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Articles from Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase Renew Agreement to Bring Beloved Titles Back to China; Microsoft Gaming, NetEase Enter Broader Collaboration
Beloved video game titles from Blizzard Entertainment that captivated millions of players in China will return to the market sequentially, beginning this summer, under a renewed publishing deal Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft Gaming, and NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES and HKEX: 9999) announced today.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · April 9, 2024
Blizzard Takes the Stage at BlizzCon® 2023; Announces the Next Three World of Warcraft® Expansions, First Expansion for Diablo® IV, a New Overwatch® hero, and more!
BlizzCon® 2023 has kicked off in Anaheim, California, where Blizzard Entertainment celebrated player communities live and in person for the first time in four years at the industry-staple event.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · November 3, 2023
Blizzard Entertainment Announces the Next Three Expansions for World of Warcraft®, Kicking Off The Worldsoul Saga™ with The War Within™ in 2024
Today at BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard Entertainment announced The Worldsoul Saga™, featuring three separate expansions for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft®. Players will begin their adventure deep beneath the surface in the World of Warcraft: The War Within™ expansion, slated for release in 2024. World of Warcraft: Midnight™ and World of Warcraft: The Last Titan, ™ will round out a three-part saga that calls players home to save Azeroth.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · November 3, 2023
Joyful Chaos Wherever You Go! Warcraft Rumble™ Launches at BlizzCon on November 3
Players are invited to experience the dazzling new sensation that’s been sweeping Azeroth, when Blizzard Entertainment’s mobile action strategy game Warcraft Rumble™ launches worldwide* on Android and iOS devices on November 3, live at BlizzCon! In taverns from Winterspring to Booty Bay, Horde and Alliance alike are gathering around a marvelous new machine, which brings miniature versions of their famous heroes and villains to life to do battle in strategic, frantic skirmishes.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · October 3, 2023
Sound the Alarm! The Invasion Has Begun in Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch® 2
There’s something for everyone in Overwatch 2: Invasion, the latest release for Blizzard Entertainment’s cross-platform, team-based action game. Starting today, players can join the heroes answering the call to save the world with three Overwatch 2: Invasion Story Missions, enter the fray with the new Peruvian support hero Illari, test their mettle on two huge maps in the new Flashpoint PvP mode, and much more.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · August 10, 2023
Minions Are Larger Than Life in TITANS, the Newest Hearthstone® Expansion, Now Live!
Harness the power of the Warcraft® cosmos in TITANS, the latest expansion to Hearthstone®, Blizzard Entertainment’s digital card game, now live.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · August 1, 2023
BlizzCon® Returns to Anaheim November 3-4, 2023: Tickets On Sale July 8
After four years away, BlizzCon® 2023–Blizzard Entertainment’s two-day global gaming convention–returns to Anaheim, California on November 3-4, with the first wave of tickets available for purchase July 8. This year, BlizzCon will be a one-of-a-kind immersive experience, bringing attendees into the universes of Warcraft®, Diablo®, and Overwatch® with massive installations, art, and spaces where friends can connect and learn what’s next for our games. For those who wish to watch BlizzCon 2023 online, all on-stage content will also be available via live streaming at no cost.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · June 29, 2023
Diablo® IV Crosses $666 Million Sell-Through within Five Days of Launch, Setting New Blizzard All-Time Record
Diablo IV had the best-selling opening in Blizzard’s history, crossing an auspicious $666 million in global sell-through in the first five days following its June 6 launch*. The latest installment for the Diablo series, and Blizzard’s fastest-selling game ever*, is the box-office equivalent of the biggest opening week of the year**.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · June 12, 2023
Diablo® IV Launches, Immediately Sets New Record as Blizzard Entertainment’s Fastest-Selling Game of All Time
Diablo® IV, the highly anticipated new installment of the iconic Diablo series, is now live. Already, it is Blizzard Entertainment’s fastest-selling game of all time, with Blizzard’s highest pre-launch unit sales ever on both console and PC*. In the four days since early access started on June 1, Diablo IV has been played for 93 million hours, or over 10,000 years --- the equivalent playing 24 hours a day since the beginning of human civilization.
Make Some Noise! The Newest Hearthstone® Expansion, Festival of Legends™, is Now Live!
Whether you’re into metal, hippie, emo, folk, electronic, disco, pop, hip-hop, jazz, classical, or rock music, there’s an act for everyone to rave about in the Tavern! Hitting the stage today is Festival of Legends™, the latest expansion to Hearthstone®, Blizzard Entertainment’s digital card game. Everyone’s invited to the biggest music festival that Azeroth has ever seen, with a raucous line-up of legendary musicians and brand-new Soloist performers.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · April 11, 2023
First Major In-game Collaboration for Overwatch® 2 Adds Cosmetic Collection Based on Beloved One-Punch Man Anime
A bevy of collectible cosmetics based on the globally popular anime, One-Punch Man, are live today in Overwatch® 2, Blizzard Entertainment’s cross-platform and free-to-play team-based action game. The collection marks the first major collaboration for the Overwatch universe and opens the door to other crossover concepts and possibilities in the future.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · March 7, 2023
See You in Hell on June 6, 2023! Pre-Purchase for Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo® IV Available Now
Diablo® IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series by Blizzard Entertainment, will be released on June 6, 2023. Diablo IV will feature cross-platform play and progression on Windows® PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, plus couch co-op on consoles at launch.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · December 8, 2022
A Frosty Villain Returns to Hearthstone® in March of the Lich King™, the Undeadly New Expansion Live Now
The Lich King returns! Live worldwide today is March of the Lich King™, the latest expansion to Hearthstone®, Blizzard Entertainment’s sensational digital card game. The ghastly villain has risen from his slumber and is leading his Undead army and the new Death Knight class in an all-out assault on the elven capital city of Silvermoon. The corpses are piling up, but the Blood Elves won’t go down without a fight!
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · December 6, 2022
The Dragon Isles Have Awakened—World of Warcraft®: Dragonflight is Now Live!
World of Warcraft®: Dragonflight, the ninth expansion to Blizzard Entertainment’s critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now live! Heroes of the Horde and Alliance are called back to Azeroth to explore the mystical Dragon Isles and its ancient secrets, where the dragon aspects have returned to reclaim their kingdom and ancestral home.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · November 28, 2022
Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase Suspending Game Services in China
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that it will be suspending most Blizzard game services in mainland China due to the expiration of the current licensing agreements with NetEase, Inc. on January 23, 2023. This includes World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Warcraft® III: Reforged, Overwatch®, the StarCraft® series, Diablo III®, and Heroes of the Storm®. Diablo Immortal® co-development and publishing is covered under a separate agreement between the two companies.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · November 16, 2022
A Future Worth Fighting for: Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch® 2 Reaches Twenty-Five Million Players in First Ten Days
Overwatch 2, Blizzard Entertainment’s cross-platform and free-to-play team-based action game, has seen over twenty-five million heroes join the fight in the first ten days since its launch on Windows® PC via Battle.net®, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and Nintendo Switch™ consoles. The game has proven to be a global phenomenon, already achieving a daily player base spread near-even across EMEA, Asia, and the Americas that’s nearly triple the previous daily player peak from the original Overwatch.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · October 14, 2022
It’s Go Time! Overwatch® 2 is Live Now and Free to Play on Console and PC With New Heroes, Maps, and More
Today marks the beginning of a new era for Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning franchise: Overwatch® 2 is live now and free to play worldwide with cross-platform play and progression for all players on Windows® PC via Battle.net®, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and Nintendo Switch™ consoles! Setting the stage for years to come, Overwatch 2 will receive substantial seasonal updates, often including features such as new heroes, maps, game modes, cosmetics, and more released at a regular cadence.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · October 4, 2022
Master the Skies of the Dragon Isles when World of Warcraft® Dragonflight Soars on November 28
The ancestral home of dragonkind is stirring as Blizzard Entertainment today announced Dragonflight, the ninth expansion for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft®, will be released worldwide on November 28 at 3:00 p.m.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · September 29, 2022
Brave the Frozen North in World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King Classic™—Live Now
The icy winds of Northrend are wailing once more, heralding news that Blizzard Entertainment’s Wrath of the Lich King Classic™ is now live. All players with an active subscription automatically receive access to the re-creation of WoW®’s acclaimed second expansion at no additional cost and can log in to begin their adventures into the frozen wilds of Azeroth’s northern continent today. The legendary story can be experienced on all realms previously dedicated to World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic™ content.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · September 26, 2022
The Game is Afoot in the Newest Hearthstone® Expansion, Murder at Castle Nathria™
Murder at Castle Nathria™, the latest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s sensational digital card game Hearthstone®, is now live. Sire Denathrius—former leader of Revendreth—has invited his enemies as guests to his Castle for an elegant dinner soirée. The evening is going smoothly…until suddenly, the Sire himself is murdered! Now, with the castle turned into a crime scene, it’s up to players—and the brainy Murloc Holmes—to figure out whodunit.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · August 2, 2022
An Iconic Villain Reborn—World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King Classic™ Launches September 26
From atop the frozen throne of Icecrown Citadel, the Lich King Arthas Menethil—once a fierce paladin prince consumed and corrupted by a misguided zeal to save his people at any cost—marshals his undead army into war against the inhabitants of Azeroth. Blizzard Entertainment announced today that the forces of the Horde and the Alliance will have another chance to bring a fitting end to one of World of Warcraft®’s most iconic villains starting September 26, when the company releases Wrath of the Lich King Classic™, the authentic re-creation of WoW®’s acclaimed second expansion, at no additional cost to all players with an active subscription. This expansion will launch globally at 3pm PDT and will be available on all World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic™ realms.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · July 25, 2022
Blizzard Entertainment Acquires Boston-Based Studio Proletariat to Expand Development Pipeline for World of Warcraft ®
Blizzard Entertainment today closed the acquisition of Boston-based studio Proletariat to better serve players in the award-winning massive multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft®.
Take Flight in the Dragon Isles when World of Warcraft® Dragonflight Lands Later This Year—Pre-purchase Available Now
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Dragonflight, the next expansion to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft®, is now available for pre-purchase at www.worldofwarcraft.com and is set to launch later this year. In Dragonflight, players will embark to the awakening Dragon Isles, the origin place of dragonkind, where the fabled dragon aspects have returned to claim their rightful home.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · June 21, 2022
Hell on the Horizon: Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo® IV Coming in 2023
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that Diablo® IV, the next generation installment in the genre-defining series, is debuting in 2023. Blizzard also announced that Diablo IV is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation®5, alongside versions for Windows® PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation®4, with cross-play and cross-progression enabled for all platforms.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · June 12, 2022
Overwatch® 2 Launches October 4, with Junker Queen Joining the Fray
Overwatch 2 is launching in early access with dynamic new PvP content releasing on Windows® PC and Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and Nintendo Switch™ consoles on October 4, kicking off the next chapter for Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed team-based shooter. Featuring a new five-versus-five multiplayer format with cross-platform play and cross-platform progression, Overwatch 2’s PvP experience is designed to offer incredible and fresh competitive gameplay with a new, free-to-play model and major game updates such as new heroes, hero reworks, maps, modes, and premium cosmetics.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · June 12, 2022
Diablo® Immortal™ Unleashed on Mobile and PC
The Lord of Terror has been defeated, but darker days lie ahead for Sanctuary’s newest heroes. Diablo® Immortal™, the latest, all-new entry in Blizzard Entertainment’s iconic Diablo franchise, is live and available for download free on iOS™ and Android™ mobile platforms, and in open beta on Windows® PC via Battle.net®, throughout most regions of the world, with select Asia-Pacific regions coming June 22.
Blizzard Entertainment to Bring Action-Packed Strategy to Mobile with Warcraft® Arclight Rumble™
Blizzard Entertainment today unveiled Warcraft® Arclight Rumble™, an action-packed mobile strategy game coming later this year to Android and iOS devices in select regions. Designed from the ground up for mobile and set in the beloved Warcraft universe, Warcraft Arclight Rumble invites players to build armies with their favorite heroes and villains from Warcraft and battle it out in unique missions designed to test their tactical wits.
Diablo ® Immortal™ Unleashes Hell on Mobile and PC on June 2
The Worldstone is shattered, and it now falls to the heroes of Sanctuary to fend off the terrors rising in its wake. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that beginning June 2, players in most regions across the world will take up the call to defend against the Burning Hells in Diablo® Immortal ™, the first Blizzard game designed from the ground up for mobile, with the remaining regions in Asia-Pacific gaining access a few weeks later.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · April 25, 2022
World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King Classic™ to Transport Players Back to the Icy Realm of Northrend Later This Year
From his grim citadel deep in the frozen continent of Northrend, the dreaded Lich King Arthas Menethil sets in motion his conquest of Azeroth, ushering in one of the most unforgettable sagas in Warcraft® history. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft®: Wrath of the Lich King Classic™ is coming later this year, inviting players to experience anew an adventure that indelibly shaped the ongoing story of Warcraft. When it launches in 2022, this finely tuned rerelease of the smash-hit 2008 expansion will be available at no additional cost to all players with an active World of Warcraft subscription.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · April 19, 2022
World of Warcraft® Players to Soar Back to Azeroth in Dragonflight
Following a period of calamity for the world of Azeroth, long-forgotten forces are stirring in the mythical Dragon Isles, the ancestral home of dragonkind. Today, Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft®: Dragonflight, the upcoming expansion for the company’s critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, which welcomes players into a new era of high-fantasy adventure.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · April 19, 2022
An Underwater Expedition Awaits in the Newest Hearthstone® Expansion, Voyage to the Sunken City™, Live Today
Voyage to the Sunken City™, the latest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s smash-hit digital card game Hearthstone®, is now live, kicking off the Year of the Hydra with an underwater odyssey to the remnants of Zin-Azshari—an ancient city that sunk in the Great Sundering over ten millennia ago. Local marine life has since flourished there, as illustrated in Voyage to the Sunken City’s 135 new cards that bubble up fishy friends, foes, and fauna of all sizes—and appetites.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · April 12, 2022
Hearthstone® Mercenaries is Live Today—Experience an All-New Way to Play the Smash-Hit Digital Card game
Hearthstone® Mercenaries, the all-new free-to-play game mode for Blizzard’s smash-hit digital card game Hearthstone, is live today, offering players a whole new way to play in its vibrant universe. Combining the depth of tactical RPG-style combat with engrossing and rewarding long-term progression, Mercenaries puts the focus on Hearthstone’s iconic characters, encouraging players to collect, upgrade, and equip their favorite heroes and villains, and call their shots in epic high-stakes battles.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · October 12, 2021
The Gates of Hell are Open: Diablo® II: Resurrected™ Now Live
Diablo, The Lord of Terror, is clawing his way out of CRT monitors and onto HD screens everywhere. Available today, Diablo® II: Resurrected™ is the definitive remaster of Diablo II and its Lord of Destruction® expansion. The genre-defining action-RPG has been faithfully modernized to be more stunning, more accessible, and more fun than ever before.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · September 23, 2021
Stand Tall with the Alliance in United in Stormwind™, Coming to Hearthstone® August 3
This August, Hearthstone® players will bear witness to the might and glory of the Alliance in United in Stormwind™, the next expansion for Blizzard’s smash hit digital card game played by more than 130 million people around the world. Within Stormwind’s proud ramparts, players will find the Alliance’s beating heart—as well as 135 all-new cards inspired by the rites of passage shared by heroes about to come into their own in this gleaming city.
Diablo® II: Resurrected™ Reopens the Gates of Hell September 23
On September 23, players around the world can save Sanctuary from certain doom in Diablo® II: Resurrected™, the definitive remastering of Diablo II and its Lord of Destruction® expansion—two landmark entries in the company’s genre-defining action role-playing series.
By Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. · Via Business Wire · June 13, 2021
World of Warcraft®: Burning Crusade Classic™ Is Now Live!
The Dark Portal has opened once again, and beyond it lies a timeless era of adventure. Beginning today, World of Warcraft players will rediscover the wondrous landscapes and mythic challenges awaiting them in the shattered realm of Outland as Burning Crusade Classic™, Blizzard Entertainment’s authentic recreation of the legendary first World of Warcraft® expansion, launches around the globe.
Return to Outland on June 1 With the Launch of World of Warcraft®: Burning Crusade Classic™
“You are not prepared!” Fourteen years ago, Illidan Stormrage issued that thunderous warning to those who would dare confront him in the shattered realm of Outland. Starting June 1, heroes of Azeroth new and old will have the opportunity to gather their courage and rally their allies to face the Betrayer once again with the worldwide launch of World of Warcraft®: Burning Crusade Classic™.