Blizzard just said that World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the next major expansion for their still popular MMORPG, has been delayed. It has been pushed back now until "later this year" with a solid release date not yet revealed. As is typical for these sorts of delays, the delay was an "incredibly difficult decision for the team" but they ultimately feel as though it was the "right decision for the game--and for (the) players."
Because of this delay to the main expansion, the pre-patch has also been pushed back. As of right now, the Shadowlands pre-patch will be released on October 13. This patch will lay a lot of the groundwork for the expansion including revamped character leveling, new player experience on Exile's Reach, and new character customization options. There will also be a new pre-launch event against the Scourge.
Over the past several months of testing, we’ve made significant progress iterating on and polishing the core features and gameplay of Shadowlands. We’re at a point where the zones, the campaign, the level-up questing experience, and the story we have to tell are essentially ready to share. We’re excited by the Covenants at the heart of the expansion, and it’s been a thrill to see Torghast take shape into a fun new kind of WoW experience, thanks in no small part to your input.
However, as everything started coming together and we’ve been listening to and building upon your feedback, it’s become clear we need a little more time for additional polish, and to balance and iterate on some interlocking pieces—particularly those related to the endgame. 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.
However, as everything started coming together and we’ve been listening to and building upon your feedback, it’s become clear we need a little more time for additional polish, and to balance and iterate on some interlocking pieces—particularly those related to the endgame. 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.
