Blizzard has confirmed that the night elves will indeed be a playable race in World of Warcraft. The night elves will not be the only natives of Kalimdor that are playable, though, as the bull-headed tauren--one of the first four playable races announced for the game, along with the dwarves, humans, and orcs--also hail from the mystical continent. World of Warcraft is set several years after the events in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, much of which is set in Kalimdor, following the undead's ravaging of Azeroth.
Blizzard has not yet publicly announced what special abilities the night elves will possess, but we can expect more details to be released at next month's E3, including information on trade skills, transportation, and the new warlock class. For more on World of Warcraft, check out our previous coverage of the game.