Of course, he hasn't confirmed it, either. Ever since that German CM apparently hinted at a July 3rd start date for the WoTLK Beta at the Worldwide Invitational, people have been searching for further confirmation or denial of the rumor. Bornakk, in true Blizzard style, has been staying mum, saying only that a date for the beta test has yet to be announced.
When someone expressed fear that we'd only hear about the beta at Blizzcon, Bornakk assured them that Blizzcon is not the only place to release information, but reiterated that there's no actual start date for the beta announced yet. On a later thread, when someone said that the WoTLK Beta would start this week, he linked back to that same thread, once again not outright denying it, but saying only that it had not yet been announced.
So what does this mean, exactly?
Technically, you could interpret what Bornakk said as a refusal, I suppose. There is no announcement could simply mean that no, July 3rd is not the start date. But the key is that he said that there is no announcement rather than directly saying that July 3rd is not the start date. Certainly, there's no announcement now, but if there's one tomorrow morning, then what he said is technically correct even if July 3rd is the actual start date.
It's one of the endearing and frustrating thing about Blizzard and their habits. We know they won't release something until they feel it's ready, but that same refusal of commitment to timelines and tendency to go months without making any major announcements makes being a Blizzard fan quite hard at times.
As for the July 3rd start date, I'm not 100% convinced it's coming, but I'm not sure I can take Bornakk's words as an outright denial either. I'll be watching my inbox and my usual sources tomorrow morning with extra care, just in case. And if the beta doesn't go live tomorrow, I'll keep praying that it does soon -- as opposed to soon™.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-02-2008 @ 5:14PM
johnthediver said...
Might want to amend this post with a warning to people to be very careful about opening/following links that may arrive in inboxes tomorrow as this is a favorite trick of keloggers.
John
Reply
7-02-2008 @ 5:46PM
bumble said...
and add a warning not to dry your dogs in the microwave. that might be another thing retards might do.
7-02-2008 @ 5:55PM
Roboticus said...
That really works? Huh. I always have trouble drying my dog in time.
7-02-2008 @ 6:20PM
B.D. Martinez said...
Well it can work, although a bit messy from what I heard but hey don't knock the retards. If it were not for them then smart people would not be able to feel better about them selves.
7-03-2008 @ 9:23AM
zappo said...
@Roboticus
Shave your dog and use an air hose. It'll be dry in about 15 seconds provided your dog is properly fastened to something. Not sure why you would want to put your dog in the microwave anyway, microwaves heat things - they don't dry them out. A dryer would be a much better choice and if you use those dryer sheets your dog has a nice fresh scent.
7-02-2008 @ 5:15PM
Green Armadillo said...
Bear in mind, if a CM officially responded that the beta was not starting on July 3rd, the forums would immediately fill up with questions about July 4th. Well, maybe not the 4th specifically perhaps not even the 5th or 6th due to the holiday weekend, but July 7th or beyond would be fair game. If Blizzard conspicuously failed to deny July 7th after denying July 3rd, people would take that as confirmation. If Blizzard denies July 7th, the next thread will ask for July 8th.
The sad truth is, no answer may be the best course of action in this particular case.
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7-02-2008 @ 5:22PM
rodger said...
Ummm....yeah. Must be a really slow news day huh? When has blizzard ever said anything about release dates, that has and always will be their standard response. Blizzard is exceptional at keeping their mouths shut, the amount of damage an announcement before its time can do is incredible and Blizzard knows this. So what did the CM mean? Instead of saying "Blizzard does not comment upon rumors", he said "no date has yet been announced". It means nothing and its probably SOP.
So i would suggest that everyone just stop reading into this. Also server upgrades before a product roll out are standard, infact most companies do it within standard maintainence and as such customers never find out about it. Blizzard probably upgraded other servers by now and the only reason they gave an indication for that new server was because of another thing Blizzard is exceptionally talented at, Marketing.
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7-02-2008 @ 5:37PM
Ollej said...
People always mistake this site as a "news site". It's not. Technically, it's a blog. Blogs can include opinion articles, columns, as well as news. Just food for thought.
7-02-2008 @ 6:02PM
C.A. said...
@Ollej: People don't care. It's so annoying when someone comes on a blog and says "it's not a news site". Who cares? If they report stuff it's a news site, even if it's called a blog.
7-02-2008 @ 6:12PM
rodger said...
No once did i doubt that the above article was a blog entry. It gave no indication of being a news article and it was merely commenting on what a CM posted.
However it seems like you haven't read what I wrote(other than the first line). I was just saying that speculation on a single ambiguous entry is not exactly the right way to go. And trying to get people to stop debating on this issue when they know that Blizzard never gives a release date for any of their products until they are absolutely sure they can ship on that date.
7-02-2008 @ 6:16PM
Hurode said...
@C.A.
It's doesn't have to be specifically just a news site. Why can't it be a speculation blog, a news blog, a discussion blog, and an opinion blog all in one?
7-03-2008 @ 9:28AM
Michael said...
I couldn't agree more. This post (and many others) serves only as a feeding mechanism for trolls and uneducated readers claiming they have the inside information on exact dates and information. No, you don't. There's no algorithm to determine release dates.
7-02-2008 @ 10:01PM
Charlie said...
To be completley honestly, i didn't read the rest of your post. "Slow news day" is a phrase on this site that generally indicates trolls.
Anyways, this post stimulates discussion, which brings more people to the site, which brings in more ad revenue. Its all about the benjamins. Weblogs Inc. is a buisness, and therefore this site is run like a buisness. More posts = more money. (in theory at least).
7-03-2008 @ 8:15AM
C.A. said...
@Hurode: It totally can be. It just gets to me when someone says something isn't "news". The definition of news is "a report of a recent event". So even blog posts have news in them. To tell someone to interperate information as non-news is silly. Just like it would not be weird for someone to say "Did you hear the news? There is a rumor on the Wow Insider blog that the beta might be coming soon."
Just a pet peeve, obviously.
7-03-2008 @ 8:56AM
Naix said...
Its not a news site, it's just a blog.
7-02-2008 @ 5:22PM
Taeous said...
If I had to guess, it sounds like Blizzard is, at the very least, extremely close to a Beta; I'd guess it's a 50/50 shot at seeing a beta tomorrow.
I know I'll be up late tonight refreshing my email in hopes of seeing a beta invite. I figure if it's coming out on the 3rd, it's coming out at midnight. Unfortunately for me, midnight for PST means 2:00am for me :(
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7-02-2008 @ 5:36PM
Smurk said...
They didn't deny rumors (started by me, in this post) that Diablo 3 will be released on July 3 either. Stop the presses.
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7-02-2008 @ 5:44PM
tanek said...
I fear the Beta release. When the inevitable leak happens, Ill have to avoid all *that* information just like I have had to avoid the Alpha.
Sheesh. Doesn't anyone want to walk in to WotLK and *not* know what is around every corner?
:P
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7-02-2008 @ 5:47PM
darian said...
That's why I'm avoiding all the screenshots, the splash screen, the music etc. but not the talents and skills.
That way, when I turn around the corner I don't know and see an angry whatsit ready to pounce on me, I'll be prepared and awed at the same time.
7-02-2008 @ 10:05PM
Charlie said...
Someone made a simmilar point (i think it was lhivera on 15 mintues of fame) that releasing the mechanics of Wrath might be a good thing. We're going to see most of them when 3.0 launches anyways.
But on the flip side, the best part of rolling into northrend (like outland) was actually seeing everything. Thats why, in general, i tried to avoid the screenshots.
By far one of the best things blizzard did in BC was when you first walk through the Dark Portal. Seeing the battle go on right there, flying over it all, and those first few quests were just phenomenal. If i had seen that before it would have ruined my experience.
So in short: I agree. >.