A World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Xbox Series X edition may be making its debut later this year based on recently-revealed rating data. While there is not yet any evidence of a WoW: Shadowlands PS5 edition just yet, this may well prove to be the first time Blizzard Entertainment’s MMORPG has made its way to consoles.
The info on this possible port comes via Gematsu which highlighted a recent rating by the Classificação Indicativa, Brazil’s equivalent of the ESRB and PEGI. As with its American and European counterparts, the Classificação Indicativa’s responsibility is to rate games for their content. As part of these ratings, it lists the recommended age for each game and the platform it comes out on.
A rating popped up for the new WoW expansion with the PC platform listed as expected. What was much more surprising, however, is that a World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Xbox Series X edition was also listed on the rating page, strongly suggesting that this MMORPG may finally be coming to consoles with the next generation.
An MMORPG like World of Warcraft coming to consoles isn’t as crazy as its sounds. Both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV are arguably just as complex as WoW and yet they are perfectly playable on console.
Other PC-centric genres like city builders and 4X games have also made their way to consoles in recent years like Civilization 6, Cities: Skylines, and Frostpunk, all three of which have ended up on some combination of the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
What makes the case even stronger is the more recent proliferation of keyboard and mouse support for the current generation of consoles. The next-gen versions will almost certainly support keyboards and mice, making playing WoW as easy as if you were on a PC. That said, the developers will likely be making some adaptations for controller-based players, but it not as impossible as it sounds. Other games have made complex PC controls work with an Xbox One or PS4 controller, so there’s no reason Blizzard Entertainment couldn’t do it, too.
There is, of course, one item of concern: it’s entirely possible that the Classificação Indicativa has mistakenly listed the Xbox Series X as a platform. A game getting rated is usually a sign that it will be coming out in the next few weeks and the game’s next expansion is scheduled to launch sometime in Fall 2020. We’re sure to be finding out whether or not a World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Xbox Series X edition soon!
