BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® ANNOUNCES
WORLD OF WARCRAFT™ FOR MAC® OS X
LOS ANGELES, California - May 14, 2003 - Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Blizzard Entertainment®
announced plans for a Mac® OS X version of
World of Warcraft™, its upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
For the first time ever, the company previewed the game running on Mac OS X, along with the game's fifth new playable race,
the reclusive Night Elves. These shadowy, immortal creatures were the first to study magic, which they unleashed throughout
the world of Azeroth nearly ten thousand years before the events chronicled in the original
Warcraft®.
Blizzard also announced several new classes, many forms of transportation, and stunning new lands to explore. For the first time
ever, the company also previewed the game's new fully customizable interface, which allows players to adjust the appearance and
features of the interface to suit their particular preferences and style of play.
"Supporting the Mac platform has always been a priority for us," stated Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and
co-founder. "We're dedicated to building a diverse gaming community around
World of Warcraft, and by bringing the game to
Mac users, we hope to achieve that goal."
Building on the success of the
Warcraft series, Blizzard hopes to expand the MMORPG genre by creating a deep, immersive,
user-friendly experience that will appeal to both veteran gamers and casual players alike. The E3 presentation shows off
the vibrant world of Azeroth in great detail and demonstrates the significant new ways in which the universe has been
expanded.
Key features in the game include:
- Immense, detailed world spanning miles of terrain and featuring hundreds of familiar locations throughout the rich Warcraft
universe, as well as all-new, uncharted territories.
- Hundreds of quests that drive gameplay and provide countless opportunities for adventure and heroism.
- Regular content updates created by an ongoing live development team that continuously designs new lands, quests, and
monsters.
- Thousands of items, including rare and unique weapons and armor with which to customize your character's appearance and
abilities.
- Numerous character classes, each with its own distinctive style of play and multiple paths for development.
- A revolutionary secondary-skill system that allows players to create truly original characters with unique combinations
of abilities.
- Multiple races to choose from, including Night Elves, Humans, Orcs, Tauren, Dwarves, and more to be revealed.
- Several personal modes of transportation, including horses, wolves, and more.
- Ships, Zeppelins, and Gryphons provide quick and easy travel throughout the world.
- Instanced zones create a personal combat and adventure experience for you and your companions.
World of Warcraft takes place three years following the aftermath of
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne™, where a great tension
has settled over the ravaged world of Azeroth. As the various races begin to rebuild their shattered kingdoms, new threats,
both ancient and terrifying, have arisen to plague the world once again. Players must explore the lands of Azeroth, forge
fellowships with other players, and build their strength in order to prevail.
Since its debut in 1994, the #1-selling
Warcraft series has won industry acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with
over 8 million copies sold*. In 1995, Blizzard followed the well-received Warcraft: Orcs and Humans with the highly acclaimed
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness™, considered by many critics to be one of the best games ever made. In 2002, Blizzard expanded
the boundaries of the epic Warcraft universe with the release of
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos™. This third chapter in the
legendary saga quickly became the fastest-selling PC game ever* and has since garnered numerous Game of the Year awards.
Best known for blockbuster hits including the
Warcraft,
StarCraft®, and
Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment
(
www.blizzard.com),
a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software
renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes seven #1-selling
games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net reigns as the largest in the
world, with millions of active users.
*Based on EDI sell-through, internal company estimates, and reports from key retail accounts around the world
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