December 12, 2005
BlizzCon Costume Contest Winners
Blizzard Entertainment held an official BlizzCon Costume Contest on Friday, October 28th, co-sponsored by Intel
and Alienware. Check out the results in our picture gallery!
November 16, 2005
BlizzCon Movie Contest Winners
We are happy to announce the winners of the official BlizzCon World of Warcraft Movie Competition, sponsored by NVIDIA.
We were truly amazed at the skill our winners demonstrated in combining in-game footage, original music and music from
our games. Check out these awesome movies here!
BlizzCon: Stay Tuned!
There's more content on the way for www.blizzcon.com; check back later for the
results of our contests, pictures, and more!
November 1, 2005
BlizzCon Invitational Replays: Day Two
All the replays from the second day of BlizzCon are now online. Please visit the BlizzCon Invitational web page to download the replay files and relive all the action.
October 31, 2005
BlizzCon Has Left the Building
We want to thank all the gamers who came out to the Anaheim Convention Center to celebrate with us this weekend. We had a good time all the way up to the end, with Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain, comedian Christian Finnegan, and The Offspring all helping us close the show with a bang. Thanks also to our sponsors for helping support this massive undertaking. It was exciting to be able to see everyone enjoying the developer Q&A panels, the tournaments and contests, the StarCraft: Ghost multiplayer action, and the sneak peek of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade on display. We're eager now to get back into the office on Monday to continue working on our current projects...we'll see you online!
BlizzCon Invitational Wrap-up
The inaugural BlizzCon Invitational has completed with Yellow winning the StarCraft tournament, and Grubby
taking home the "W" in Warcraft III. The turnout and interest in the BlizzCon Invitational was fantastic and we
hope that all of the gamers who attended enjoyed watching these two phenomenal matches.
We'd like to congratulate both winners, as well as all of the other BlizzCon Invitational players, for putting the
full and utmost amount of effort into each game and for displaying a rare magnitude of raw talent and skill. For
more details on the Invitational, please visit [/blizzcon05/tournaments.html]. We hope you enjoyed the show!
Check out videos of the event at GGL here.
October 29, 2005
Highlights of Day 2 at BlizzCon
Thanks to the fact that most attendees got registration out of the way on the first day of BlizzCon, many of them were able to head right onto the show floor when we kicked off this morning at 10:00 AM (PDT). Also, because this second day of BlizzCon fell on a Saturday, the crowd was even bigger today than it was the day before. Whereas yesterday some attendees may have spent some time getting the lay of the land, today many of them headed straight to the areas they were eager to spend some time at.
One of the big highlights for many attendees today was the opportunity to check out some of the Q&A panels that they might have missed the day before. In these sessions, players listened as the developers discussed different aspects of our games, including the history and philosophy behind Blizzard's art design and cinematics, as well as specifics on StarCraft: Ghost's new multiplayer elements and World of Warcraft's classes, items, quests, battlegrounds, raids, and more. After each presentation, there was an opportunity for panel attendees to ask questions.
In the Art Design panel, members of World of Warcraft's creative development team and StarCraft: Ghost artists presented concept and 3D art to the panel attendees, taking time to explain how the pieces were created and fine-tuned to fit the themes of the Warcraft and StarCraft universes. The World of Warcraft Character Class panel was especially packed, as many of the visitors to BlizzCon have been extremely passionate about the issues related to the classes they play in the game. Blizzard developers Tom Chilton and Rob Pardo explained how each class came to be, describing the natural progression from Warcraft III to World of Warcraft. In their forty-five minute presentation, the two also expounded on the intended purpose of each class and the future of the classes as planned for future patches and for the Burning Crusade expansion set.
Beyond the panel discussions, many BlizzCon attendees hung out to watch the final rounds of the StarCraft and Warcraft III tournaments. At the time of this report, many are also eagerly awaiting the final showdown between the StarCraft Battle.net winners and the StarCraft Pro-Gamers. For more information on how the tournaments progressed up to the final matches, be sure to check out the coverage at the various tournament sites that had representatives here at the show.
The jousting booth also drew a steady crowd, offering players a chance to challenge their friends to a little real-life PvP action. With foam lances in hand, the jousters did their best to not lose their balance while trying to knock each other off of a three-foot-wide square platform. Near the Blackrock Spire rock-climbing wall, a handful of onlookers gathered to watch a few games of doubles Ping-Pong, played on one of the three Ping-Pong tables brought in for BlizzCon (factoid: a fast-paced match of Ping-Pong is a favorite stress-reliever at Blizzard's Irvine headquarters).
The sponsors' area was also crowded, with hundreds of attendees stopping in throughout the show to check out the NVIDIA, Intel, Games for Windows, Upper Deck, and other booths and to pick up a rubber bouncing ball with a blue light inside of it, which proved to be a pretty popular souvenir. Nearby, caricature and tatoo artists also kept busy, as attendees had their portraits drawn or got temporary tattoos to prove their allegiance to their favorite World of Warcraft race. Those not participating in these events were taking a chance to rest up for tonight's concert presentation, which was set to start at 6:00 PM. The concert will be featuring Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain in their first appearance outside of Kalimdor, as well as comedian Christian Finnegan, and none other than the world famous rock band, The Offspring!
BlizzCon Invitational Day 2 Begins
After an exciting series of first day matches, the second day of the BlizzCon Invitational is poised to begin. In the StarCraft Invitational bracket, Nada and Yellow will be squaring off in the Round 3 Winners Bracket, while Reach and Nal_Ra fight to stay alive in the Losers Bracket. In the Warcraft III Invitational bracket, Grubby and Zacard will go head to head in Round 3, while ToD and Short Round face off in the Loser Bracket. Check out all the Day 1 replays from the BlizzCon Invitational below:
October 28, 2005
Gaming Press at BlizzCon
As the first day of BlizzCon comes to a close, in-depth articles about the show have already begun appearing around the Web. To check out some of the expert opinion and analysis from the online press on the new game content we revealed at BlizzCon -- including a closer look at World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and the new multiplayer elements that we've added to StarCraft: Ghost -- visit the articles linked to below.
For a print-based preview on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, keep an eye out for the upcoming edition of Computer Gaming World magazine, which features a cover story on the expansion set and also includes details on some of the extensive upcoming patch content for World of Warcraft.
Highlights of Day 1 at BlizzCon
This morning, thousands of excited gamers waited in lines stretching around the Anaheim Convention Center, eager to see the future of World of Warcraft and StarCraft: Ghost at BlizzCon. Many of them wore hand-made costumes, and the atmosphere was keyed up as they anticipated the opening of the convention center doors.
Blizzard president Mike Morhaime kicked off the show with a welcoming speech about Blizzard's history and growth as a game studio over the years. He also touched on a few of the features in StarCraft: Ghost that attendees would be able to see for the first time at BlizzCon-namely the addition of Zerg as a playable multiplayer race and the fact that multiplayer games can now feature up to 16 players. The welcoming speech was followed by lead producer Shane Dabiri's official announcement of the World of Warcraft expansion. As part of Shane's announcement, BlizzCon attendees watched a trailer showcasing the new playable Blood Elf race that will make its appearance in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.
People came from near and far to view the expansion, to see the latest version of StarCraft: Ghost, and to meet the other gamers attending the show. Many were also speaking about the BlizzCon Invitational tournaments, and the seats in front of the stage where the Warcraft III and StarCraft tournament games were taking place were often packed. Pro-gamers from all over the world have traveled to BlizzCon to participate in the Invitational. The winner will take home a very special (and very heavy) trophy.
Other popular events at BlizzCon have been the Battle.net tournaments and the art gallery, where a steady stream of attendees have been checking out artwork from Blizzard's art department as well as fan art created by other gamers. Attendees are also enjoying the Battlegrounds Tournaments, both watching and participating in them. Many have also attempted to climb to the top of Blackrock Spire-the aptly named rock-climbing wall at BlizzCon. As of the time of this report, many people are enjoying the Q&A panels that they're attending or just hanging out on the show floor, saving up their strength for tonight's cocktail-and-contest mixer with the development team.
Last, but certainly not least, is the realm meetings. Many players have gathered to meet with those they've fought alongside (or against) in World of Warcraft, creating a communal feel that pervades all of BlizzCon. We'll follow up with our continued report on the festivities tomorrow.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Announced!
Blizzard is proud to officially announce our upcoming World of Warcraft expansion set, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade! Join the Horde as one of the power-driven Blood Elves, or aid the Alliance as a yet-unrevealed new race! Explore the scarred Orcish homeland of Draenor! Delve into mysterious new dungeons, engage your enemies on new battlegrounds, and acquire wondrous new items! Take up dangerous and rewarding new quests for your faction! Train in an all-new profession! Increase your might as an adventurer up to the new level cap of 70, with new spells, abilities, and talents, and meet head on the plethora of new challenges awaiting you!
We will be revealing new information about the expansion set, including the identity of the new Alliance race, as the release draws closer. Be sure to visit our new expansion site for the latest updates! Read the press release.
BlizzCon Begins!
BlizzCon, the convention celebrating all Blizzard games, has officially begun! Gamers from around the globe are joining us in Anaheim today to take part in developer panels, battle with their fellow players, and indulge in the variety of entertainment available. The World of Warcraft expansion set details have been revealed at last -- check out the official site! We'll continue to post updates from the show floor, share photos, and show replays from the BlizzCon invitational at www.blizzcon.com, so stay tuned!
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Announced!
BlizzCon Begins!
Directions
No Walk-Up BlizzCon Tickets
Follow the Action at BlizzCon
Azerothian Activities Abound at BlizzCon!
Pimp My Ride at BlizzCon
BlizzCon FAQ Updated -- PLEASE READ
