Gamers from Around the World Gather for Gaming, Esports, and More This Week at BlizzCon® 2017
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Gamers from Around the World Gather for Gaming, Esports, and More This Week at BlizzCon® 2017

Blizzard Entertainment’s annual community celebration is back and bigger than ever

BlizzCon 2017 is filled with two days of games, world-class competition, and developer panels, and a concert featuring Muse

The party extends around the globe via BlizzCon.com and the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket

IRVINE, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — October 30, 2017 — BlizzCon® 2017, Blizzard Entertainment’s epic celebration of gaming and community, is almost here!

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171030005426/en/

BlizzCon 2017 (Graphic: Business Wire)

BlizzCon 2017 (Graphic: Business Wire)

This Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4, gamers from around the globe will gather at the Anaheim Convention Center for a weekend filled with Blizzard gaming news, events featuring players’ favorite community personalities, epic esports tournaments, contests spotlighting cosplayers and other talented creators, a performance by Grammy Award–winning band Muse, and much more. While tickets to the convention are sold out, anyone can join the party online with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket.

“The community is the heart of Blizzard’s games, and BlizzCon is our favorite way to connect directly with our players and geek out over the things we’re passionate about,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’ve worked hard to make this our biggest and best BlizzCon yet, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday.”

BlizzCon will be a can’t-miss destination for gamers everywhere, packed with an array of activities, events, exciting announcements, and more:

Don’t Miss the Epic Opening Ceremony

The BlizzCon festivities officially begin Friday at 11 a.m. PDT with the opening ceremony, where the world gets the download on Blizzard’s latest development plans. For the first time, attendees can watch developers presenting live on three different stages—the Mythic stage in Hall D, the Overwatch Arena, and the Hearthstone stage in the new North Hall—and everyone can watch free online at BlizzCon.com. Tune in early at 10:30 a.m. for the free BlizzCon All Access Channel preshow to kick things off.

Discover Four Live Stages of Developer and Community Events

Experience four stages of live game and community content. Learn what’s in store for your favorite Blizzard games in developer discussions; connect with your favorite online personalities in an array of activities such as live podcasts and Blizzard-themed game shows; and get in touch with your inner creator at sessions featuring live art demos, cosplay tips, engineering workshops, and more. See the complete schedule at www.blizzcon.com/schedule.

For the first time ever, all four stages will be streamed live online for people watching with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, and VODs will be available in English, French, German, Russian, and Korean. Before the show begins, gamers can get in the BlizzCon spirit by watching more than 40 pre-show videos (many free; all included with the Virtual Ticket) at www.blizzcon.com/watch.

Cheer On Your Favorite Esports Players

All weekend long, the spirit of competition fills the convention center as the final rounds of the World of Warcraft® Arena World Championship, Overwatch® World Cup, StarCraft® II World Championship Series, Heroes of the Storm® Global Championship Finals, and Hearthstone® Inn-vitational play out. Esports fans can also psych themselves up for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League with a special kick-off event on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PDT. Visit www.blizzcon.com/esports for more information on this year’s tournament programming.

All of this weekend’s Blizzard esports action is available to watch for free on BlizzCon.com, Twitch, and MLG.com. Virtual Ticket holders can enjoy an enhanced esports viewing experience when watching on BlizzCon.com or in the BlizzCon Mobile app.

Geek Out at Community Night—Hosted by Chris Hardwick

On Friday at 6 p.m. PDT, get ready for an evening of legendary community creativity with the BlizzCon 2017 costume, talent, movie, and art contests. This year’s Community Night will be emceed by Chris Hardwick, founder of Nerdist and host of NBC’s hit game show series The Wall, returning for his second BlizzCon.

Close Out the Weekend with Muse

Get ready for an epic finale—Grammy Award–winning band Muse will be performing on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. PDT, giving everyone at the show and watching online a stage-shattering send-off.

Explore an Array of On-Site Activities

Everyone attending in person can explore a variety of events and activities throughout the convention center. Surprises await around every corner, and highlights include:

BlizzCon is made possible in part by the generosity of the event’s sponsors, who help provide hardware, peripherals, and other support for the show. This year’s sponsors include Cisco, DXRacer, and Intel, along with the following partners who’ll be hosting activities for attendees at booths around the show floor:

Although BlizzCon tickets have sold out, viewers can still join the excitement from home with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket ($39.99), which offers comprehensive live online coverage of both days of the event—including Community Night on Friday evening and Muse’s performance on Saturday. Virtual Ticket holders will also receive a treasure trove of bonus in-game items for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo III, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft II.

Attendees and Virtual Ticket viewers alike can download the BlizzCon Mobile App, available free for Android and iOS devices, and use it to plan their weekend, map a route through the convention center, and even watch live streams.

For more information on BlizzCon 2017, visit www.blizzcon.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, 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 twenty-one #1 games and multiple Game of the Year awards.* The company’s online-gaming service is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads. Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the dates, event plans, and features of BlizzCon and the pricing, features, and functionality of the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.



Contact:

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Rob Hilburger
VP, Global Corporate Communications
949-955-1380 x13228
Email Contact
or
Andrew Reynolds
Director, Global PR
949-955-1380 x14301
Email Contact
or
Meelad Sadat
Director, Global Corporate Communications
949-955-1380 x14301
Email Contact