This Tuesday marked one of the most important dates in the overall lifecycle of World of Warcraft since the game’s initial release nearly six years ago. What has become a traditional event leading up to the release of a major expansion, the newest patch for the game is significant for a number of reasons that go far beyond giving players some shiny newness in game to keep them occupied until the full Cataclysm experience is unleashed on December 7th. We’ll take a closer look at this, and why the entire industry could benefit from taking the same approach to pre-expansion patches today in Loading… The Line Begins to Blur.