The new Blizzard has admitted that they have a new MMORPG in development, and it's not a World of Warcraft sequel or expansion pack. It's something completely different.

What, you ask, is it? We have no idea. The easy guess is "Stories of Starcraft." I'd say that's unlikely, though. A company can only rest on it's laurels for so long before getting bed sores. Fantasy and space have already been done. What genre would be popular enough for a mainstream audience, assuming they're going to do something different? Historical or military would be an option, but highly unlikely. If I'm going to log into an online world for hours, it'll be for an escape, not real life. One exception, though, might be a feudal Japan setting with samurai and ninjas. Cyberpunk and steampunk wouldn't likely appeal to as large an audience. Post-apocalyptic settings haven't been popular since the end of the Cold War, although a vehicular combat game would be pretty cool. A Mechwarrior-style game might also be a possibility, but unlikely--that genre tends to be a bit too niche.

My guess is some kind of man (or animal--think Sonic the Hedgehog) vs. machine with a mad dictator running the bad guy show, as the most popular genres tend to imitate current events. Man vs. machine hasn't been as popular since computers became ubiquitous, but it still would make for an easy story, replacing dragons with robot dragons.

It also begs the question of what new features can be expected. I'd think voice chat would be the most  obvious feature. A Second Life-style option to buy property and develop it would make good business sense, so I could see that, too.

What would you like to see coming, or what do you expect to see?