Mists of Pandaria: Launch Night

Mists of Pandaria, the latest expansion for World of Warcraft, has just launched across the world.

Mirroring a similar launch as Cataclysm two years ago, Pandaria was host to a glamorous midnight launch event in London's Leicester Square as crowds within counted down to an 11pm release.

Live link-ups with simultaneous events across the globe mixed with on-site competitions by SteelSeries, entertainment from dancing troupes and the odd Panda - both of the cosplayer kind in the crowd and Blizzard's own hulking representatives who appeared on stage to draw the evening's festivities to a close.

While the London event was hosted by Iain Lee, most in the line that snaked round the venue's floor were waiting for the main event: the 11pm launch. Come the end of the countdown those that'd been queuing for several hours finally got their hands on the game and disappeared back home to get cracking into the expansion.

For those who couldn't attend, here's a few snaps from the event.