WarlordsOfDraenor.com now resolving to Blizzard IP address

This afternoon we (and our awesome tipsters) noticed two important changes to warlordsofdraenor.com:

First, http://www.warlordsofdraenor.com/ is now giving a 403 error, instead of just not working.

Second, warlordsofdraenor.com is now resolving to the same DNS server as us.battle.net, as shown in the screenshot above.

In non-technical terms, this means that there is a high probability of the domain being owned and operated by Blizzard, and being prepped for use in the next day.

For the more technically inclined, it is possible for the DNS resolution to be faked, however it's unlikely. Further, about 24 hours is the safe amount of time for DNS changes to propagate through the internet, so this makes sense from an IT perspective. The actual server itself is a mere 10 addresses away in the IP block, and while it's possible for this too to just be an artifact of a networking oddity or faked, the chances are highly unlikely.

Does this mean the next World of Warcraft expansion is Warlords of Draenor? No. Does this absolutely mean Blizzard owns the domain? No.

But given the preponderance of evidence: the domain, the multiple legitimate trademark filings, and the timeline -- we feel it's appropriate to let you know something is up. Of course, we'll all know the answer in less than 24 hours when BlizzCon 2013 kicks off in Anaheim, CA.