Ion on Raid Release Timing, Activision Blizzard Q3 2020 Investor Call

Shadowlands Arrives November 23
The release date is here, along with a few other key dates!

  • November 10 - Pre-expansion launch events begin
  • November 23 - Expansion launch
  • December 8 - Castle Nathria releases and Shadowlands Season 1 begins
  • December 15 - Mythic Castle Nathria, Raid Finder Wing 1
  • January 5 - Raid Finder Wing 2
  • January 19 - Raid Finder Wing 3
  • February 2 - Raid Finder Wing 4

Originally Posted by Blizzard (Blue Tracker / Official Forums)
Greetings heroes of the Horde and the Alliance,

On behalf of the entire World of Warcraft team, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank-you for your patience as we’ve continued to work on Shadowlands, and for all of the words of support after we made the tough decision to delay the game. Today, I’m happy to share that the expansion will be arriving November 23 at 3 p.m. PST (November 24 at 12 a.m. CET).

We’d like to thank everyone across the WoW community who helped us get where we are today, including players leveling up new characters in the Shadowlands pre-patch (and keeping Azeroth’s barbers extra busy), as well as all the beta testers who continue to provide us with invaluable feedback on the expansion.

Since we first told you about our decision to delay, we’ve used the time to further polish the expansion and shore up the endgame, including overhauling the combat and rewards in the Maw, and reworking the Covenant systems to make your choice more immediately impactful and have clearer long-term goals. Now the team is in a great position to get things the rest of the way to the finish line before November 23—and as always, we’re committed to working with you to improve the game for as long as you’re out there playing it.

Now that we have our launch date, we’re also excited to tell you that our pre-launch event will kick off November 10, so steel yourselves to take on a flood of the Scourge. In addition, we’ve set a December 8 date for the opening of our first raid, Castle Nathria—which takes players into the heart of Sire Denathrius’ lair in Revendreth—along with the start of Shadowlands Season 1.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone take their first steps into the Shadowlands and forging their destinies—but in the meantime, we’d like to show you just a little bit of what’s waiting for you beyond the veil.


See you on the other side,

-John Hight, Executive Producer of World of Warcraft




Release Times

  • Americas (PST) - 3:00p.m. November 23*
  • Europe (CET) - 12:00a.m. November 24
  • Taiwan (CST) - 7:00a.m. November 24
  • Korea (KST) - 8:00a.m. November 24
  • ANZ (AEDT) - 10:00a.m. November 24
  • UTC - 11:00 p.m. November 23

*To align with other regions, the Americas will launch slightly ahead of November 24 in local time.
This article was originally published in forum thread: Shadowlands Arrives November 23 started by chaud View original post
Comments 287 Comments
  1. TheLucky1's Avatar
    Is the situation that good in the states that you guys really do family gatherings?

    Most of Europe is pretty much bracing for the second wave probably also over christmas, only idiots will have larger gatherings and at a certain point at least in germany it's actually illegal (3 households maximum afaik.)

    I don't mean to go full "haha americatards" bashing but so far the handling of covid and numbers last i checked didn't look good enough for a "full family thanksgiving".

    So i see the release date more as a present for levelheaded persons even on your holiday.

    Edit: well yeah, just checked the numbers and big uncle sam is number one as always, if you do bigger family gatherings on your nice little holidays please understand you are a f0cking retard and using it here as argument instantly makes you a retard too.
    (Don't care about a refraction, don't know if i even want to be part of a community with people like that.)
  1. MrLachyG's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Molis View Post
    I was talking about the raid release schedule over Christmas and New Years
    it's not though. it's released the week before on December 15. so anyone doing the world first race will have cleared it within that first week, 3 days before Christmas. as for everyone else, there will be very very few guilds who even contemplate running raids on 24th to 26th. I mean if the raid released with the expansion there would still be guilds clearing over Christmas. Hell if the expansion launched on October 27 there would still be people clearing the raid come Christmas time. so it really doesn't matter at all
  1. wfredlund's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Yorimar View Post
    only murica needs a special day to say thank you
    Canada: "Hold my maple syrup"
  1. Rokkuman's Avatar
    Around 0:41 on the story trailer, if you see the video without sound, it looks like the jailer is sending two kisses to Thrall
  1. wfredlund's Avatar
    It's not about the large family gatherings but rather the family of 4 who's parent is probably going to miss out on that because of a shitty release date. No where in my post did I mention anything about large gatherings but some people ran with the idea that only large family/friend gatherings were going to be affected. Honestly, I hope that Blizz at least considered and talked to the devs about some of the devs without families would volunteer to take the on call.

    I have a wife and three kids. We are not planning on having this massive family get together, it's gonna be the five of us. But I would still be hella bummed if I had to miss even that because of a lack of foresight by my company.
  1. Gnome13's Avatar
    Merry Christmas for all World first racers kekw.
  1. Scottyjscizzle's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by wfredlund View Post
    The devs have to be pissed. The Monday before a major US holiday? Once that actually centers around family gatherings? Ouch
    So it'll be like a large portion of the working class and have thanksgiving day off and thats it? It's not like the majority of workers get the week of.
  1. Jujudrood's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Molis View Post
    I was talking about the raid release schedule over Christmas and New Years
    I mean, sure, but if I remember, wasn't ICC a December raid release?
    BRB googling.....
    Yep, Dec 8, 2009.
    Now, if only CN will be as good as ICC (highly doubt it lol).

    Anyways, Holidays are actually good timing for things like this, since while some are busy working, some are doing family things and traveling, others do take time off, allowing natural playing time if they choose.
    Given that 2020 has been a shitshow (especially in the US), I wouldn't be surprised if people are planning a more virtual Holiday with the family.
    What better way to get out of a boring argument than to state internet issues and drop the call?

    Overall, I think it's fine, so we agree to disagree.
  1. Spellweaver's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Jujudrood View Post
    I mean, sure, but if I remember, wasn't ICC a December raid release?
    BRB googling.....
    Yep, Dec 8, 2009.
    Now, if only CN will be as good as ICC (highly doubt it lol.
    Thread argument about release timing aside, ICC is probably the worst example to use for a raid that released in December.

    Only the first wing was available on December 8, so just Marrowgar, Lady Deathwhisper, Lootship, and Saurfang. The Plagueworks, Crimson Halls, and the Frostwing Halls/Frozen Throne weren't available until January 5, January 19, and February 2 respectively.
  1. Phagelives's Avatar
    i want to thank all the 1% raiders who will be raiding over the holidays , thank you for ur choice to be raiding . ur sacrifice will not go unoticed with this former raider.
  1. Jujudrood's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Spellweaver View Post
    Thread argument about release timing aside, ICC is probably the worst example to use for a raid that released in December.

    Only the first wing was available on December 8, so just Marrowgar, Lady Deathwhisper, Lootship, and Saurfang. The Plagueworks, Crimson Halls, and the Frostwing Halls/Frozen Throne weren't available until January 5, January 19, and February 2 respectively.
    Good call, I forgot how they staggered it, but some similar strategy could work here.

    Maybe it would be better if the break up Nathria in a similar fashion?
    Not by wings, but in terms of difficulties.
    What if, on Dec 8, only Normal was opened, with teh LFR stagger as is (bc LFR is LFR, it's fine).
    Then, on Jan 5, they open Heroic, then on Jan 12 they open Mythic?

    They would also have to delay the seasons (M+/PVP) to Jan 5 as well, so those would be M+0 only and non-rated PVP for 4 weeks too.
    I mean, delaying the entire expansion because of raid timing would be, well, weird (especially since the "real" raiding playerbase is the minority to the LFR/casual base), so getting it out there is the right move.

    Maybe adding a few more weeks for leveling, covenants, all the other stuff that comes with it would be worth it, as opposed to having raiding over the holidays and raid nights being interrupted?
  1. arboachg's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by erifwodahs View Post
    lol us players thinking that for some reason one countries national holiday should be the reason to delay expansion.
    Only devs on holiday should be the reason, not some countries holiday otherwise games would never release.
    o b s e s s e d

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Nokami View Post
    Blizzard is a International Company based in America* A lot of the people working there are not "Americans". With probably more European players its pretty easy to understand that they don't and shouldn't care about some local holiday shit. They don't develop products only for the American market, maybe people should finally understand that.
    Someone's mad that he isn't being catered to.
  1. Aphrel's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Djuntas View Post
    wut ? Think you quote the wrong guy...
    yeah, seems like it. no idea how thou, cante ven find the comment i was suppose to quote.
  1. blankfaced's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by monkeymootwo View Post
    who hurt you?
    who didn't hurt me!?

    *uncontrolable sobbing*
  1. Wramp's Avatar
    i love the multiple posts irate over the fact that Blizz employees cant go home to take TG off....when the fact is most of them are home already and have been home for quite some time, working from home and can probably take their work on the road with them, its set up that way now.
  1. DesoPL's Avatar
    Any idea how many pro guilds, are going take break from 8th december?
  1. Aritra the Gnome's Avatar
    Noooooo! One week AFTER my vacation.
  1. likeer's Avatar
    Great thanks for sharing
  1. Daevied's Avatar
    Good to know that Blizzard demonstrated they are not abiding by the social and religious pressure of thanksgiving and Christmass, kudos to acti-blizz
  1. Nokami's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by arboachg View Post
    o b s e s s e d

    - - - Updated - - -



    Someone's mad that he isn't being catered to.
    It is catering towards non-US players, so what are you on about? This clearly shows that they don't cater to some US bullshit.

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