The recent beta test for World of Warcraft: Forever marked the largest in the franchise's history, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. He shared this information during the company's first-quarter earnings call.
While Nadella provided no further details, the beta's accessibility was tied to pre-purchased premium bundles, starting at $60. However, free sign-ups and a free stress test day were also available, meaning the exact correlation between beta participation and eventual sales remains unclear. Blizzard controlled the number of free participants granted access.
This beta access model represents a shift from previous World of Warcraft expansions like The War Within and Midnight, where access was more selectively granted to opt-in players. Previously, participation relied on a lottery system.
Unofficial tracking tool ClassicPlus.io indicates that over one million characters were created during the beta period. Josh Greenfield, a developer at Blizzard, described the turnout as "The craziest numbers I've seen in 17 years working at Blizzard and almost 8 years on classic," expressing his excitement and belief that the project is something special.
Announced at BlizzCon following months of speculation, World of Warcraft: Forever is described as an alternate universe take on the original game, featuring divergences in plot, mechanics, and content. The beta ran from September 17 to October 23, with the full release scheduled for November 4. The game will be available to all players with an active World of Warcraft subscription. The anticipation for Forever has been fueled by the positive reception of World of Warcraft: Classic and the popular Season of Discovery mode, which served as an early iteration of WoW: Forever's concept.