Burning Crusade slips to 2007

Blizzard Entertainment has extended the closed beta testing of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and has postponed the game's official release until January 2007. The highly anticipated expansion pack to the massively multiplayer online game has been moved to allow extra time for the beta testers to provide feedback in the final development phase.

Rumors had been spreading that the release date would miss the key Christmas period, and many fans may be disappointed to find out that the game will not make its scheduled November shipping date. Burning Crusade will add two new playable races for characters, as well as higher level limits, new lands, items, monsters, and quests.

The delay is for fine-tuning, according to Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. He said: "We appreciate the enthusiasm surrounding World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and we're excited about putting the finishing touches on all of the new content. We feel confident that the extra time spent polishing the game will result in the high-quality experience that our players expect and deserve."