The major patch 9.0 of World of Warcraft has once again been pushed into the testing phase. But what does that actually mean?
In recent weeks and months, there have been recurring rumors that Blizzard may have bitten off more than it can chew with the upcoming expansion World of Warcraft Shadowlands. The unexpectedly early release date has already raised doubts, which have now been fueled further. For the upcoming Patch 9.0 has once again been put back into the testing state. But what does that mean?
What happened? The patch 9.0 on the PTR had the designation “Release Candidate” for several days. This is a version label that Blizzard uses whenever they believe the current patch version is stable enough to be transferred to the live game.
Now, however, Patch 9.0 on the PTR has received another update. The designation “Release Candidate” has been removed and the patch is back in testing state.
Why was this done? As a rule, Blizzard puts a patch back into “testing” mode when there are still multiple issues and bugs that need to be addressed.
It could be a minor error on Blizzard’s part. However, it is enough to raise concerns. In any case, players should emotionally prepare themselves that Patch 9.0 may not appear next Wednesday and may take another week or two longer.
What are the consequences? Within the community, September 30 was already established as the release date for Patch 9.0, even though Blizzard never announced it. It is conceivable that the release will now occur later – possibly on October 7.
However, it is rather unlikely that the entire expansion Shadowlands will be delayed because of this. WoW expansions have always met their announced dates since “The Burning Crusade”.
As soon as there are concrete details about the release of the patch, we will of course report on it.
Could you live with a delay of the patch or even Shadowlands? Or have you already planned your vacation around it?
