BlizzCon 2009 Tickets on Sale May 16

May 5, 2009

BlizzCon
2009 Tickets on Sale May 16

Exclusive coverage of Blizzard
Entertainment’s gaming convention available through DIRECTV satellite TV service
and Internet stream

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today
announced that tickets for its fourth BlizzCon gaming convention will go on sale
May 16. Live coverage of the event will be available as a DIRECTV Pay Per View
event and, for the first time, as an Internet stream. BlizzCon is a celebration
of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft,
Diablo, and StarCraft game universes. The event will take place at the Anaheim
Convention Center in Anaheim, California on August 21 and 22.

“BlizzCon always offers us a great
chance to meet players and celebrate our shared passion for gaming,” said Mike
Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to
delivering another entertaining and memorable experience to all attendees and to
those joining us from home.”

In addition to serving as a
gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities,
BlizzCon will offer an array of activities, including discussion panels,
hands-on playtime with upcoming games, tournaments, contests, and more.

Tickets to the convention will be
priced at $125 USD each and will be available for purchase from the official
BlizzCon website at
www.blizzcon.com beginning May 16. For those unable to purchase tickets on
that date, a second block of tickets will go on sale May 30.

To streamline the ticket-purchase
process this year, the company has made upgrades to the Blizzard Store,
including 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.

Due to its popularity last year, the
DIRECTV BlizzCon Pay Per View event will return in 2009, available to existing
DIRECTV customers for $39.95 USD. The event will again deliver a minimum of
eight hours of live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the
convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. In addition, gamers
around the world who are unable to attend BlizzCon will for the first time be
able to purchase the Pay Per View event as an Internet stream, also priced at
$39.95 USD (pricing may vary by region). DIRECTV customers who order the
televised event will receive this Internet stream at no extra charge, allowing
them to watch in the format of their choice. Anyone who orders the event will
also receive this year’s BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft in-game item — to
be revealed at a later date.

In addition, in the weeks ahead
DIRECTV will offer a BlizzCon promotion for those interested in signing up for
the DIRECTV television service. New subscribers through this promotion will
receive the DIRECTV BlizzCon Pay Per View event, the Internet stream, and the
BlizzCon 2009 World of Warcraft in-game item for the price of becoming a new
DIRECTV customer.

To keep pace with the continued
growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard
Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open
positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at
www.blizzard.com/jobs.

As BlizzCon draws closer, further
details about the show, including ordering and programming information for the
DIRECTV BlizzCon Pay Per View event and Internet stream, will be announced at
www.blizzcon.com.