At BlizzCon 2018, further details were revealed about WoW Classic. The release window and payment model are now known. The vanilla version of World of Warcraft will be released in Summer 2019. Players will need a subscription.
Update 14.5.: The release date of WoW Classic is now officially known. It will start on August 27, 2019.
Original announcement from January 13:
New information about WoW Classic: The important announcement for fans of WoW Classic came from John Hight, the Executive Producer of World of Warcraft:
- The full version of WoW Classic will launch in Summer 2019 – Blizzard has not yet announced a specific release date.
- WoW Classic will be available for free to all who maintain a regular WoW subscription.
When is Summer 2019? The astronomical summer of 2019 in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from June 21, 2019, to September 22, 2019. The meteorological summer of 2019 includes the months of June, July, and August 2019.
There was already a taste of WoW Classic: At BlizzCon 2018, players could participate in a demo of WoW Classic. However, it only included two areas and had a special gag: players could only play for an hour at a time before being kicked and having to take a half-hour break.
Important articles about the release of WoW Classic:
- 7 reasons why players are excited for WoW: Classic
- There are no “cross rewards” between WoW and Classic
- WoW Classic: Not all raids will be available at launch
How players reacted: The first reactions on Reddit are positive.
- Regarding the release date, players say: “That’s half a year earlier than I thought.”
- Regarding the payment model, someone says: “That’s a damn clever way to do it.”
Overall, WoW Classic is a contentious topic in the community. Some are very excited about it, while others find it hard to understand the trend.
The release of WoW Classic will also have some unique features. Not all features will work exactly as they did in the past. Players will be able to trade loot with each other. In any case, the goal is to restore the “classic” feel with most of its little bugs and quirks.
Fans are pleased about the early release: Many players thought Blizzard was aiming for November 2019 as the release date for WoW Classic, right in time for the 15th anniversary of World of Warcraft in the USA. The MMORPG was released on November 23, 2004.
Will you play WoW Classic at launch and stay with the game? Or will you just take a quick look and then switch back to the current version of the game?
How to stay informed: If you don’t want to miss any news about World of Warcraft in its current and classic form, then feel free to give a like on our WoW Facebook page!
