Author: sick skills

IRVINE, Calif.—April 6, 2017—Today, Azeroth’s finest scholars and explorers have set out on their most ambitious expedition yet—the Journey to Un’Goro^™. This new expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s smash-hit digital card game Hearthstone® is now live! Players from around the world are trekking into the heart of this primeval land on a mission to learn about the local inhabitants, harness astonishing elemental energies, and discover powerful minions hidden in the thick jungle mists—all while excavating 135 new Hearthstone cards to add to their collections.

Journey to Un’Goro thrusts players into a land of primordial wonder where ancient elementals, lethal flora, and fierce predators have roamed since the dawn of time. Being an apex predator in such an unforgiving ecosystem has its benefits—the crater’s dinosaurs have learned to adapt to any threat. Adapting allows a minion to take on new properties or powers to better deal with their prey, so don’t let your guard down! As an enticement for those brave or curious enough to venture deep into Un’Goro, a mysterious new bounty awaits: Quest cards. These Legendary spells will always appear in the player’s starting hand, and—once their requirements are met—grant incredible rewards.

“With dinosaur and elemental minions and the new Adapt and Quest mechanics, Journey to Un’Goro begins the next Hearthstone chapter with a prehistoric punch,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We can’t wait to see the strategies that deck-builders uncover as they explore the jungles of Un’Goro.”

Journey to Un’Goro is available now for Windows® and Mac® PCs; Windows, iOS and Android™ tablets; and iOS and Android phones. Card packs can be purchased individually or in discounted bundles from the in-game Shop for gold or real-world currency at the same price as all other Hearthstone card packs. Players now have the chance to win Journey to Un’Goro card packs as quest rewards or prizes in the Arena, and can also craft cards from the expansion by using Arcane Dust collected from disenchanting unwanted cards.

Learn more about the perils and wonders awaiting intrepid explorers in Un’goro Crater at www.ungoro.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multifranchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), 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 twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

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

IRVINE, Calif.— March 28, 2017—With internationally acclaimed franchises such as World of Warcraft® and Overwatch®, Blizzard Entertainment is known for creating larger-than-life fantasy and sci-fi settings and characters that have been enjoyed by millions. The company is pleased to announce today the creation of Blizzard Collectibles, a new line of premium statues, replicas, and artwork designed and produced directly by Blizzard.

The Blizzard Collectibles line launches with multiple existing pieces, including the Hearthstone® Collectible Keepsake Box, Grommash Hellscream and Illidan Stormrage from the Warcraft universe, and statues of Overwatch’s Tracer and Reaper. The next exciting addition to this line also comes from the cast of Overwatch—starting today, players can preorder the imposing Widowmaker statue for $150 USD at gear.blizzard.com/blizzard-collectibles. Standing 13.5 inches tall, this cold-hearted assassin is designed and sculpted by artists on Blizzard’s Overwatch team, and will make a fearsome addition to any collection.

“We tend to go all-in when it comes to representing the things we’re passionate about in our work, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with this new line of high-end statues, replicas, and artwork,” said Matthew Beecher, vice president of global consumer products at Blizzard Entertainment. “Our goal with Blizzard Collectibles is to produce pieces of art that capture the personality of our games, and we’re excited to share these premium items with gamers and collectors worldwide.”

 More Blizzard Collectibles releases are planned for 2017; additional details on these will be revealed at a later date. Browse the collection at gear.blizzard.com/blizzard-collectibles.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), 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 twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about pricing, release dates, and specific items to be issued in the Blizzard Collectibles line are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

The ancient Protoss live in harmony, connected to one another by the eternal psionic bond known as the Khala. They exiled the dissident individualists among them to the cold darkness of space long ago. Now, Protoss society has risen to unparalleled greatness, but their rigid hierarchy inspires rebellion, as the young Executor Artanis, dispatched to find his missing predecessor on a Zerg-infested planet, will shortly discover.

See Strengths & Weaknesses

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Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the World of Warcraft community, we’ve raised more than 2.5 million USD from sales of the Mischief in-game pet and Mischief Plush toy to support Make-A-Wish. In December, we announced that sales of the in-game Mischief pet and Mischief Plush Toy through December 31, 2016 would benefit Make-A-Wish, whose mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions throughout the world.

For more information about Make-A-Wish in the United States, visit wish.org. Outside the United States, visit worldwish.org

IRVINE, Calif.—January 25, 2017—College esports reaches a new level of engagement with Heroes of the Dorm^™ 2017 as Blizzard Entertainment and Facebook team up to stream the action exclusively via Facebook Live. Blizzard and Tespa’s preeminent collegiate esports tournament once again offers Heroes of the Storm^® teams from colleges across the United States and Canada a chance to earn free tuition for the remainder of their college careers—more than $500,000 in scholarships and prizes will be handed out this spring. For the first time ever, Heroes of the Dorm will be broadcast via Facebook Live on the Heroes of the Storm Esports Facebook page, beginning with the regular season and continuing all the way through the Heroic Four and National Championship.

With Facebook friends and Heroes of the Storm personalities just a click away, Heroes of the Dorm 2017 will be a new kind of connected esports event, offering a global real-time connected experience for viewers that supports live interaction (or smack-talking) during the heat of competition. From the nervous anticipation of the first regular season matches to the bright lights and excitement of the championship, Facebook’s global network will enhance every shareable, likable, and otherwise epic moment in Heroes of the Dorm. To further amplify this year’s Heroes of the Dorm viewing experience, Blizzard will serve up-to-date statistics, team and player profiles, updates for the Bracket Challenge and a new Pick ‘em Challenge, and more will all be available on www.heroesofthedorm.com.

“Heroes of the Dorm has featured some of the most dramatic college esports action of the past two years, and with more prizes for more teams up for grabs this year, we’re looking forward to a whole new level of competition,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also excited to be working with Facebook this year to bring more live Heroes of the Dorm play to more viewers around the world than ever before.”

Starting today, eligible college gamers in the United States and Canada can sign up to compete in Heroes of the Dorm at www.heroesofthedorm.com. The group stages of the regular season kick off February 15, with the full schedule proceeding as follows:

Tournament Stage	Date
Group Stages	February 15–16, 22–23, March 1–2
Regional Playoffs	March 4­–5
Regional Finals	March 8­­–9
Round of 64	March 18–21
Round of 32	March 22–23
Round of 16	March 25
Round of 8	March 26
Heroic Four	April 8
National Championship	April 8

Everyone Can Play, Anyone Can Win

While Heroes of the Dorm competition is reserved for some of the most elite Heroes of the Storm college teams in North America, savvy fans around the world will be able to flex their expertise in the Heroes of the Dorm Bracket Challenge and the Heroes of the Dorm Pick ‘em Challenge. Accurately picking the winners of each matchup, beginning with the Round of 64, will win prizes for the top 500 entries in the Bracket Challenge, while the grand prize winner will receive USD $10,000. Midway through the tournament, fans get a second chance in the Pick ‘em Challenge, where they’ll pick just one team to hopefully carry them all the way to the National Championship—earning a Heroes of the Storm Stimpack just for participating, with a chance for more Stimpacks the better their team does.

In 2015, UC Berkeley dominated, becoming the first-ever Heroes of the Dorm. In 2016, Arizona State University avenged their championship loss from the previous year to claim the title. This year, a new story will be written and new heroes will be celebrated in the ultimate college esports event!

Fans can relive the gripping journey of last year’s Heroes of the Dorm Championship team in A New Hero: The Rise of College Esports, a documentary on Arizona State’s climb to the top of college esports.

Learn more about Heroes of the Dorm and the viewer-participation challenges, and stay tuned for further details, at www.heroesofthedorm.com.

About Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm brings together a diverse cast of iconic characters from Blizzard’s far-flung realms of science fiction and fantasy, including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes, and challenges them to compete in epic, adrenaline-charged battles. To learn more about Heroes of the Storm, head over to the official website at www.heroesofthestorm.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), 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 twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

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

About Tespa

Tespa is the premier college gaming network in North America, dedicated to creating a home for gamers on every campus. Recognized as the leader in college esports, Tespa cultivates student communities that host epic gaming events on campuses in the United States and Canada, and plans to distribute more than $800,000 in scholarship prizing in 2017 through intercollegiate leagues. Tespa has had more than 5000 teams from more than 1200 universities compete in its college tournaments and has empowered student leaders to become entrepreneurs in the gaming industry.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about Heroes of the Dorm 2017 and the related Facebook viewing experience, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

IRVINE, Calif.—December 8, 2016—Blizzard Entertainment today announced the creation of a book-publishing label, Blizzard Publishing, dedicated to developing and releasing new Blizzard publications and reissuing out-of-print titles in the company’s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® settings, directly and through ongoing global partnerships. Each of Blizzard’s game universes has been inhabited by millions of players worldwide, and Blizzard Publishing will help maintain the lore and legacy of the company’s earliest novels and manga while also providing a variety of new ways for people to engage with Blizzard’s rich worlds and characters. Several of Blizzard Publishing’s upcoming releases will be available in multiple formats, such as print, audiobook, and e-book.

The first books published under the Blizzard Publishing label include two sets of previously released novels and manga from award-winning and New York Times best-selling authors.

Blizzard Legends

• Warcraft: The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb
• Warcraft: Lord of the Clans by Christie Golden
• World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde by Christie Golden

Blizzard Manga

• Warcraft Legends: Volume One, with stories by Richard A. Knaak, Dan Jolley, and Jae-Hwan Kim
• Warcraft Legends: Volume Two, with stories by Richard A. Knaak, Dan Jolley, and Aaron Sparrow

Future releases in the Blizzard Legends and Blizzard Manga series will include titles across multiple Blizzard franchises.  

Blizzard Publishing has also developed a new original title, the World of Warcraft Adult Coloring Book—an epic volume of more than 80 pieces of concept art, sketches, and more, featuring characters and scenes from beloved locales across Azeroth.

“Great stories and inspiring artwork have always been at the heart of everything we do,” said Lydia Bottegoni, senior vice president of story and franchise development at Blizzard Entertainment. “The creation of Blizzard Publishing gives us new opportunities to celebrate the art and stories of our games with Blizzard gamers as well as fantasy and sci-fi fans around the world.”

Those looking to dive into a new book today can find the aforementioned Blizzard Legends novels and Blizzard Manga titles, as well as the World of Warcraft Adult Coloring Book, wherever books are sold and online at gear.blizzard.com. Blizzard Legends titles are available for USD $14.95; Blizzard Manga titles and the World of Warcraft Adult Coloring Book can be purchased for USD $12.95. Blizzard Publishing releases are distributed by Publishers Group West.

Blizzard Publishing is also planning to release a captivating series of full-color coffee table art books, starting with Art of Hearthstone® and Cinematic Art of StarCraft, as well as additional novel and manga reissues, in 2017 and beyond. Further details about these and other Blizzard Publishing titles, including pricing for regional translations, will be announced at a later date.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), 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 twenty-one #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about pricing, release dates, and contents of works to be published by Blizzard Publishing are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

IRVINE, Calif.—December 1, 2016—City officials today announced that crime in Azeroth’s biggest trade city has skyrocketed following the release of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan^™, the fourth expansion for Hearthstone®, Blizzard Entertainment’s smash- (and grab) hit digital card game. Determined to make their fortunes in the city of opportunity, players from around the world are pouring into Gadgetzan . . . and the city’s three major crime families have taken notice. These fresh recruits have signed up for a life of crime in the hopes of a big score—132 sly new Hearthstone cards to add to their collections!

In Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, players find themselves in the grimy back-alleys of a lawless locale where criminals from all over Azeroth have found a haven free of scrutiny from the Horde and the Alliance. Above all the petty perpetrators and small-time criminals sit three crime families that truly rule the streets: the weapon-smuggling Grimy Goons, the assassins of the Jade Lotus, and the mana-hungry Kabal. Each family offers unique benefits to its own select set of three Hearthstone classes, allowing them to use special tricks of the trade unavailable to rival families. When building decks, players must choose their allies wisely!

“With Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, we’re introducing some exciting new mechanics to give deck-builders all-new ways to play Hearthstone,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It’s going to be fun to see the influence of the three crime families spread throughout Gadgetzan as players align themselves with the Grimy Goons, the Kabal, and the Jade Lotus.”

Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is available now for Windows® and Mac® PCs, iOS and Android™ tablets, and iOS and Android phones. Card packs can be purchased individually or in discounted bundles from the in-game Shop for gold or real-world currency at the same price as all other Hearthstone card packs. Players now have the chance to win Mean Streets of Gadgetzan card packs as quest rewards or prizes in the Arena, and can also craft cards from the expansion by using Arcane Dust collected from disenchanting unwanted cards.

Learn more about the unscrupulous opportunities that await you in the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan at www.gadgetzan.com.

Experience Gadgetzan’s glitz and grime in the fourth expansion for Hearthstone®, Blizzard’s internationally acclaimed digital card game

Prepare to hit the streets running by pre-purchasing a Mean Streets of Gadgetzan card-pack bundle at a special one-time-only price of $49.99†