World of Warcraft: Forever revives 2004 Azeroth with OSRS-style community updates

Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon 2026, a new version of the game that restores the original 2004 vanilla Azeroth with no expansions, aiming to win back players who left for private servers. The game will add new content to this classic world, drawing direct inspiration from Old School RuneScape's model. World of Warcraft: Forever will feature new zones like Mount Hyjal, Zephras Isle, and The Riverglades, plus a new elven race called the Skyborne. Blizzard's approach mirrors OSRS by focusing on community feedback and player-driven updates, with the game set after Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core, allowing progression to level 60 with fresh stories. The beta launches on September 17, 2026, requiring purchase of the Skyborne Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection for access. This "Classic Plus" experience aims to balance new content with the original game's spirit, potentially drawing classic purists away from private servers through a community-vote system similar to OSRS.