Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the release date for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade has been pushed back until January.

The expansion pack for World of Warcraft was supposed to be released in December, during the consumer buying frenzy before Christmas, but Blizzard says developers need more time.

“By adding a few extra weeks to the development cycle beyond its original target date, Blizzard will be able to extend the closed beta test and further refine the new content that will ship with the game”, the company said in a statement.

“We feel confident that the extra time spent polishing the game will result in the high-quality experience that our players expect and deserve”, said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

Pricing and worlwide release dates are still to be announced in the near future. Although the pushed back launch date will frustrate fans, its over 6.5 million subscribers are unlikely to be put off buying it.