blizzcon posts

GamesCom enters the ranks of E3 on its first year

by Shawn Schuster Aug 24th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Hands-on

With a bajillion gaming conventions going on this year, and the global economy being the way it is, you'd think gamers would need to pick and choose their events more carefully. You would actually think that if you decided to run your brand new gaming convention the exact same days as BlizzCon, you're in for some problems. Well, you'd be wrong.

GamesCom in Cologne, Germany has just reported its attendance numbers and it blew away all expectations. 245,000 people attended the 5-day event that exhibited 458 companies from 31 countries. Quite a feat considering it was their first year. Our parent site, Joystiq, was on the ground at GamesCom and can provide more helpful statistics such as liters of Kölsch consumed and number of times they ran into champion boxer Wladimir Klitschko. Very important stuff.

Tags: blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, conference, convention, gamescom, gamescom-09, gamescom-2009, joystiq

20k BlizzCon tickets gone in eight measly minutes

by Kyle Horner Aug 7th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Klondike ain't got nothing on BlizzCon tickets when they're selling out faster than fiber optic internet on steroids.We're pretty sure there are thousands of people who would commit all kinds of unspeakable acts in order to acquire one. Maybe next year they're hold a Running Man style competition, or they could just hold a random lottery. Fans would probably do whatever Blizzard asked them, just to get the tiniest of peeks at their next big thing.

Surely though, people must be expecting some serious info to drop if the tickets sold out that quickly. Obviously there's a slim chance Blizzard's next MMO could be announced this year. There's also a chance we'll just hear more about already announced titles, but what else is there to know about StarCraft II at this point? No, we're holding out hope for MMO 2, because what's life without a little dangerous hoping?

Tags: activision-blizzard, blizzard, blizzcon, diablo, diablo-3, starcraft-2, world-of-warcraft, wow

The Daily Grind: Are you looking forward to any gaming conventions?

by Shawn Schuster Aug 1st 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

August and September are notoriously known as the months of gaming conventions, and ultimately, two months where we're pretty busy reporting announcements and general event coverage. We have both GamesCom and GamesCon (yes, confusing), GenCon, BlizzCon, GDC Austin, PAX, Tokyo Game Show and Dragon*Con to think about. Plus, there are countless smaller cons all around the world celebrating the gaming and general geek culture.

So which conventions are you most looking forward to in the coming months? Since we already have plans to attend a few of these conventions, we're curious to know which ones our readers see as the most important to them. Let us know your annual favorites that you usually attend, plan to attend for the first time or simply want to hear more about.

Tags: blizzcon, conventions, dragoncon-2009, gamescom-09, gamesconvention, gdc-austin-2009, gencon, opinion, pax, the-daily-grind, tokyo-game-show

World of Warcraft and Mountain Dew contest prizes include BlizzCon trips and laptops

by James Egan May 30th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Contests, Events, real-world

Are you desperate for a BlizzCon 2009 ticket? Desperate enough to jump through marketing hoops to get one? Well read on. Massively took a lighthearted jab at the World of Warcraft and Mountain Dew partnership with "WoW in Liquid Form", all in good fun. But the "Choose Your Side" contest they're running this summer has prizes some of our readers may be interested in, given how quickly BlizzCon tickets tend to sell out: all-expense-paid trips to BlizzCon 2009, each valued at $3000. They're giving away one per week through June 19th. It's a trip for two with round trip air and accommodation plus some spending cash thrown in.

If you're despondent over being #7585 in line for a BlizzCon 2009 ticket, head on over to the Game Fuel site where you can register and start racking up tokens which are essentially contest entries. Additional prizes they're giving away daily include Razer gaming gear (7 each day, not including the speakers), but there are also Alienware laptops (1 each day) waiting to be snagged. More info can be found in the official rules.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Tags: blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, contests, events, fantasy, game-fuel, game-fuel-tokens, mountain-dew, world-of-warcraft, wow

Captain Placeholder reminds you: Get your BlizzCon tickets tomorrow!

by Krystalle Voecks May 29th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Events, real-world, News items

In case you somehow forgot in the crush of excitement coming into E3, there are other conventions going on out there later this year. There again, if you're a die-hard World of Warcraft player, we suspect you probably remember BlizzCon - potentially before E3 even springs into your mind. Well, if you're one of the teeming masses who are just dying to get your hands on some BlizzCon tickets, we felt it was best to remind you that the second (and final) round of tickets will go on sale tomorrow morning for $125 each.

If you're after one of those coveted tickets, remember, you need to make sure you have a Battle.net account ready for tomorrow's insane crush of humanity on the ordering servers. The last round was sold out insanely fast, so you may also want to consider getting to bed early and making sure you have all the proper mats gathered to buff yourself up for the BlizzCon raid tomorrow. It's going to be an epic battle to get them, we're sure.

Tags: battle.net, blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, captain-placeholder, tickets

Don't forget BlizzCon tickets go on sale today

by Lesley Smith May 16th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Events, real-world

If all goes to plan, tickets for BlizzCon 2009. the must-attend event of the year, are due to go on sale in a couple of hours time. This year's BlizzCon is being held on the weekend of 21st August at the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles.

Our sister site WoW Insider will be updating all day and if you're planning on joining the queue for tickets, you might want to check out their guide to the event. If you are, set up a Battle.net Account right now and then read up on how the new ticket system is going to work. Remember the first batch of tickets is going on sale at 10am PDT today, the second batch will be released at some point on 30th May, but we suggest you try and get them today if you can, as they are sure to sell out fast.

Tags: blizzard, blizzard-entertainment, blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, diablo-3, diablo-iii, starcraft-2, starcraft-ii, world-of-warcraft, wow-insider

The Daily Grind: Are you going to BlizzCon?

by Lesley Smith May 16th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Events, real-world, The Daily Grind

With BlizzCon tickets going on sale later this morning, this Daily Grind is probably going to be one of the more obvious and occasionally repeated. But as it is topical, I shall ask straight off before going into my customary anecdote. Are you going to BlizzCon? Will you be queuing for tickets all day today? Why exactly do you want to go? Is it Grunty, the promise of new announcements or rather for an IRL catch up with guildies?

I admit, until last year I never went to fan events and then the WWI was announced for Paris. Well, living across the pond in Blighty, I couldn't not go, could I? Granted I spent 98% of my time in a near pitch black press room squinting at my laptop, it was still amazing to sit in a bus headed for the convention centre, watching thousands of people standing in a queue which must have gone on for at least four blocks.

It only hit me when I found myself in the front row of the press area, mere inches from Mike Morhaime as he announced Diablo III. I don't cosplay and I'm usually working but very mention of a fan event makes me want to squee like a fan girl. I'm not even sure if I'm going to this year's BlizzCon yet, but if I don't, I will certainly be getting the DirectTV stream. What about you?

Tags: anaheim-convention-center, blizzard, blizzard-entertainment, blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, blizzcon-ticket-sales, blizzcon-tickets, the-daily-grind, world-of-warcraft

The Daily Grind: Streaming BlizzCon?

by Krystalle Voecks May 6th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

So we got the word yesterday that BlizzCon tickets will be on sale on the 16th - assuming we don't have another server-melting Failoc love in like we had last year - many more people will be able to pick up tickets and attend this year. Of course, for those of us who either can't pony up the cash to fly out to Los Angeles for the shindig, or for those who are only really interested in it for the announcements, a $125 ticket may not be on the agenda. As such, $40 can net you all the important news from the comfort of your own living room - and apparently an in-game WoW item too. Question is, would you be interested in doing that?

The good is that, well, you save a boatload by only ordering the streaming version, and you still land whatever item it is that the BlizzCon attendees will get (like last year's polar bear with murloc mount). You'll also save yourself from all the lines and being crushed in there with the unwashed masses. The downside is that you won't be there in person to really experience all that BlizzCon has to offer. So, will you consider streaming BlizzCon? Is it Los Angeles or bust for you? Or do you just not care one way or the other, but would go to a friend's house to watch for Diablo 3 or StarCraft 2 news if they had it on?

Tags: blizzcon, pay-per-view, streaming

BlizzCon 2009 tickets go on sale May 16, first time streamed live via web

by James Egan May 5th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Tickets for BlizzCon 2009 will go on sale May 16th, Blizzard announced today on the event's official site. BlizzCon 2009 will be held on August 21st and 22nd in Anaheim, California, and the first block of tickets going on sale on May 16th will sell for $125 each through the official BlizzCon site. A second block of tickets will be sold beginning Saturday, May 30th.

Blizzard has made upgrades to the Blizzard Store to deal with the impending ticket rush. Their press release states they'll have a "first-come, first-served queue system and a fixed time limit for completing purchases. Also, those interested in attending BlizzCon can simplify the purchase process by registering a Battle.net account at www.battle.net before ticket sales begin."

Tags: battle.net, blizzard, blizzard-store, blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, breaking, directv, mmo-industry, starcraft, world-of-warcraft

Where next in the World of Warcraft?

by Lesley Smith Apr 10th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Expansions, Opinion

Michael Sacco over at our sister site WoW Insider has been looking into his crystal ball. He's written a fascinating post on why we should expect a new World of Warcraft expansion announcement at this year's BlizzCon. But he doesn't stop there, oh no. Using his powers of deduction he also hypothesizes where said expansion will see us going.

So will it be the Maelstrom? Will it be the Emerald Dream? Will it be somewhere else? We don't know for sure but guessing is certainly a lot of fun. Blizzard have already started dropping hints and we will know something this year, it's just a matter of time.

Click here and see if you can figure where in the World of Warcraft we'll be visiting next.

Tags: blizzcon, blizzcon-2009, emerald-dream, maelstrom, world-of-warcraft, wow-insider

The Daily Grind: Blizzard's next MMO?

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 20th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

With Jeff Kaplan moving on to the new Blizzard MMORPG, and recent news coming out that Blizzard will indeed be hosting a BlizzCon again this year, it's time for a bit of fun. What fun would that be? Guessing what Blizzard may choose to do for their new MMO, of course! We've heard StarCraft (otherwise why put all that backstory into SC2?) re-imagining StarCraft: Ghost (they did put a bunch of money into it) and even ideas as far-flung as The Lost Vikings (world a bit small, maybe?). Of course, since we're just taking wild guesses, the sky is the limit! What do you think we'll see as the next MMO from Blizzard - and do you think we'll hear about it at BlizzCon this year?

[Edited to correct name]

Tags: blizzard, blizzcon, jeff-kaplan, starcraft, starcraft-ghost, tdg, the-daily-grind, the-lost-vikings, wild-speculation

The Daily Grind: Do you attend specific MMO fan conventions?

by Shawn Schuster Feb 18th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, The Daily Grind

A hot topic for yesterday's news was the details on two newly-announced fan fests for 2009. One being the long-time favorite BlizzCon, and the other being a new North American location for EVE Online's developer meet and greet, usually held only in Reykjavik, Iceland each year. In addition to these, we have conventions such as Sony's Fan Faire and various one-time meet-ups for various games or companies.

So for this morning's TDG, we thought we'd get some reader opinion on these specific MMO get-togethers or corporate events. While they might not be able to bring in the numbers of the larger conventions like PAX (with the exception of BlizzCon), the specific target audience tends to be more of the "hardcore" or dedicated fan. So as our favorite hobby grows in popularity, would you rather see more of these specified meet-ups, or should they just remain part of the larger conventions with a broader appeal?

Tags: blizzcon, convention, eve-fanfest, meet-and-greet, meet-up, pax, the-daily-grind

BlizzCon 2009 announced

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 17th 2009 at 12:35PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Events, real-world, News items

Blizzard, apparently deciding that listing BlizzCon so late last year was a bad idea, announced today that there will indeed be a BlizzCon 2009 according to a post on our sister site, WoW Insider. This year's BlizzCon will be held on August 21st & 22nd at the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. Among the many things that we're told to expect this year, Blizzard fans can look forward to:

Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games
Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Community contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard Entertainment's game universes
A silent auction
More exciting activities and attractions to be announced

With the further announcement that they're planning to open up additional space in the convention center, more people should be able to attend versus last year's numbers. Also, considering Blizz's love of announcing big things at events, perhaps we'll get some news on this new MMO they're working on. Now, if they can fix the issues with the failoc that cropped up last year, this should be an interesting event for all those who love Blizzard games.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Tags: blizzard, blizzcon, breaking, diablo-3, new-mmo, starcraft-2, world-of-warcraft, wow

BlizzCon and Fan Faire: A comparison of corporate conventions

by Krystalle Voecks Oct 30th 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Culture, Events, real-world, Humor

On the surface, one might think that there's no major differences between Blizzard's BlizzCon and SOE's Fan Faire. Both events are there to bring players together in the interest of geeking out on their favorite games from the two respective companies. That said, there are some distinct variations in purpose: Blizzard has stated they'll only do BlizzCon when they have something to show. Meanwhile SOE has been hosting Fan Faire since 2000. For the first three years there were multiple Fan Faires each year.

As we attended both events this year, we thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast some of the good and bad from both weekends. Curious as to how the two events played out? Check out our gallery tour of some of the common experiences from these two conventions and see how they stack up.

Gallery: BlizzCon & Fan Faire 08 comparison gallery

Tags: blizzard, blizzcon, blizzcon-2008, convention, fan-faire, fan-faire-2008, featured, mmorpg-conventions, soe, sony-online-entertainment

A video tour of the Blizzard Entertainment campus

by James Egan Oct 18th 2008 at 7:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry

Tracey John from MTV Multiplayer was recently given a tour of Blizzard Entertainment's Headquarters in Irvine, California, just before BlizzCon 2008.

Executive VP of Game Design Rob Pardo led them on the tour of the campus as they filmed the whole thing, from the Blizzard Museum (with a signed script of Make Love Not Warcraft) to a dedicated theater for the staff. It's an interesting look at some of the perks employees get for putting in all those hours, and the campus itself seems like a great place to work. Check out the video below the cut.

One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!

Tags: blizzard, blizzcon, blizzcon-2008, campus, fantasy, irvine, make-love-not-warcraft, mmo-industry, mtv, mtv-multiplayer, rob-pardo, south-park, video, video-tour, world-of-warcraft, wow