With Blizzcon only a few months away, a trademark filing has surfaced hinting at what could be one of the last big hurrahs for the ageing MMO.
Dated from last week in the US, it's for something called Mists of Pandaria, and in one of two "class status" descriptions is listed as:
Computer game software; computer game discs; computer game software and related instruction manuals and guides sold together as a unit; downloadable computer game software; computer game software downloadable from a global computer network; downloadable electronic games via the internet and wireless devices; interactive multimedia computer game program; mousepads
In the second, it's listed as:
Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing computer games that may be accessed via a global computer network; providing online news and information in the field of computer games; entertainment services, namely, conducting contests online and providing a website for organizing, planning and executing events between computer game players and interest groups
Now, it could be anything. A joke website, for example, given the Pandaren (giant man-like Pandas) are essentially a joke race in World of Warcraft canon. Or a range of Pandaren mousepads.
But WoW fans will remember that in mid-2009, a few months out from Blizzcon, a trademark listing outed the then-under-wraps expansion Cataclysm. Which turned out to be totally legit.
With World of Warcraft finally showing signs of slowing down, and with the only real bursts of life left in it the release of big patches and expansion packs, bringing the realm of the Pandaren to life would be a cute gesture for fans of the colossal game.
Mists of Pandaria ?! [MMO Champion]
You can contact Luke Plunkett, the author of this post, at plunkett@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.