Burning Crusade Release Date Delayed

Like most World of Warcraft players, I heard about Blizzard pushing back the release date of Burning Crusade early this morning. I met the news with a mild pang of disappointment. When I called my wife to fill her in, starting the conversation with, “I’ve got some bad news,” she was relieved that I hadn’t called to tell her something worse. In the end, we still like the normal game, so waiting another month or two for the expansion isn’t a big deal. I imagine most players feel the same way.

The choice for Blizzard, as it is for most software development companies, is whether to release an inferior product on time or to delay and release a higher-quality product. The former method is favored by companies like Microsoft, who have gained a reputation for pushing out shoddy software that needs multiple patches before it’s up to par. Do Warcraft players really want an expansion that will frustrate them for weeks while its flaws get patched?

I think the answer is no. Some addicts diehard fans may lament having to wait until January, but I have a feeling they’ll be in the minority. As it stands, the game has such lasting play value already that most of us will have no problem tiding ourselves over until then.