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In a blog post announcing the delay Executive Producer John Hight said it wasn't an easy choice to make but it was a necessity to make for the expansion as well as WoTLK Classic Gold players. Hight explained that the additional development time will let the team add more enhancements to Shadowlands"endgame. In general, a pre-patch arrives about one month before the next expansion's release. This wasn't the case yet and some players think the release date was being pushed ahead before the announcement became official.
"As everything started coming together and we've been observing and learning from your feedback It's been clear that we need a little more time for additional polish, as well as to work out the balance and refinement with interlocking pieces that are particularly connected to the final game," Hight said. "Shadowlands is among the most intricate expansions we've developed to date. And while we've made great improvements, the process in adjusting the ending game was compounded by the team having to work from home.
"Blizzard has a commitment to excellence. We're convinced that Shadowlands will be something special, and we've received feedback from many of you who believe the same. We need this extra time to make sure that Shadowlands performs to its potential to the fullest."
Despite the setbacks, the studio still plans to release the Shadowlands pre-patch in October 13. This update is the bare-metal foundation for the expansion. It comes with a revamped leveling system, a new player experience in Exile's Reach as well as a myriad of other character customization options.
Blizzard already announced back in July of 2020 it was going to launch the Shadowlands expansion would launch in the fall of 2020. with Hight saying it's going to happen "even even if we end up moving it out of our homes with WOW WoTLK Classic Gold." It's looking like that's happening now. The pandemic, at least for the United States, has kept some game designers working from home.
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