The official release of the Midnight expansion for World of Warcraft is scheduled for March 2, but players who purchased the Epic Edition received early access three days ahead of launch. As early as the evening of February 26, popular streamers had already started broadcasting the new content on Twitch and other platforms.
World of Warcraft: Midnight is the eleventh expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s long-running MMORPG and the second installment in the Worldsoul Saga trilogy. The expansion was officially announced in August 2025. Its story takes place mainly in and around the kingdom of Quel’Thalas, focusing on the growing conflict between the forces of Light and Void.
Picking up directly after the events of The War Within, the narrative follows the void entity Xal’atath as she launches an invasion that threatens to plunge Azeroth into darkness. Blizzard has positioned Midnight as a key chapter in a broader, interconnected storyline that will continue across several future expansions.
The launch of Midnight gave the World of Warcraft category a noticeable boost on Twitch. From the start of early access through the weekend, the game generated 6.7 million Hours Watched, a 112% increase compared to the previous period.
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As a result, World of Warcraft climbed to fourth place among the platform’s most-watched categories. Only Resident Evil: Requiem, Grand Theft Auto V, and League of Legends recorded higher numbers, with LoL benefiting from a packed schedule of esports broadcasts.
During this period, the average number of active streaming channels rose by 126%, while the average concurrent audience grew by 111%. Peak viewership was recorded on the evening of February 26, when the category reached 249,300 concurrent viewers.
The numbers might have been even higher, but Midnight faced indirect competition from several other major releases. Most notably, the highly anticipated Resident Evil: Requiem attracted significant attention, along with Marathon, the new shooter from Bungie, where developers announced the next phase of open beta testing.
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The most-watched World of Warcraft streamer over the weekend was Zack “zackrawrr” Hoyt (better known as Asmongold), who generated more than 487,400 Hours Watched on his own. He also recorded the highest peak concurrent viewership among Midnight streamers, with 59,101 viewers tuning in simultaneously to watch his gameplay.
Naturally, Twitch Drops played a significant role in boosting the performance of World of Warcraft on the platform. As part of a promotion running from February 26 through March 27, viewers who watch Midnight streams can earn in-game housing décor items, including the Cuddly Alliance Blue Grrgle and Cuddly Horde Red Grrgle plushies.
In addition, fans who support participating streamers with a subscription can unlock the Fishmonger May companion pet. Full details about these rewards are available on the game’s official website.
