Rumoured title surfaces for next WoW expansion

A recent trademark registration suggests the fourth World of Warcraft expansion pack will be called Mists of Pandaria.

The trademark was spotted by MMO Champion and is similar to those filed for previous expansions such as Cataclysm and Wrath of the Lich King.

Pandaria is the home of the pandaren people, martial arts masters that look like pandas. According to Eurogamer, they were rumoured to be one of the new playable races in The Burning Crusade, the first WoW expansion.

The pandaren originated as an April Fool’s joke for Warcraft 3 but were later added to the game in response to fan demand. They also appeared as a Chinese fast food service as part of a WoW April Fool’s prank.

Back in April, an allegedly leaked release schedule claimed the next World of Warcraft expansion will be released in Q2 2012.