We’re sorry to bring you some disappointing — but not altogether unexpected — news: Blizzard announced today that it will be delaying World of Warcraft: Shadowlands from its October 27th release date until “later this year.”
In a post on Twitter, Executive Producer John Hight said that the move is to allow for more time for polish, balance, and endgame testing.
“Shadowlands is one of the most intricate expansions we’ve yet created, and while we’ve made great progress, the challenge of tuning the endgame was compounded by the team having to work from home,” Hight wrote.
While a new release date has not yet been set for Shadowlands, at least now we know when the 9.0 pre-patch is arriving: October 13th. This will contain the new leveling experience, the Exile’s Reach beginner area, additional character customization options, and the pre-launch Scourge event.
— World of Warcraft (@Warcraft) October 1, 2020
A formal press release also reassures shareholders that “Activision Blizzard’s business momentum continues to be strong and the Company does not expect the change to have a material impact on its financial results for the year 2020.”
