The submission window for the BlizzCon 2008 /Silly, Dance, and Costume contests has now closed. We thank everyone again for all of your entries!
Please note that the Movie, Original Song, and Motivational Poster contests closed late last week, and players have until October 3rd to enter our Diorama contest. We're looking forward to plenty more great submissions for this final contest.
Blizzard on September 29th, 2008
Thank you to everyone who reported the growing "tie-hacking" problem in Warcraft III ladder games on Battle.net. We have just released a patch to fix this problem, and we will reset the Warcraft III ladder in January at the beginning of the new tournament season to give all players a fresh start. In addition, we are banning the CD keys of top offenders for damaging the gameplay experience for players who seek fair and fun competitive matches on Battle.net.
Nebu on September 29th, 2008
Want to get in on some competitive gaming while you're at BlizzCon? We're hosting several community competitions at this year's convention, including the first-ever StarCraft II Community Tournament. Other events include
Defense of the Ancients (based on Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne) and
World of Warcraft Battlegrounds tournaments. BlizzCon attendees can sign up in advance
here or enter on site during show hours at the community tournament area.
Nebu on September 25th, 2008
The brackets for the StarCraft, Warcraft III, and World of Warcraft Arena tournaments at BlizzCon are now live. These brackets show the starting matches and also provide some information about the contestants who will be competing in this year's BlizzCon tournaments. We will be updating these brackets during BlizzCon, so make sure to check back to see the latest tournament results and replays.
For anyone interested in experiencing the panels, contests, tournaments, and other highlights of BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home, we'd like to provide a more thorough idea of what to expect from DIRECTV's U.S. pay per view package of live HD event coverage.
Multiple cameras will be travelling the show floor to capture the experience of being at BlizzCon, and the coverage will be anchored from a central broadcast desk. The hosts for the show will be:
Geoff Keighley, executive producer and host of Spike's GameTrailers TV, the #1-rated videogame show on television
Becky "AKTREZ" Young, creator and leading lady of the Girls Entertainment Network
Kat Hunter, general manager of professional gaming team for the Championship Gaming Series, the San Francisco Optx, and former Frag Doll
Celebrity guests Patton Oswalt and Jay Mohr will also be appearing -- Jay is returning to host the live BlizzCon contests, and Patton will be performing a comedy routine during the closing-night ceremony, which will also feature all-Blizzard rock band Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain. In addition, senior Blizzard Entertainment developers such as Rob Pardo, Jay Wilson, Dustin Browder, and Jeff Kaplan will be rotating in and out of the broadcast desk throughout the day to talk about their work and share their thoughts on the convention as it unfolds.
Viewers will also enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the Blizzard Entertainment headquarters, get the BlizzCon-exclusive in-game polar bear mount for a World of Warcraft character they play, and be able to download high-resolution cinematic trailers for upcoming games (with an appropriate DVR).
DIRECTV is currently running a special promotion -- available only through the BlizzCon website -- offering the pay per view event free to new customers who sign up for DIRECTV by September 30. Time is running out on this offer, so act quickly.
Beginning this Sunday, September 28, through the end of the convention, current DIRECTV customers will be able to order the package for $39.95. For more information, please visit www.directv.com/blizzcon or call 1-800-728-9375.
Nebu on September 25th, 2008
The submission window for the BlizzCon 2008 Movie, Original Song, and Motivational Poster contests has now closed. We thank everyone for the wide array of creative entries we've seen.
BlizzCon attendees have until September 30th to enter for the /Silly, Dance, and Costume contests, and until October 3rd to submit pictures for the Diorama contest.
We are in the process of reviewing all applications and submissions as we receive them and look forward to seeing more!
Nebu on September 25th, 2008
If you live in Australia but are unable to make it to BlizzCon 2008 in person, Foxtel's Main Event is broadcasting coverage of the conference live on pay-per-view on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12 beginning at 4 a.m. (AEDT). Main Event will present eight hours of live coverage per day, including main stage presentations, interviews, tournaments, game demos, and more. As a bonus, people who purchase both days of the show will be eligible to receive a gift card redeemable for the BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft in-game polar bear mount. For full details, visit the Main Event site at www.mainevent.com.au, or order Day 1 and Day 2 directly.
We're also looking into the possibility of bringing televised BlizzCon 2008 coverage to other regions of the world -- keep an eye on BlizzCon.com for more.
Nebu on September 23rd, 2008
The replay pack for the 2008 North American Warcraft Finals is now available. Download now to catch all of the intense Warcraft III action you may have missed.
Blaze on September 18th, 2008
The Diablo III Bestiary now features a new creature from the realm of Sanctuary: the terrifying Dune Thresher.
As I was preparing to set pen to paper to begin recording my thoughts at the beginning of my epic undertaking to gather the world's knowledge together in one tome, the hand of providence tapped me on the shoulder. The news that a rogue burrower had killed a citizen just outside the city gave me the wonderful opportunity to see firsthand one of the more disturbing creatures we share this world with - the savage dune thresher.
We've also expanded the media galleries with four new pieces of artwork and four new screenshots.
Nebu on September 16th, 2008
All of the tickets available in the BlizzCon 2008 Ticket Drawing are now sold out. Ticketholders should keep an eye on the official BlizzCon site for the latest information on panels, contests, and other events at the show, which takes place Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
Nebu on September 10th, 2008
Several StarCraft fansites are currently hosting contests for a chance to win tickets to this year's BlizzCon, including:
We are now accepting entries for our BlizzCon online contests, including our Diorama, Motivational Poster, and Movie contests.
Whether you have tickets to BlizzCon or not, your application is welcome. Simply fill out the
Submission form and be prepared to demonstrate your creative
talents! For more contest information visit our BlizzCon Contests page.
For those BlizzCon attendees looking to show off graceful dance moves, fill the convention center halls with laughs, or come dressed
as your favorite Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo characters, the
Submission form for all applicants is now available! For more contest
information visit our BlizzCon Contests page.
Nebu on September 5th, 2008
We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out
part 44 of the Q&A, along with
the StarCraft II Q&A archive
in the Battle.net forums.
Nebu on September 5th, 2008
The 2008 North American Warcraft Final will be taking place this weekend, September 6-7. If you want to see some of the most intense gaming competition ever held on the East Coast and get hands-on with demos of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, you won't want to miss this event. Admission is free, so come by and check it out if you're in the area. Even if you're not able to attend, you can catch all of the action live online with our direct stream from the venue. Check out our
tournament site for more details.
Blizzard on September 4th, 2008
We just added the Diablo Timeline to the Diablo III website. This page provides a chronological background for the history of Sanctuary. If you're interested in learning more about the lore of the Diablo universe, look no further.
We've also expanded the media galleries with four new pieces of artwork and four new screenshots. Take a look!
Blizzard on September 4th, 2008
DIRECTV has just announced further details for their pay per view package of BlizzCon coverage, and that the special promotion offering it free with a new subscription is now open. New DIRECTV subscribers in the US who sign up for DIRECTV by September 30 through www.blizzard.directv.com or 800-728-9375 will receive the package for free, while existing DIRECTV customers will be able to order it for $39.95 beginning on September 28. For full details, check out the official announcement, or head over to the BlizzCon site.
Blizzard on September 4th, 2008
If you enjoy the music from Blizzard Entertainment games and have ever thought about ordering the soundtracks, doing so just got more convenient. Six soundtrack albums have just been added to a new Blizzard hub page within the iTunes music store, and are available for purchase and download. The StarCraft, Diablo II, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft, and The Burning Crusade soundtracks are all there, as is the Taverns of Azeroth album, which had been exclusively sold at BlizzCon 2007. The Diablo III Overture is also available as a single, and has been chosen as a Discovery Download, making it free to download until next Tuesday. For more information, check out the
official announcement, or head over to the Blizzard iTunes page.
Nebu on September 3rd, 2008
The 2008 North American and European Warcraft Finals will be taking place this weekend, September 6-7, in Boston, Massachusetts, and Madrid, Spain. These events will feature the top eight qualifiers from the 2008 World of Warcraft Arena and Warcraft III tournaments for their respective regions. Attendees will also have the opportunity to try out demos of Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II on-site. Admission is free, so come by and check it out if you're in the area.
For full details on each event, please visit the
tournament page.
Blizzard on September 2nd, 2008
Send us your StarCraft-themed comics and we'll choose the funniest or most interesting to be showcased on a special gallery page.
Remember, we're looking for the best StarCraft humor out there. You can submit comics created in any medium, just make sure
they're relevant to StarCraft II, original, and make us laugh.
For the first month, our winner will receive an 8GB Blizzard Branded iPod Nano, a copy of the StarCraft board game, a StarCraft
Battle Chest, a shirt, and a copy of the StarCraft cinematics DVD. Two runners-up will also receive prize packages. See the official
contest page here.
The Diablo III Bestiary now features a new creature from the realm of Sanctuary: the terrifying Dune Thresher.
We just added the Diablo Timeline to the Diablo III website. This page provides a chronological background for the history of Sanctuary. If you're interested in learning more about the lore of the Diablo universe, look no further.
