Rumor mill: Burning Crusade delayed until January 2007

Multiple sources are reporting, with little to no certainty (so it's time to get out that grain of salt), that Blizzard will delay the release of the expansion until early 2007. Blizzard is still saying a Q4 2006 release, but if past experience has shown us anything, they'll promise a 2006 release right up until they promise a January 2007 release. Considering the beta just started and lots of classes continue to show major changes (not to mention that the "original" release date– rumored– is just over a month away), this doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Of course, Vivendi may just play around with the meaning of the word "done." They'll certainly want to release the game before the holiday (especially considering there's not one but two major consoles being released this year) because there is money to be made. And it's not like there isn't precedent for releasing an MMORPG before it's polished, even for Blizzard– anybody play a hunter when the game first came out?

But then again, you probably already know if you're buying this game or not– an expansion isn't exactly the same as a regular release. They might not lose that many sales by waiting until January to put it out. And maybe all the holiday activity would get them lost in the mix– a January release means they don't have to compete with all of the PS3 and Wii press and attention. Plus, look on the bright side– if the rumors are true, you'll have more time to get to 60 or pick up that high PVP rank you want before the Burning Crusade hits the scene.

[ Thanks, Chubbs! ]