Although 2016 is a major year in gaming, with releases like The Division and Street Fighter V, a gaming staple will be receiving a new expansion, as well as its own movie. That game is the PC game World of Warcraft, the Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), developed by Blizzard Entertainment, creators of other games such as Diablo, Starcraft, and more recently Overwatch.

The Warcraft universe was first unveiled in Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, published in 1994. Soon, Warcraft II would be published in 1995. Warcraft III was published in 2002, and finally World Of Warcraft would be published in 2004.

Since 2004, World of Warcraft has had 5 expansions, the most recent being Warlords of Draenor, published in 2014. Each expansion has brought new races, classes, quests, locations, as well as updated graphics.

The newest expansion, Legion, has been announced to arrive near September 21st, 2016. Already, Blizzard has given Warcraft fans teasers about new content.

The level cap has increased from level 100 to level 110. As well as a new increase in character levels, players will also experience of class changes. Some classes have had major tweaks, such as Balance Druids and their new casting system and rotation. On the contrary, some classes, such as Frost Death Knights, will be receiving minor tweaks.

Another major inclusion Legion will be the concept of a legendary weapon, a unique weapon for each class and specialization (sub class). Enhancement Shamans, for example, will be receiving Doomhammer, the amazing, lore rich hammer used by Thrall, the former Warchief for the Horde faction.  Each legendary weapon can be customized to fit the players need.

Legion will have players travel to the Broken Isles. There, they will meet with old and new heroes, such as the Illidan and his Demon Hunters, the new playable class in Legion. There, players will be pitted with 9 new dungeons and 2 new raids to save Azeroth against the invasion of the Burning Legion.

Not only will Warcraft fans experience a new expansion, they will also see a part of Warcraft’s story unfold on the big screen.

With a budget of $100 Million, Warcraft promises to deliver top tier special effects and large combat scenes.

The director, Duncan Jones, has only directed 2 full movies, Moon and Source Code. However, he has won numerous awards, including a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut for a Director.

The film will attempt to portray the conflict between both factions, the Orcs and Humans, and show both points of views between both groups. The audience will experience the Orc’s fight for survival, and the Humans fight to defend themselves.

One major goal of the film is to still deliver a great story, even to one who doesn’t know anything about the lore of the universe. Much like The Lord of the Rings, Warcraft will get an established lore and break it down to its minimum, then build back up on it.

Promotions for Warcraft have been run throughout 2016. A trailer with 19 million views has been uploaded to YouTube, and a teaser trailer was shown during the NFL Playoffs. Blizzard has sent emails out to Warcraft subscribers, asking for their opinion on a promotion would include the full version of World of Warcraft, all the expansions minus Legion, and a month of subscription time for a purchase of a Warcraft movie ticket.

Fans of the Warcraft universe are in for a great year of content. Moviegoers will be introduced to the universe of Warcraft, and gamers will see their heroes on the big screen, as well as in game in the new expansion.

It seems that nothing is slowing the 22 year old gaming franchise.