Blizzard says World of Warcraft Classic has been a labour of love, and that the result is an authentic re-creation of the pre-expansion game in its most feature-complete state, as it was during 2006’s “Drums of War” update.
It has continued to take WoW Classic realms online around the world to accommodate the more than two million players who have created characters in anticipation of today’s launch, and will work to add more based on player population trends.
World of Warcraft, which has been played by more than 140 million players over the past 15 years,* has evolved considerably across seven expansions, with numerous features, enhancements, and quality-of-life improvements. In many ways, World of Warcraft Classic is more unrelenting and demanding of self-direction from players than today’s version of the game.
Classic’s Azeroth is equal parts wonder and hazard, and its trials can push players to their limits. The Alliance and the Horde, in the midst of outright war, are made to reckon with forces whose powers transcend their own brutal conflict—including some of the most iconic and love-hated of villains of the Warcraft universe, like Ragnaros the Firelord and the Archlich Kel’Thuzad.
“It’s been a long time coming, but we’re overjoyed to welcome our friends new and old to classic Azeroth,” says J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “The community’s excitement is infectious and deeply motivating—it’s clear they’re as thrilled as we are to relive the World of Warcraft Classic experience. We look forward to rediscovering its wonders and challenges together with them.”
Current World of Warcraft subscribers can access Classic right now through the Battle.net desktop app.
For more information on World of Warcraft Classic, visit the official website at www.worldofwarcraft.com.
*Based on internal company records.