Today during a special broadcast for Blizzard,World of Warcraftexecutive producer John High confirmed the release window for the upcomingShadowlandsexpansion. It’s unfortunately not as specific asWorld of Warcraftplayers were likely hoping for. Nevertheless, a window is better than nothing. Blizzard has dedicated itself to ensuring thatWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlandswill be releasing on PC this fall.
Blizzard likely wants to be more specific with its release plans forShadowlands– as much or more as fans want a release date. But while Blizzard didn’t explicitly state this during the live stream, it’s fair to assume that the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemicis forcing things to be done a bit unusually. So while Blizzard can commit to having the game done this fall, it can’t be sure exactly when this fall it will be done. It simply has to wait for both the expansion’s development to finish and for retail copies of the game to get in position.
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The good news is thatWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlandsis feature complete. The content ofShadowlandsis finished. It just needs a robust round of testing and polish. That’s why Blizzard is officially launching theShadowlandsbeta next week. A big wave of invites should be going out soon as Blizzard ramps up for a major beta test for all ofShadowlands' content, including endgame.
For comparison’s sake, theBattle for Azerothbetastarted in April 2018. The full expansion then launched in August, four months later.Legion’s beta began mid-May, followed by a late August launch 3 and a half months later. The closest comparison is perhapsWarlords of Draenor’s beta, which started on June 27.Warlords of Draenorthen launched on November 13, four and a half months later.
It’s possible that Blizzard is getting faster and more efficient at beta testingWorld of Warcraftexpansions, so thatShadowlandscould be out sooner than its predecessors. It’s also possible that the pandemic will make beta development slower and less efficient, soShadowlands' release is further off than expected.
Fall 2020, if exact, falls between September 22 and December 21. A best case scenario would likely seeShadowlandslaunching in October, while a worst cast would be in December. But with the current state of the world, anything is possible. Expect further updates fromBlizzardas the beta starts and progresses.
