All current World of Warcraft subscribers can
start playing Classic today at no additional cost
WoW® Classic rings in the game’s 15th
anniversary, with celebrations in Battle for Azeroth™ to follow in
the coming months
Grizzled veterans and hardy newcomers alike can now experience
Azeroth as it was in its earliest days with World of Warcraft®
Classic, which is live starting today and included at no additional
cost as part of everyone’s WoW® subscription globally. World of
Warcraft Classic has been a labor of love for Blizzard, and 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 (patch 1.12.0). Blizzard has continued to bring 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.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190826005657/en/
A group of players undertake a raid
against the mighty dragon Onyxia in Blizzard Entertainment's World
of Warcraft Classic. (Graphic: Business Wire)
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. Bonds among the community
are paramount—activities like raids and dungeon runs must be
organized collectively by players on the same realm, with the
toughest challenges requiring 40 coordinated and committed souls to
surmount.
Classic’s Azeroth is equal parts wonder and hazard, and its
trials will 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,” said 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, starting today.”
World of Warcraft Classic will continue to expand in the weeks
and months following today’s launch, allowing players the
opportunity to live through pivotal moments in Azeroth history
previously lost to time. Among the host of features and activities
set to be introduced to the game across six phases are iconic raids
like Blackwing Lair, Zul’Gurub, and Naxxramas; player-versus-player
battlegrounds like Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin, and the classic
version of Alterac Valley; and time-limited server-wide events like
the Ahn’Qiraj War Effort, and the Scourge Invasion.
World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary
In-Game Celebration
World of Warcraft Classic heralds WoW’s 15th anniversary,
arriving ahead of celebrations planned for the coming months. The
festivities will begin with an in-game event in World of Warcraft’s
latest expansion, Battle for Azeroth™, in which max-level players
can participate in a special raid that brings together some of the
mightiest raid bosses in WoW’s history. Players who complete the
raid will be awarded the Obsidian Worldbreaker mount, inspired by
the dreaded Dragon Aspect Deathwing the Destroyer.
In addition, all Battle for Azeroth players who log in during
the 15th anniversary event will earn limited-time bonuses,
including a Lil’ Nefarian pet, a commemorative in-game achievement,
and more. Further details will be announced in the coming
weeks.
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.
Assets available at:
blizzard.gamespress.com/World-of-Warcraft.
*Based on internal company records.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®,
Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo®
franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of
entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s
most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track
record includes twenty-two #1 games† and multiple Game of the Year
awards. The company's online gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®,
is one of the largest online-gaming services in the world, with
millions of active players.
†Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and
reports from key distributors.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or
strategies regarding the future, including statements about the
gameplay, features, and functionality of World of Warcraft®: Battle
for Azeroth™, World of Warcraft® Classic, and the World of Warcraft
15th anniversary in-game celebration are forward-looking statements
that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.
Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future
results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements set forth in this release include
unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the
risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form
10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon
information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision
Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard
Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to
update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be
incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future
performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and
are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of
which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ
materially from current expectations.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190826005657/en/
Andrew Meyer Sr. Public Relations Manager 949.955.1380 x61353
anmeyer@blizzard.com
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