Burning Crusade Classic, an expansion for Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft Classic, will fully release on June 1, confirming an earlier Battle.net leak. World of Warcraft Classic rolls back the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game to how it was shortly after its release back in 2004. The original Burning Crusade expansion launched in 2007.
An opt-in beta release of Burning Crusade Classic, intended to help Blizzard eliminate bugs, was opened back in March 2021. Earlier in the week, official promotional material that surfaced on Battle.net suggested that the expansion would arrive on June 1. The original Burning Crusade expansion added a host of content to the then-fledgling MMORPG including the Outland region, flying mounts and the playable Draenei and blood elf races. World of Warcraft Classic players will have the option to either progress to the Burning Crusade version of the game or remain in an "Era realm" where the game remains as it was at launch. Screen Rant recently spoke to World of Warcraft developers Holly Longdale and Brian Burmingham about the upcoming update, including when it will arrive for players to experience.
After the leak of Burning Crusade Classic's release date, Blizzard Entertainment has officially revealed that the expansion will launch on June 1. It has also been announced that a pre-expansion patch will arrive on May 18, and it is at this time that players will choose whether to progress to the expanded version of the game. Players will have the option to either progress to Burning Crusade Classic, remain in the original World of Warcraft Classic or create a duplicate of their character in order to play both versions of the game separately. Burning Crusade Classic will launch simultaneously around the world at one time.
Alongside updates for the franchise's games, the World of Warcraft universe will continue to expand in the form of an upcoming novel. Author Christie Golden has partnered with Blizzard to pen Warcraft: Sylvanas, a novel which tells the definitive story of the series' iconic character Sylvanas Windrunner. Golden is a highly prolific author who has written stories for other fantasy and sci-fi franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Star Wars. Warcraft: Sylvanas will be published by Random House imprint Del Ray Books on November 9, 2021.
World of Warcraft Classic is a fantastic way for the MMORPG's long-time players to return to the game's roots or for newer players to see the title's origins. Burning Crusade Classic will therefore give a nostalgic look at the iconic game's first expansion, but Blizzard is also wise to allow players to remain in the game's pre-expansion state if they so choose. The June 1 release date for the expansion is quickly approaching, so players must decide how they want their World of Warcraft Classic experience to progress.
World of Warcraft Classic is available on PC. Burning Crusade Classic will launch on June 1, 2021.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment