Blizzard confirms World of Warcraft Dragonflight expansion is out this year
With three digital versions available.
Following its conspicuously release-window-free unveiling back in April, Blizzard has now confirmed World of Warcraft's Dragonflight expansion will launch later this year.
Dragonflight, as detailed in Blizzard's April reveal stream, will give players access to the long-hidden ancestral home of dragonkind, known as the Dragon Isles, introducing four new areas - the Waking Shores starting zone, Ohn’ahran Plains, Azure Span, and Thaldraszus - complete with new dungeons and raids.
Dragonflight also adds the Dracthyr Evokers - a new playable race-class hybrid that can, depending on a players' chosen class specialisations, focus on either damage dealing or healing - plus a new skill-based flight system tied to customisable dragon companions.
Alongside all its headline features, Dragonflight also promises to bring improvements to some of World of Warcraft's existing mechanics, including revamps for the game's talent system, improved professions, plus an updated UI.
Blizzard says three digital versions of Dragonflight are now available for pre-order - the Base, Heroic, and Epic editions, costing £40, £55, and £75 respectively, each including a different selection of cosmetics - and there's a £130 physical release that, alongside an Epic edition game code and Drakks pet, throws in a hardcover art book, mousepad, and five collector's pins.
Today's World of Warcraft update follows an eventful week for publisher Activision Blizzard. Not only has it now provided a long-awaited release date for Overwatch 2, it also announced that - following almost a year of shocking allegations it fostered a company culture where sexual harassment, assault, and inappropriate behaviour were able to thrive - it has investigated itself and decided there was "no widespread harassment, or systemic harassment" at the company.
It also insisted there was "no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported", despite a damning Wall Street Journal report in November claiming Bobby Kotick had been aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct and mistreatment of female employees across many parts of the company "for years".
Despite Activision Blizzard's insistence of no wrongdoing at the company, shareholders tonight voted to approve a proposal that it should publicly release an annual report on its efforts to stop workplace discrimination and harassment. The vote, however, is non-binding and Activision has so-far only said it will "consider" it.