1/16/07 TBC Release Date Confirmed

#0 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:14 p.m.

http://www.blizzard.co.uk/press/061109.shtml

Q u o t e:
PARIS, France. – 9 November, 2006 – Blizzard EntertainmentÂ® announced today that World of WarcraftÂ®: The Burning Crusadeâ„¢, the highly anticipated expansion to the world’s leading subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft, will be in stores on January 16th in North America and Europe. The expansion will be available in a similar time frame in Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore as well, and availability for mainland China and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau will be announced in the near future. In addition, Blizzard today announced that the subscriber base for World of Warcraft has reached a new milestone, with 7.5 million players worldwide.

"While World of Warcraft has continued to grow rapidly along with its player population, The Burning Crusade will represent our single largest addition of new game content and new features to date,"said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "With this expansion, we’re looking forward to offering the same level of quality that players have experienced in World of Warcraft so far, and we’ll continue balancing and play-testing up until launch to ensure that The Burning Crusade achieves that goal."

In World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, players will be able to advance their characters up to level 70, unlocking a world of power and possibilities along the way. Additional features coming in The Burning Crusade include two new playable races (the Blood Elves and the Draenei), flying mounts, new talents and abilities for all character classes, the new jewelcrafting profession, new magical weapons and armour, and many enhancements to player-vs.-player action. The expansion will also lead veteran players through the fabled Dark Portal and into Outland, former homeworld of the Orcs and site of a series of cataclysmic events that helped shape the history of the WarcraftÂ® universe. In this shattered world, players will encounter new challenges and dangers in the form of new outdoor zones, quests, dungeons, never-before-seen monsters, and much more. Over the course of their new adventures in The Burning Crusade, players will grow in experience and power as they uncover the rich lore and mysteries of Outland and do battle with the demonic forces of The Burning Legion.

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade will be available at retail stores for WindowsÂ® 2000/XP and MacintoshÂ® formats at a suggested retail price of 34.99â‚¬. A special Collector's Edition of the expansion will also be available, at a suggested retail price of 69.99â‚¬. This limited-edition package will include the expansion on both CD-ROM and DVD, the Art of the Burning Crusade coffee table book, an exclusive in-game pet, a behind-the-scenes DVD, one World of Warcraft Trading Card Game starter deck and exclusive cards, a map of Outland mouse pad and the official soundtrack CD. The World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion requires the original World of Warcraft game, which is now selling for a suggested retail price of 19.99â‚¬. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade has received a 12+ rating by PEGI.

For more information on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, please visit the official website for the expansion at www.wow-europe.com/en/burningcrusade.

World of Warcraft’s Customer Definition
World of Warcraft customers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or purchased a prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the installation box bundled with one free month access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as customers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired pre-paid cards. Customers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.

About Blizzard Entertainment
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft, StarCraftÂ®, and DiabloÂ® series, Blizzard Entertainment www.blizzard-europe.com, a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard’s track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s free Internet gaming service, Battle.netÂ®, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Nethaera

#15 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:32 p.m.

Q u o t e:
until its pushed back to june

This is a solid date. It will not be pushed back.

Nethaera

#32 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:39 p.m.

Q u o t e:

What ever happened to "We'll update you as soon as more information is ready"
Again we learned about it from a EU source and there is still no sticky on these forums =(

This was a world wide press release coordinated to occur at the same time. I was driving to work when it was released. :) It's strange but true that our European friends are often awake and at work when we are sleeping or just getting started at work. How bizarre is that?

Nethaera

#40 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:42 p.m.

Q u o t e:

Screen Shot for proof after the delay.

Wait, do it again. I want to make sure you get my good side.

/smiles for the camera.

There will be no delay. This is the release date. Rejoice and be glad in it all ye who are prone to cynicism to the enth degree!

Nethaera

#43 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:43 p.m.

Q u o t e:

You don't have a flying mount?

I wish I did for getting past Cali freeway traffic. It would come in VERRRY handy.

Nethaera

#54 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:51 p.m.

Q u o t e:
Will there be a direct download service available for TBC? it would be hard to distruibute 7.5 million copies to their repsepctive places with out getting sold out somewhere.
Hopefully the downloader used isnt Blizz's joke of a downloader either.

This isn't something we have planned at this time. Should that change, we will be sure to let people know.

Nethaera

#60 - Nov. 9, 2006, 3:56 p.m.

Q u o t e:

Unless it is pushed back.

I believe that is probably the date it will actually be released. But I've been a gamer for over 20 years, and if I've learned anything in that time it is that release dates are always subject to change until the product actually hits the shelves.

Not this one. We don't release dates unless we are going to hit them.

Nethaera

#70 - Nov. 9, 2006, 4:05 p.m.

Q u o t e:

Good morning Nethaera,
With that said, can you tell us when patch 2.0 is going to be released? :)

Thanks,

No, I'm sorry I can't. I can't even tell you what it's going to be called even. :)

Sorry but I also can't slap them around for anyone on the download purchase. I love my job too much to want to throw it away like that. ;) I CAN however let them know that it is requested as an option.

Nethaera

#80 - Nov. 9, 2006, 4:25 p.m.

Q u o t e:

You haven't lifted the level cap on Beta (67), you haven't tested the new instances, you haven't tested the arena, you're still monkeying around with the talent trees and spells, you haven't even tested the WoW vanilla 2.0 patch.

So you're PLANNING on releasing buggy and untested content? What happened to "when it's done" and "we don't want to release a product that isn't ready to be released"?

We are supposed to believe that you guys are going to work all through Christmas and New Years to test and debug and finalize content for a release on the 16th? TBC is going to be a joke for a solid month after release. The worst part about this is that you know it will be and you're going ahead with the release anyway.

This sounds like an edict from management to the developers and programmers to "just get it done". How does it feel working for Vivendi?

Fret not. We have a plan and that does not include releasing 'buggy untested' content. It will be tested and as always we will continue to bring out the can of bug spray to kill any bugs we come across as quickly as possible. We are comfortable with our date.