Dark Below" could be referencing the old gods in Warcraft universe. I think there's still one left to be killed in the warcraft universe.. or maybe a secret one we don't know about? Wouldn't be unlike Blizzard to just make up a new one what with them making new lore nowadays. Would probably be tied with the demons some how as the burning legion returning is being strongly hinted at for the next expansion.

/shrug we shall see. I always loved Old God lore/burning legions stuff so if they do this I'd be mighty happy.

 

[synobal]

A new IP? I doubt it, like everyone is saying it's likely the new WoW expansion. I wonder if we will get a race of worm people to play now.

 

[Baldr]

And nobody's considering the obvious possibility that it's actually both?

I was thinking that.

But then I thought how could this work in a manner that doesn't kill the story in either.
Blizzard still does care about story, even if they don't give as much as people would like in WoW.

There are quite heavy handed hints around WoW that implies the next WoW expansion will be demon themed. Just putting it out there.

That because the ultimate villian in World of Warcraft is Sargeras, leader/creator of the Burning Legion, which is mostly demons. He most likely come from the sky(outer space) and not summoned from a portal as been tried many times in the past.

I don't think this is referencing the old gods either, most of the powerful ones C'Thun and Yogg were taken care of directly. Deathwing was using two old gods, N'Zoth and another unnamed one as pawns. Garrosh will be using Y'Shaarj as a weapon in patch 5.4 So they are pretty much cannon fodder at this point, than actual powerful enemies.

Some nitpicking:

Deathwing wasn't using any Old Gods as pawns. He was explicitly being used as a pawn by the Old Gods (Hence his massive increase in power since before his disappearance), and even then, his actions in Cataclysm were mostly guided by just one of them: N'Zoth. If I'm correctly assuming that the one you're thinking of when you mean an unnamed one is the one mentioned during the questlines in Vashj'Ir; that's also N'Zoth.

It's also worth pointing out that Y'Shaarj can hardly be used as a pawn, because he's dead. Very, very dead. All Garrosh manages to do with the combined powers of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, is somewhat return his heart to life and gain some manner of control over the power that it still holds. But the God itself is still gone.

Zon'ozz was the Lieutenant of N'Zoth, but Yor'sahj another faceless Lieutenant seemed to not have loyalty N'Zoth at all, which I would assume there was another Old God in play. The fact that N'Zoth never showed up in cataclysm, I took as Deathwing had finally killed it and took command of his minions.

 

[Colt47]

As good as the lore sounds, they still have to manage to redo the game enough to rekindle interest in it. It's sort of like it doesn't matter how much someone dresses up the game, we'd still be grinding either a new character through cataclysm content all the way up through mists of pandaria now just to reach the new expansion content, or use an older character.

It just seems so disappointing that they aren't willing to make a new game and shed all this excess weight. The story is probably fine, it just needs a new system underneath the hood to keep it going forward.

 

[Charli]

I'm very torn. I mean this is the EXACT time period where all the WoW:Expansion trademarks are dug up (Late July - Early August every 2 years since BC) but there was no D3 before this to factor in back then.

Seems a stretch to make a southseas/Azshara expansion especially since most of the questing and lore seems to reiterate the fact that IT'S DONE, IT'S PAST, we're not going to discuss it and just ignore the evil naga sea queen who doomed our planet... Unless they're going to pull a 2-parter and this one is going to lead into the heavily hinted Burning Legion return. With this being the 90-95 Expansion and the big '100' will be the legions return (or us going to them, we're still not clear on that)

Which gotta admit the more I think about it the more it makes sense.

That said this could be a Diablo 3 expansion too, it fits a bit more with their repertoire, the name.

If IS a D3 thing though this'll be the longest Blizzards ever kept their next expansion name under wraps from MMO champions ridiculously fast dataminers.

 

[Ferisar]

I really

REALLY

REALLY.

Hope it's a WoW expansion. I've been waiting for a full demon/Old Gods expansion forEVER. This would bring me back to WoW in a heartbeat, even just to play through all the content. The Old God stories was some of the most compelling (to me) lore in WoW, and, well, if they do it right I would not hesitate to eat it all up.

EAT IT ALL WITH A SPOON. Old God Tentacle Icecream for everyone! YAAAAY!

(I might be a little excited)

If it's a D3 expansion, whatever. I'd play it, but it's whatever.

As good as the lore sounds, they still have to manage to redo the game enough to rekindle interest in it. It's sort of like it doesn't matter how much someone dresses up the game, we'd still be grinding either a new character through cataclysm content all the way up through mists of pandaria now just to reach the new expansion content, or use an older character.

It just seems so disappointing that they aren't willing to make a new game and shed all this excess weight. The story is probably fine, it just needs a new system underneath the hood to keep it going forward.

Honestly, the biggest thing that always makes me want to stop playing WoW when I come back during leveling is Outland. It's just... so... Ugh. It needs a facelift, the quests can be made to be just a little more interesting. The setting has so much potential but the aging process has really hit it right in the gut. The one thing that stayed awesome about it is the skybox, but, you know, yeah.

But the other stuff I really can't complain too much about. It's an MMO, they've always been like that. I would hate if I could make a character at 80 or 90 or something and just go "toodledoo." Also, most of the Cataclysm makeover isn't really that bad. The worst thing about Cataclysm really was the raiding scene. The entry was alright, Firelands was... Firelands, and the last raid was just not that interesting. I think the whole Dragon bullshit by Knaak needed to stop. He borderline god-modded them into the Warcraft lore. We can do with a little less dragons.