WoW: The War Within gets release date at Xbox Showcase and it’s soon

World of Warcraft: The War Within has been on the horizon for some time, though a release date from Blizzard has not been forthcoming. Now, players finally know when they can jump into the MMO’s next expansion – and it’s sooner than you may think.

At the Xbox Showcase 2024, the WoW community got a lengthy look at what’s to come in The War Within. As the two-and-a-half-minute cinematic drew to a close, Blizzard announced a release date of August 26 at 3 pm PDT.

The trailer itself was narrated by Xal’atath, the character who is set to serve as the main antagonist for the first portion of the expansion. Once bound within the Blade of the Black Empire, the entity hadn’t been heard from since the Battle for Azeroth expansion.

The mysteries left unsolved by the trailer have already led to significant speculation from the community. It featured iconic moments from throughout WoW’s history, with the whole thing set up to serve as a culmination, of sorts.

In addition, the trailer for The War Within features the phrase “the final battle draws near.” This has immediately caused concern among players that we could be entering some kind of final iteration for the game.

Other multiplayer titles have reached similar points in their lifespan, with Destiny 2 being the most recent example. In that case, the reception to the story’s conclusion has been universally positive, with many hailing the game as the best it’s ever been.

Whether WoW has the ability or inclination to follow a similar path remains unclear, but there is little doubt that The War Within is going to change a lot about the game as we know it.