Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Forever is almost here. The upcoming Classic+ MMORPG takes the formula of old-school WoW, but adds new content in an alternate timeline split from what the main retail build eventually became.
As the game enters full release on November 4, 2026, players will undoubtedly be looking forward to new content shortly after. (After all, we know how fast players churn through content nowadays.) However, Blizzard is keen to note that post-launch will not feature rapid content additions like some MMOs.
Principal game designer Kris Zierhut explained that the post-launch plans for World of Warcraft: Forever will be “a little more laid back”. The game will have an update cadence with new content, but Blizzard will not be forcing through content like it does with other games.
“We’ve done a lot of experimentation to see what is the correct rate, and we’re fairly convinced the correct rate is something closer to once every four months or 17 weeks or three times a year, whatever you want to call it,” he told IGN. “That is a cadence we have in mind for releasing new content.”
The game designer explained that the team internally tested the workload required to launch new content “every eight weeks”. While fans might like that, the reality is that pumping out content that fast simply resulted in worse content. “It felt way, way, way too fast,” the director said.
Instead, Blizzard is hoping this new cadence will inspire players to do everything, and new updates won’t just focus on endgame raid content. Instead, every update will also bring in new content for players that aren’t focusing on running for endgame loot drops, giving everyone something to try.
Blizzard has been keen to note that World of Warcraft: Forever is not going to turn into just a different form of Retail at some point. The point of Forever is to be a slower, more laid back game, and a laid back update structure also supports that.
As we get closer to release, though, it’s impossible not to think about the future of WoW Forever. With new classes coming to the game eventually and now console ports being discussed, there’s a hope that this will be a fresh new start for the game. It’s exciting, really.
