IRVINE, Calif. - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.'s two-day gaming convention, BlizzCon™, begins this Friday, the company announced. BlizzCon is a celebration of the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® game universes and the player communities that have formed around them. This year's event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center on August 3 and 4 and will feature two days of gaming, contests, developer Q&A panels, and tournaments, as well as the first-ever public opportunity to play the company's long-awaited sequel, StarCraft II. The show will conclude with performances by comedian Jay Mohr, game-music concert group Video Games Live, and Warcraft-themed rock band Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain.

"We received an overwhelming response to our first BlizzCon in 2005, and we've looked forward to being able to come back and spend another weekend with our players ever since," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. "Our employees and our partners have worked hard to make this a memorable experience for the attendees, and we're hoping everyone truly enjoys the show."

Anyone attending BlizzCon who is interested in pursuing career opportunities at Blizzard should bring their resumes, demo reels, or business cards, as the global staffing team will be on hand to accept materials and discuss any job-related questions.

For those unable to attend, Blizzard will be featuring up-to-date coverage of the BlizzCon activities and tournament competitions at www.BlizzCon.com. BlizzCon would not be possible without the enthusiasm of Blizzard gamers around the world and the generous support of Intel®, NVIDIA®, AT&T®, and other sponsors.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft^® and the Warcraft^®, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes ten #1-selling 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 users.