Blizzard announces progress on the inevitable convergence of modern World of Warcraft and WoW Classic, saying Burning Crusade Classic will offer a return to Outland on June 1st. In just a couple of weeks players will be forced to decide whether to leap forward or hold tight where they are:

Beyond the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands lies a realm shattered by the machinations of the Burning Legion: Outland, the once beautiful orc homeworld of Draenor. Seek out its mysteries beginning June 1 when Burning Crusade Classic™ launches around the world.

Before that, however, every hero must make a choice. Beginning on May 18, after each regional scheduled maintenance, the Burning Crusade Classic Pre-expansion Patch will be released, and each character must choose whether to advance onward to Burning Crusade, move to a Classic Era realm, or use the Character Clone service to play in both games. Read more about this process.

Heroes who choose to cross the Dark Portal will find themselves in Hellfire Peninsula, an aptly named barren wasteland, where fel orcs and cruel demons roam free. The established outposts of Thrallmar (for the Horde) and Honor Hold (for the Alliance) are not able to deter this endless tide of darkness on their own. It is up to you to fight for this shattered world to rid it from evil. . . or watch its demonic denizens consume everything you hold dear.