Like any game in the modern landscape, World of Warcraft can’t afford to slack when it comes to Twitch and social media. The venerable MMORPG has its own Twitch channel, which occasionally broadcasts big reveals and esports events. In a few weeks, the channel will host something a bit more unusual – the WoW Variety Show, a three-event live broadcast starting on August 24. You can find the event on the Blizzard blog post, and further details will be dropped on Twitter over the coming weeks, but for now let’s run through the main details.
The Variety Show triathlon will put four celebrity captains and their teams of four registered community members through their paces in a series of special contests. Registration is open to all, but the spots are limited, with only a select few from North America getting the chance to compete. Sign-ups will begin at 11AM PST (2PM EST / 7PM BST) on August 15. Lots of prizes will be given away during the broadcast, including Game Time, Mounts, Pets, and more. It’s unclear whether these prizes will be available only to those competing, or whether spectators in the chat will also get a chance, but time will tell. We don’t yet know who the celebrity captains will be, but as the event draws closer there’s no doubt we’ll learn.
The first challenge will be a levelling contest. The four celebrity contestants will have an hour to level a brand new character as high as possible, with additional challenges thrown in along the way. This event will be played on live servers, so expect a lot of chaos and interference from bystanders.
The second event will be a Scavenger Hunt, where teams of five work together to tackle a series of riddles, puzzles, and item hunts. The teams will be racing against the clock as well as each other, and will need to coordinate carefully to complete as many scavenger tasks as they can.
The final event will be the Footrace Through Azeroth, a test of planning and speed. Players will be given a target location to reach, and will need to compete to reach it before everyone else, with access to flying mounts and flight paths strictly banned – ground mounts and feet (or hooves) only. This final event is open to additional players, so it’s worth signing up.
For more of the latest WoW developments, check out our deep dive into Wrath of Lich King Classic, or our analysis of the latest Dragonflight alpha build.