Within the video game industry, when rumors start to swirl most companies opt for silence. In some instances, developers and publishers don’t delay in responding to rumors to prevent them from spreading further across the internet. Developer Blizzard decided to quell a recent rumor that was quickly gaining traction.
Rumors sprung up yesterday that thatWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlandsis coming to the Xbox Series X. Blizzard has addressed the rumor with a frank response. A representative told Polygon that there are “no plans” to bringWorld of Warcraftor its upcoming expansionShadowlandsto consoles.
RELATED:World of Warcraft: 10 Things To Do Before Shadowlands
The rumor started yesterday when the Brazilian rating board notingWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlandsfor both PC and Xbox Series X. The classification was caught quickly by Gematsu and spread across the internet. Blizzard directly responded to the rating by saying it was nothing more than an “error” on the website. Blizzard further clarified about a possibleShadowlandsconsole port by stating that the expansion is “only coming to PC.”
While Blizzard’s frank response to hopes ofWorld of Warcraftfinally moving to consoles may be a downer for fans, this kind of ratings board error is not uncommon. Gematsu’s initial tweet posed the possibility that the it may be an error. Rating boards are a common source for gaming leaking with both real and disappointing results. One of the recent big leaks came through the Europeanratings board was theModern Warfare 2 Campaign Remaster.
World of Warcraftmay not be coming to consoles but there is still ample reason forWoWplayers to celebrate as theShadowlandsexpansion prepares for its launch later this year. While Blizzard has not provided a firm release date for the eighth expansion for the now 14-year-old MMO, the developer and publisher has confirmed thatShadowlandswill release in Fall.
One of the other, stranger reasons that fans got their hopes up for a possibleWorld of Warcraftconsole port is that Blizzard recently announced that it was fixing the biggest barrier.World of Warcraft: Shadowlandswill support controllersfor the first time since the game launched in 2004. Although, Blizzard was quick to note that they did not want the new option to makeWoW"feel like a console game."
So as fans eagerly await the nextWoWexpansion to introduce a new adventure, they can alwaysprepare withShadowlands’pre-patch.
