Second expansion for Blizzard Entertainment(R)'s massively multiplayer online role-playing game launches in multiple regions this week
IRVINE, Calif., Nov 13, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that World of Warcraft(R): Wrath of the Lich King(TM), the second expansion for the world's leading massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now on sale in North America, Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Russia. The expansion will be in stores beginning November 14 in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, and available on November 18 in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Details regarding the launch of Wrath of the Lich King in mainland China will be announced at a later date.
"Wrath of the Lich King contains some of the best content we've created for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment(R). "We appreciate the valuable feedback from our beta testers and the continued enthusiasm and dedication of players around the world, and we look forward to seeing them in Northrend."
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sends players to the cold, forbidding continent of Northrend, where the malevolent Lich King Arthas Menethil seeks to bring an end to life on Azeroth. Players will fight Arthas' undead army and unravel the mysteries of Northrend as they quest through new zones and dungeons, acquire potent new skills and abilities, engage in epic open-world player-vs.-player warfare with siege vehicles and destructible buildings, wield the runic power of World of Warcraft's first Hero class -- the death knight -- and much more.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is now available at retailers on DVD-ROM for Windows(R) XP/Vista and Macintosh(R) at a suggested retail price of $39.99. A special Collector's Edition of the expansion is also available at a suggested retail price of $69.99. This limited-edition package includes the expansion, The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King hardcover book, an exclusive in-game pet, a behind-the-scenes DVD, two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game starter packs and two exclusive cards, a mouse pad featuring a map of Northrend, and the official World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King soundtrack CD.
On November 13, the official soundtrack will also be available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com), with three exclusive tracks available only on iTunes.
The Wrath of the Lich King expansion requires the original World of Warcraft game, available for a suggested retail price of $19.99, along with World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade(R), which sells for $29.99. These two products are combined in the World of Warcraft Battle Chest(R), available for $39.99. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King has received a Teen rating from the ESRB.
For more information on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, please visit the official website for the expansion at www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath.
World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft(R) and the Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R), and Diablo(R) series, 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 ten #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net(R), is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.