World of WarCraft

A World Awaits...

Descend into the World of Warcraft and join thousands of mighty heroes in an online world of myth, magic and limitless adventure. Jagged snowy peaks, mountain fortresses, harsh winding canyons. Zeppelins flying over smoldering battlefields, epic sieges -- an infinity of experiences await. So what are you waiting for?

EMBARK ON EPIC QUESTS

Unravel the continuing story of Warcraft as you engage in hundreds of custom quests -- with more being added all the time. Face the mighty Dragon of Blackrock Spire; cleanse the Undead from the looming ziggurats of Stratholme and much, much more.

FORM POWERFUL ALLIANCES

Play solo or enlist fellow heroes to join forces with you as you negotiate the vast, battle-scarred landscape of a world at war.

ENGAGE AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD

Blizzard's dedicated live team creates a constant stream of new adventures to undertake, lands to explore, and monsters to vanquish. The epic quest never ends.

INDULGE IN "SEAMLESS" BEAUTY

Explore expansive environments that are in a word: legendary. The World of Warcraft graphics engine renders the game universe seamlessly -- so you spend your time adventuring, not waiting.

Source:

Back of Box

A WOLRD AWAITS...

Never before has a massively multiplayer game transported you to a universe so legendary. Descend into the World of Warcraft and join thousands of mighty heroes in an online world of myth, magic and limitless adventure. Your definition of "epic" is about to be shattered.

EMBARK ON EPIC QUESTS

Unravel the continuing story of Warcraft as you engage in hundreds of custom quests -- with more being added all the time! Face the mighty Dragon of Blackrock Spire, cleanse the Undead from the looming ziggurats of Stratholme and much, much more.

FORM POWERFUL ALLIANCES

Play solo or enlist fellow heroes to join forces with you as you negotiate the vast, battle-scarred landscape of a world at war.

ENGAGE AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD

Blizzard's dedicated live team creates a constant stream of new adventures to undertake, lands to explore, and monsters to vanquish. The epic quest never ends.

ACCELERATE THE ADVENTURE

Whether you have half an hour or all night, a world of bold adventure and mighty deeds awaits. Private dungeons, seamless graphics and Blizzard's superior quest system are just a few of the innovations that eliminate waiting and accelerate the fun.

Source:

Blizzard Product Catalog (included with WoW)

EINE WELT DER ABENTEUER

Tauchen Sie in World of Warcraft ein und kämpfen Sie zusammen mit tausenden tapferen Helden in einer Welt voller Mythen, Magie und endloser Abenteuer.

Gewaltige Schlachten, schneeumwehte Gipfel, bedrohliche Festungen, unwirtliche Schluchten, Zeppeline über rauchenden Schlachtfeldern - es erwarten Sie zahllose Herausforderungen. Worauf warten Sie noch? Mehr Informationen erhalten Sie unter www.wow-europe.com.

WORLD

OF WARCRAFT®

GEWALTIG. EPISCH. ONLINE.

Source:

Advertisement in PC Games, February 2005 (German)

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® MEDIA ALERT

IRVINE, Calif. - November 24, 2004 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft® has become an instant success, achieving epic sales figures in less than 24 hours. Launched Tuesday, November 23rd, the company's subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) sold-through to consumers an estimated 250,000* copies of the game. At retailers across the country, players lined up for blocks at midnight to purchase the game, which sold out in many stores nationwide after only one day on store shelves.

In just the first day alone, over 200,000 players created World of Warcraft accounts, and over 100,000 were already playing the game concurrently as of 5:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday. The account-creation and concurrent-user populations are both record numbers for a MMORPG on its first day of launch, making World of Warcraft the fastest-growing online game in history. World of Warcraft is expected to continue to shatter records and achieve a record-setting week-one population in the days ahead. With dozens of World of Warcraft servers already filled to capacity, Blizzard is deploying additional servers rapidly to match the growing player base.

"We had a lot of confidence in World of Warcraft, but the success on day one far exceeded our expectations," said Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "We are extremely happy that players are enjoying our game, and we are doing everything we can to meet the demand and maintain a fun and smooth game experience for everyone playing."

Retailers across North America, including Wal-Mart, EB, GameStop, and others are reporting that hundreds of their stores have sold out of World of Warcraft due to the demand. If consumers have not yet purchased their copy of World of Warcraft, they are advised to call ahead to make sure their store has copies still in stock.

"World of Warcraft has once again shown that Blizzard consistently delivers the best games in the industry," said Robert McKenzie, vice president of merchandising at GameStop. "It sold better than any other PC game this year - in fact, World of Warcraft enjoyed the best day-one sell-through GameStop has ever seen on a PC title!"

Blizzard Entertainment and its retail partners are expecting all remaining supplies of World of Warcraft to sell out soon. Meanwhile, the company is working diligently to increase server capacity to accommodate the growing number of players connecting to the game. As the additional servers are brought online and proven stable, additional copies of World of Warcraft will be made available at retail. Blizzard will announce the availability of those additional games as soon as they are on retail shelves.

*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners in North America.

About Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment® Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net , reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Source:

Press Release

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® MEDIA ALERT

PARIS, France. 15th February, 2005 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft® has become an overnight success in Europe, achieving record-breaking sales in its first 24 hours since the game launched on Friday, 11th February. World of Warcraft, the company's subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has sold-through an estimated 280,000* copies at retail on day-one, selling more units in one day than what was previously thought to be the overall cumulative size of the European MMORPG market. This figure rose to more than 380,000 units being sold-through by the end of the first weekend.

As the fastest-growing online game in European history, World of Warcraft has shattered previous records for highest number of accounts created, concurrent user populations and number of servers. More than 290,000 players created World of Warcraft accounts during the first weekend, and 100,000 of those were playing the game concurrently on the first day. A first time ever peak concurrency of over 180,000 players in Europe was reached during the first weekend. To support the European launch, Blizzard deployed over 80 servers at the World of Warcraft data centres in Paris and Frankfurt; additional servers are on standby as new players subscribe to the game.

"We are extremely pleased by the launch of World of Warcraft in Europe," said Mike Morhaime, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "Our experience of launching World of Warcraft in North America last year has helped us to prepare for Europe by providing more boxes at launch than we had previously planned and deploying more servers from the start, which we hope will allow us to provide a smooth and fun game experience from the outset for everyone playing."

Retailers across Europe have reported outstanding demand for the title:

According to Lou Triche, senior vice president of International Operations for EB Games: "World of Warcraft has become the fastest selling PC game to date for EB Games in Europe. The game has set new sales records for units sold during its first weekend of release." In the UK, Tricia Brennan, Head of Buying, GAME, said: "World of Warcraft was passionately anticipated by customers and staff alike. Yet again, Blizzard has delivered a superb game and we are delighted with the success of the title."

A similar success story was experienced in France where Jean Marc Martel, Games Buyer of the country's leading PC retailer, FNAC stated, "I'd like to thank the Blizzard team for their professionalism in making the launch of World of Warcraft a real event at FNAC. We look forward to partnering with Blizzard Entertainment on future releases."

Blizzard Entertainment supplied 560,000 boxes of World of Warcraft to its retail partners for launch. As additional servers are brought online and proven stable, re-orders will be fulfilled for stores across Europe, and additional copies of World of Warcraft will then be available at retail.

*Based on internal company records and reports from key retailers in Europe. About Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment® Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net , reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Source:

Press Release

WORLD OF WARCRAFT® LAUNCHES IN CHINA

*Popular MMORPG Continues to Grow as

Blizzard Entertainment® Welcomes Host of New Players*

IRVINE, Calif. - June 06, 2005 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft®, its massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has officially launched in China. Players in China can now download the game, create accounts and experience the epic adventure of the Warcraft® series in an immersive and continually evolving online environment. The commercial launch of World of Warcraft follows a highly successful open beta period in China during which the game reached a peak concurrency - the total number of subscribers playing simultaneously - of more than 500,000 players.

"It has always been a goal at Blizzard to become a major developer and publisher for the Chinese gaming market," said Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We feel that China offers a huge and eager audience and it is poised to become the next great region in gaming. We are simply thrilled to be bringing World of Warcraft to this great country. With fully localized content, a regional network infrastructure, and local, around-the-clock customer support, we believe that World of Warcraft will provide Chinese gamers with an unparalleled game experience."

To provide players with an incomparable level of service, Blizzard Entertainment has partnered with local publisher The9, who it believes to be the most talented MMO operator in China. The9 will help operate and manage World of Warcraft in China, including all aspects of support. The9's dedicated team, composed entirely of Chinese management and staff, will serve as an integral part of the game's development and customer service efforts. They will assist in the synchronization of content updates, the delivery of player feedback to the developers, and will help ensure accurate localization to keep the game relevant and tailored to Chinese gamers. Furthermore, this local team will offer 24-hour support year around, with direct game master (GM) support and local call-center representatives dedicated to helping players with questions regarding gameplay and/or technical issues.

To deliver top-notch customer support and maintain a safe and secure service, Blizzard and The9 have implemented an authorization CD-key system for the official launch of World of Warcraft. This system will help protect the game from malicious hack programs that could otherwise affect players' enjoyment of the game.

Only players who have purchased an authorized CD key will be able to activate their accounts and enter the game. Each CD key costs 30 Yuan/RMB and can be purchased with a World of Warcraft Points Card. Point Cards also cost 30 Yuan/RMB and can be used at a rate of 9 points per hour (0.45 Yuan/hour) to play World of Warcraft.

For more information on World of Warcraft, including pricing, promotions, and gameplay features, please visit Blizzard's official website: www.wowchina.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment® Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net , reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Source:

Press Release

WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TO LAUNCH IN SINGAPORE

*Blizzard Entertainment® partners with iGames Asia to bring

critically acclaimed online game to thousands of new players*

Singapore - July 21, 2005 - Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc. today announced the release of its highly anticipated subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft®, in Singapore. The announcement is being greeted with excitement in the island republic, where the Warcraft® series is one of the biggest-selling PC gaming brands.* Blizzard has selected iGames Asia as the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for World of Warcraft in Singapore.

World of Warcraft boxes and 60-days prepaid cards will be available islandwide. Players from Singapore will join Australia, New Zealand, and North America on U.S. servers. A broadband connection is recommended for optimum play.

"Gamers in Singapore have always shown tremendous enthusiasm for Blizzard games, so we're thrilled to be teaming up with iGames Asia and releasing World of Warcraft there," stated Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "One of our goals has been to make World of Warcraft available to gamers around the world as quickly as possible, and today's announcement is another great step in achieving that goal."

World of Warcraft is currently one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world, with more than three and a half million avid subscribers playing the game in North America, Korea, Europe, and China.** In World of Warcraft, players assume the roles of legendary Heroes and interact with thousands of other players online as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Whether journeying together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory.

An action-packed combat system delivers fast, furious battles against multiple opponents, while minimizing delays between encounters to keep players on the move. A rich, evolving story and questing system will keep players engrossed as the world is regularly updated with new content.

About Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment® Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net , reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

About iGames Asia

iGames Asia is South-East Asia's fastest growing interactive entertainment software distributor. In Singapore, iGames Asia is the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc.'s record-breaking massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft®. iGames is also operating two MMORPGs across South-East Asia, A3 and Vital Sign. The company markets its range of titles through an extensive distribution network of retailers and cyber cafes across all South-East Asia. For more information on iGames, please visit www.igamesasia.com.sg.

*Based on retailers' sell-through estimates.

**Based on EDI sell-through, internal company estimates, and reports from key retail accounts around the world.

Source:

Press Release

**7 Million Players

One Epic World D**escend into the World of Warcraft® and join thousands of mighty heroes in an online world of myth, magic and limitless adventure. Your definition of "epic" is about to be shattered.

Embark On Epic Quests

Unravel the continuing store of Warcraft as you engage in hundreds of custom quests -- with more being added all the time! Face the mighty dragon of Blackrock Spire, cleanse the Undead from the looming ziggurats of Stratholme and much, much more.

Form Powerful Alliances

Play solo or enlist fellow heroes to join forces with you as you negotiate the vast, battle-scarred landscape of a world at war.

Engage An Ever-Changing World

Blizzard's dedicated live team creates a constant stream of new adventures to undertake, lands to explore and monsters to vanquish. The epic quest never ends.

Accelerate The Adventure

Whether you have half an hour or all night, a world of bold adventure and mighty deeds awaits. Private dungeons, seamless graphics and Blizzard's superior quest system are just a few of the innovations that eliminate waiting and accelerate the fun.

Join us...

Source:

Blizzard Product Catalog

Havok physics engine comes to Mac, thanks to Blizzard

In what may turn out to be one of the most significant pieces of Mac game news in quite some time, Havok, developer of a commonly used physics engine used in many popular games, announced Thursday that its newest engine has been licensed by World of Warcraft maker Blizzard Entertainment for both Mac and PC.

This is the first time ever that the Havok engine has been licensed for the Mac. As a physics engine, Havok is “middleware,” licensed by game developers who want to incorporate realistic object interaction, character animation and special effects in their games without having to write the code to control such attributes themselves.

Havok is cross-platform and has been used on major PC and console games such as Halo 2, Half Life 2, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and many other top-selling titles. Its absence on the Mac up until now — rumored to be due mainly to the high cost of licensing the technology — has led to the outright cancellation of Mac game projects such as Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, and has contributed to the demise of other, unannounced projects from major Mac game publishers.

It’s also led to some creative work on behalf of Mac game makers who are desperate to get certain titles onto the Mac without having to use Havok. The PC version of Age of Empires III, for example, uses Havok, but MacSoft’s developers elected instead to replace that technology with Ageia’s rival PhysX technology, which is already available on the Mac at no charge.

“The Mac is an important piece of technology and because of the cross-platform nature of Havok’s technology, the port to Mac was easy to do. Furthermore, Blizzard Entertainment’s commitment to OS X and to the Mac community is a good indication of the growth potential of the Mac as a games platform. Blizzard has always put out great games on the Mac, and we look forward to Havok becoming a part of that tradition,” said Jeff Yates, Havok’s vice president, Product Management, in a statement.

The Havok 4.0 engine was released in July, 2006. The latest major revision to the physics engine is billed as “a modular suite of artist tools and run-time technologies” that enables game developers to incorporate advanced in-game play physics, character animations, behaviors and special effects in their titles.

Blizzard announced that it plans to incorporate Havok 4.0 in “upcoming games.” Blizzard is well-known to Mac gamers for its legendary Diablo and Warcraft series, and the enormously popular online role playing game World of Warcraft. But outside of an expansion pack for that game called The Burning Crusade, which is still in development, Blizzard has kept tight reins on its future game development plans.

Terms of Blizzard’s Havok 4.0 license were not disclosed.

Source:

Macworld (Sept. 14, 2006)

Blizzard Entertainment(R) Announces Launch Date for Russian-Language Version of World of Warcraft(R)

PARIS, Jul 30, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that the Russian-language version of World of Warcraft(R), its award-winning, subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, will be available on the 6th of August, 2008. On that date, European players will be able to purchase a version of the game and its expansion, The Burning Crusade(R), fully localised for Russia, and begin playing on dedicated realms with the benefit of a Russian-language customer-support team. This will be the fifth European-language version of World of Warcraft, complementing the existing English, French, German, and Spanish versions.

"The launch of the Russian-language version reflects our continuing commitment to make World of Warcraft even more accessible for gamers throughout the world," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment(R). "We also hope that providing a fully localised version of the game will further enhance the gameplay experience for our enthusiastic Russian community."

The Russian version of World of Warcraft will be available for Windows(R) XP/Vista and Mac(R) OS X 10.3.9 or higher. The retail DVD boxed version will include a one-month subscription to the game, while the retail CD boxed version will be available at a lower price and will include a 14-day subscription.

Russian players will have the option to subscribe to a dedicated Russian account, which has a reduced subscription-rate structure for the Russian market priced in rubles, and which allows players to access and create characters on Russian realms only. The available subscription options are a month-to-month plan for 359 rubles per month, a three-month plan for 329 rubles per month, and a six-month plan for 299 rubles per month.

Current European World of Warcraft players will be able to download a Russian-language pack from the official Russian website at www.warcraft.ru, which will let them access and create characters on the new Russian realms. Beginning on the launch date, free character transfers to specific Russian realms will also be available for a limited period of time. Additionally, existing European accounts have the option of being converted to Russian accounts.

For more information on World of Warcraft, visit the game's official website at www.wow-europe.com. To keep pace with the multilingual European growth of World of Warcraft and development of other games, Blizzard Entertainment is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities at Blizzard Europe, including positions on the Russian-language World of Warcraft team, can be found at http://eu.blizzard.com/en/jobs.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R), and Diablo(R) series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com) (NASDAQ: ATVID) is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net(R), is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Source:

Blizzard Press Release (July 30, 2008)