The World of Warcraft: Classic developers have confirmed that the upcoming release of Wrath of the Lich King Classic will not interfere with the release of WoW’s next retail expansion, Dragonflight.
Wrath Classic will release at some point in 2022 and Blizzard revealed that players who enjoy both the modern and legacy versions of WoW will be able to participate in both of the franchise’s upcoming launches, with enough time in between the two of them to catch their breath.
“We’re in a position where we don’t have a tough decision to make here,” Blizzard production director Pat Dawson told Dot Esports in a post-expansion reveal press conference. “Typically, if the launch of Wrath and the launch of Dragonflight were to happen at the same time, we might have to have a tough conversation, but right now, they’re lining up in such a way where they won’t be at the same time. People have an opportunity to play Wrath and have an opportunity to play Dragonflight and have some breathing room in between the two.”
Since 2018, WoW’s retail and legacy versions have been released in alternating years, with retail expansions released in even-numbered years (2018 and 2020) and Classic versions dropping in odd-numbered years (2019 and 2021). With the impending release of Wrath Classic later this year, that schedule appears to have been broken since classic-era expansions are now slated to release in back-to-back years.
Related: World of Warcraft Classic could continue into Cataclysm, if the community wants it
Blizzard also noted that although the Classic and retail WoW communities often seek different experiences, there is a crossover between the two that the developers keep in mind while producing both versions of the game. “There are players, clearly, who do play both versions of the game and enjoy the heck out of both, and we do want to make sure that we make space for those,” Dawson said.
Wrath of the Lich King Classic is scheduled to release sometime in 2022, while Dragonflight has not yet been given an official release date. The beta for WoW’s upcoming expansion is available to be opted into via the official WoW website.
