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Blizzard Entertainment’s sixth BlizzCon gaming celebration to be held at Anaheim Convention Center October 21-22, 2011

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its sixth BlizzCon® gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22, 2011. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes.

“BlizzCon is built from the ground up with our community in mind -- we're pleased to be able to host an event where players can come together to have fun and celebrate their passion for gaming.”

"We look forward to holding another exciting BlizzCon this year, filled with some great entertainment and competition, as well as the latest news about Blizzard games," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "BlizzCon is built from the ground up with our community in mind -- we're pleased to be able to host an event where players can come together to have fun and celebrate their passion for gaming."

In addition to serving as a gathering place for Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will offer attendees a chance to enjoy:

* Hands-on play time with the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games
* Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
* Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
* Community contests with great prizes
* Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment’s game universes
* More activities and attractions to be announced

The previous BlizzCon was held in Anaheim in October 2010. Tickets to the event sold out in minutes, and some of the highlights included the unveiling of Diablo III's fifth and final playable character class, the demon hunter, and an epic closing concert featuring Tenacious D.

Further details about BlizzCon 2011, including ticket availability and pricing, will be announced on the official Blizzard website, http://www.blizzard.com, as the event draws closer.

BlizzCon 2011 Tickets on Sale May 21 and May 25


Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its sixth BlizzCon® gaming convention will go on sale in two batches on Saturday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 25. In addition, a limited number of tickets to an exclusive pre-BlizzCon dinner to benefit Children's Hospital of Orange County will go on sale Saturday, May 28.

BlizzCon is a celebration of the global communities surrounding Blizzard’s Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes. The event once again offers players a valid reason to skip work on a Friday when it returns to the Anaheim Convention Center this year on October 21 and 22. Gamers around the world will also have the option to enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, which offers comprehensive live coverage of the event streaming online and also on DIRECTV in the United States.

“We love being able to meet directly with our players, and since BlizzCon is one of the rare opportunities we get to do that, we always pack as much information and entertainment as we can into the show,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This year will be no different -- whether you're with us in Anaheim or joining from home, be prepared for two days of Blizzard gaming and good times with the most passionate community in the world.”

In addition to serving as a mutual stomping ground for the different Blizzard communities, BlizzCon will feature an array of activities, including discussion panels, hands-on playtime with current and upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games, professional and casual tournaments, contests, and much more. Blizzard is looking forward to learning more about its own games from Red Shirt Guy if he can make it to the show again this year.

Tickets to the convention will be priced at $175 USD each and will be available for purchase from the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com) in two separate batches on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. Pacific time and Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. Pacific time.

Tickets to the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner, which include admission to BlizzCon, will be priced at $500 USD each, with proceeds going to Children's Hospital of Orange County. Taking place the evening of Thursday, October 20, this exclusive event offers guests an opportunity to rub elbows and trade war stories with Blizzard game developers and other employees before the show. Approximately 200 tickets to the benefit dinner will be available for purchase beginning Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. Pacific time through www.blizzcon.com.

Gamers around the world will also have the option to purchase a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket priced at $39.99 USD (pricing may vary by region). The Virtual Ticket grants access to comprehensive live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Virtual Ticket coverage will be available to viewers globally as a multichannel Internet stream and also via Pay-per-View on DIRECTV in the United States. DIRECTV customers who order the televised event will receive the multichannel Internet stream at no extra charge, allowing them to watch in the format of their choice. Those who order the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket will also receive this year’s BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft® and StarCraft II in-game items (availability may vary by region), to be revealed at a later date. Limited streaming coverage of the BlizzCon opening ceremony and certain BlizzCon tournaments will be available via the Internet for free.

As BlizzCon draws closer, further details about the show, including ordering and programming information for the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.

Just a reminder: If you're interested in attending this year's BlizzCon in Anaheim, California, the first batch of tickets goes on sale this Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. PT through the online Blizzard Store. If you can't be online at that time or if tickets sell out before you have a chance to snag some, don't worry -- you'll have more opportunities to attend. A second batch of tickets will be going on sale Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. PT, and tickets to a special pre-BlizzCon charity dinner to benefit Children's Hospital of Orange County will be going on sale Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. PT.

For more information on purchasing tickets to this year's BlizzCon, visit the official event website at www.blizzcon.com.

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Foo Fighters will headline the closing concert of this year’s sold-out BlizzCon®, taking place October 21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center. While tickets to the convention are currently sold out, viewers can watch at home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage of the event (including Foo Fighters' performance) globally over the Internet and also on DIRECTV® in the United States.

Over the course of their 16-year career, the Foo Fighters have sold tens of millions of records, won half a dozen Grammy awards, and raised countless voices in singalongs of iconic anthems like "Everlong," "My Hero," "Learn to Fly", "All My Life," “Best of You,” and “The Pretender.” Foo Fighters' BlizzCon debut marks founder Dave Grohl's triumphant return to the convention after playing drums for Tenacious D in last year's show, and comes during an international arena, stadium, and festival tour promoting their seventh album, the international #1 record Wasting Light.

Opening up the concert will be The Artist Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, who are returning to BlizzCon following a two-year interstellar tour through the Koprulu sector. Blizzard's in-house metal band will amp up the crowd with an earth-shaking set of both familiar and brand-new songs drawn from the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes before turning the stage over to Foo Fighters for the main event.

BlizzCon® 2011 Begins This Week

BlizzCon® Virtual Ticket allows viewers at home to watch sold-out show, including closing concert featuring Foo Fighters, on October 21-22
BlizzCon 2011



BlizzCon® 2011, Blizzard Entertainment’s two-day festival celebrating the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® game universes and their global player communities, begins on Friday, October 21, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The sold-out show features a wide range of events and activities, including discussion panels with developers of Blizzard Entertainment games; intense eSports competition featuring top pro gamers from around the world; costume and dance contests hosted by comedian Jay Mohr; and an epic rock concert headlined by the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning Foo Fighters.

“Every BlizzCon, we look forward to meeting up with our players and sharing the latest news about our games with the world”

While tickets to BlizzCon sold out in seconds, viewers can watch at home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering over 50 hours of comprehensive live HD coverage of the event (including Foo Fighters’ performance) across four channels globally over the Internet. Those who order a Virtual Ticket will also receive this year’s BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft® in-game pet, the fearsome-ish Murkablo, as well as a yet-to-be-revealed StarCraft® II in-game gift. DIRECTV® customers in the United States can also order BlizzCon 2011 as a Pay Per View event and receive a Virtual Ticket for free. Limited streaming coverage of the BlizzCon opening ceremony and certain BlizzCon tournaments will be available via the Internet for free. More information on the Virtual Ticket can be found at www.blizzcon.com/live-stream/.

“Every BlizzCon, we look forward to meeting up with our players and sharing the latest news about our games with the world,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’ve put together a great lineup of events this year, capped off with an awesome Foo Fighters show, and we can’t wait to provide attendees and everyone joining us from home with an unforgettable weekend.”

Previous BlizzCons have featured a variety of exciting events and announcements, including the unveiling of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm™, the first-ever public hands-on with Diablo III, and epic rock performances by Ozzy Osbourne and Tenacious D.

This week, Blizzard Entertainment also launched a series of special charity auctions giving game enthusiasts a unique chance to own a piece of World of Warcraft history -- original Hewlett Packard® ProLiant server blades that once housed hundreds of different realms across North America and Europe. The net proceeds from the auction will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, one of the world's premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Interested buyers can find more information on the auction schedule as well as a detailed FAQ at www.ebay.com/blizzard.

BlizzCon would not be possible without the enthusiasm of Blizzard Entertainment gamers around the world and the generous support of the event’s sponsors, who provide demo-station hardware, peripherals, and more. This year's sponsors are Intel, NVIDIA, ASUS, LG Electronics, Antec, SteelSeries, DIRECTV, Razer, and VASCO Data Security.

Anyone attending BlizzCon who is interested in pursuing career opportunities at Blizzard Entertainment should bring their resumes, portfolios, or business cards. Members of different Blizzard teams will be on hand to review materials and discuss any job-related questions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at http://jobs.blizzard.com or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@BlizzardCareers.