Wings of Liberty - Terrans
Heart of the Swarm - Zerg
Legacy of the Void - Protoss

Each campaign is treated as a fully fleshed out game, with each title ending the same way. The change will allow for more characters, more missions, and more complete experiences overall.

“With more hall space, more attendees, and more attractions, this BlizzCon will be our biggest yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re working hard with our partners to make this an unforgettable experience, and we’re looking forward to meeting players at the show.”

Best of all, Kotaku will be there! Well, I will be there. Most of Kotaku will be in Japan. I suppose I could have gone to Japan too, but then I'd miss out on that sweet polar bear mount. Either way, coverage begins Friday, so stay tuned for more from the BlizzCon floor.

BlizzCon® 2008 Gaming Convention Begins This Week

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.’s two-day gaming festival, BlizzCon® 2008, begins on Friday, October 10, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The convention celebrates the communities of players surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®’s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® game universes. Attendees of the sold-out show will be able to play the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games as well as speak with developers in special panels, participate in tournaments and contests, and meet with fellow gamers and friends.

Jay Mohr has returned to host the live contests this year, and the show will close on Saturday evening with an epic concert featuring comedian Patton Oswalt, Blizzard’s own Warcraft-themed metal band Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, and Video Games Live, who will be performing special orchestral arrangements of music from Blizzard games.

“With more hall space, more attendees, and more attractions, this BlizzCon will be our biggest yet,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re working hard with our partners to make this an unforgettable experience, and we’re looking forward to meeting players at the show.”

For those unable to attend, DIRECTV® will be broadcasting the convention live as a pay-per-view event. Visit www.blizzard.com/blizzcon/dtv for more information. In addition, up-to-date show coverage will be posted at the official BlizzCon website, www.blizzcon.com.

Anyone attending BlizzCon who is interested in pursuing career opportunities at Blizzard Entertainment should bring their resumes, demo reels, art portfolios, or business cards, as the global staffing team will be on hand to accept materials and discuss any job-related questions.

BlizzCon would not be possible without the enthusiasm of Blizzard gamers around the world and the generous support of AMD, Dell®, DIRECTV, Intel®, and other sponsors.

These are part of a series of videos (one above, two more on the jump that have been posted as replies to other videos on YouTube, in some cases unrelated, so there's your viral aspect. The uploaders, RedWhiteBlueAlert and ThrowingStarz both joined in the past week, so, likely viral. And remember that Battlefield: Bad Company, also an EA title, took a few swings at its competition too.

And here's another one from Suki (Kelly Hu), posted as a response to a Star Trek vid. Actually, she's got others up in which she hates horror (Left 4 Dead) and expansion packs (you name it). She also likes "impressive creatures" which is probably carrying water for Spore.

Red Alert 3 Disses SC2 [sc2Pod]

Currently the service mainly services Europe, South America, and a few bits of Asia, so those of us in the U.S. will have to make due with obsessively humming the theme song to WoW until allowances are made.

Blizzard Mobile Store [Official Site via WorldofWar.net]

A universal game design wouldn’t just stop with action games or titles where you’re directly in control of the protagonist. It could extend out to strategy, space combat, anything really. What else is Starcraft but an action game where you hover high above the battlefield? The concept has been experimented with before in games, but with the kind of refinement we’re talking about it’d be possible to mix completely unrelated players in one game. Take Left 4 Dead. One player controls all of the zombies, the others are all playing characters trapped in the fray. One is engaged in a strategic battle, the other is having a frantic shoot-out. A player who isn’t a huge fan of playing Halo may nevertheless buy a game where they get to control the battlefield while skilled players opt for FPS mode and try to take them out while they control armies overhead. Beyond the always promising broad economic perks of such a game, there’s the co-mingling of different players and preferences in one Universal Design. It’s not a game within the game, it’s a game that has every means of interaction possible in it.

It's an interesting thought, though the old 'jack of all trades, master of none' warning seems like it would come into play pretty easily. Co-mingling, though, is certainly intriguing. It's an interesting piece on choice and game design choices.

Universal Game Design [PopMatters via GameSetWatch]

That's the bad news. The good news is that Blizzard has "a small reserve of tickets left" which will be going up for grabs tonight, August 12 at 8:00 PM PDT. Even with the larger crowd accommodation and the $100 ticket prices, expect whatever's left to sell out at lightning speed.

And expect even more grumbling and griping in the official Blizzard forums when they do.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

Yes, Blizzard and DirecTV are joining forces to broadcast highlights of the show via pay per view. Don't have DirecTV? New subscribers in August will get the BlizzCon pay per view for free with their order. I cannot think of a more ridiculous reason to change your cable television provider.

BlizzCon™ 2008 Tickets on Sale August 11
Unprecedented event coverage also available exclusively on DIRECTV

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that tickets for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention will go on sale August 11 and that live coverage of the event will be available as an exclusive DIRECTV pay per view event. 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 October 10 and 11.

“Meeting and interacting with our players at BlizzCon is always a great experience for us,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also pleased to be working with DIRECTV this year to bring the show, for the first time, to those players who are unable to attend.”

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 $100 USD each, and will be available for purchase directly from the official BlizzCon website at www.blizzcon.com.

The pay per view event will 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. Beginning in August, DIRECTV will run a promotion offering the BlizzCon pay per view event free to new DIRECTV subscribers. Pricing for existing DIRECTV customers and programming details will be available in the coming weeks from Blizzard Entertainment and DIRECTV.

“BlizzCon is one of the most highly anticipated gaming conventions of the year, and we are excited to partner with Blizzard Entertainment to deliver coverage of the show to gamers nationwide,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president, new media and business development, DIRECTV. “With our BlizzCon pay per view package, members of Blizzard’s gaming communities who are not attending the event can now experience it in crystal-clear HD.”

As the event draws closer, further details will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.

As is expected with Blizzard events, company employees were handing out the much-prized (and instantly eBayable) Goody Bags. The swish mini backpack emblazoned with the WWI logo includes a host of loot, including an in-game pet (which we’ve not yet been able to redeem in Booty Bay), the Beta key, a programme, a figure from the Upper Deck miniature game, a notebook and a mousemat sporting the event’s banner featuring Arthas as well as characters from Diablo and Starcraft II.

We’ll let you know what the pet is as soon as Landro Longshot makes nice and starts talking about the WWI.

And where did those Vikings get off to? I cannot seem to find them anywhere?

Then there is the question of the latest rune, which I cannot seem to place. It looks like a solar system, doesn't it? I've been pouring over Blizzard stuffs but cannot for the life of me place it. I checked out various Diablo-fan forums to see if anyone had a clue before the sheer number of people fooling themselves into seeing things that weren't there made me too frustrated to continue. When you want something so badly you start deluding yourself you just need to take a step back and relax a little before people start looking at you funny.

Finally, here is the secret picture as it stands now, with four images in place. It's quite obvious to me now that we're dealing with an eggplant with tiny feet, a tail, and a mohawk.

Two more days and we'll know for sure, and then I can finally get some sleep. Damn you Blizzard. Damn you to hell.

Update: We got word from Blizzard, who say, unsurprisingly "There is no official release date for StarCraft II. The game will ship when it’s done." Good thing we didn't start holding our breath!

Rumor: Retail chains showing December 3 release date for Starcraft II [Joystiq]

Tickets will go on sale within the coming weeks for $100 a pop. Maybe this year I'll actually make it out there. I needs me some free murloc-themed goodness.

BlizzCon™ 2008 Announced Blizzard Entertainment® Gaming Convention Returns to Anaheim Convention Center October 10-11

IRVINE, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its third BlizzCon™ gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11. BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment®'s Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises. In response to the demand to accommodate more attendees, this year's event has expanded from two convention halls to three.

"Whenever we've been able to meet and interact with Blizzard gamers from around the world, it's been a great experience for us," stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're looking forward to seeing even more of our players at this year's BlizzCon and delivering another entertaining and informative event for them."

BlizzCon will offer a wide variety of activities to help all attendees get the most out of the two-day event. In addition to serving as a gathering place for the different Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, attendees will be able to enjoy:

Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment releases
Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
Areas and activities devoted to licensed products such as the World of Warcraft® Trading Card Game
Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes
Commemorative merchandise based on the Blizzard Entertainment franchises
A silent auction
More exciting activities to be announced
Tickets for BlizzCon will go on sale in the next few weeks at a price of $100 USD per person. As the event draws closer, further details will be announced on the official BlizzCon website: www.blizzcon.com.

NYC Comic Con geek-gasm [Boing Boing TV]

"We're pleased to continue working with TOKYOPOP to bring our game universes to an entirely new audience," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy proved to be a top-quality adaptation of Warcraft to the manga format, and we look forward to matching that quality with the upcoming StarCraft and Warcraft books."

TOKYOPOP and Blizzard Entertainment® Announce Three-Year Publishing Plan

Twenty-Two All-New Warcraft® and StarCraft® Manga Volumes Slated for Release through 2010

New York Comic-Con, New York (April 17, 2008)―On the heels of the critically acclaimed international hit manga series Warcraft®: The Sunwell Trilogy, TOKYOPOP, the leader of the global manga revolution, and Blizzard Entertainment®, creator of some of the world's most popular game series, are proud to announce their three-year publishing plan. Over the next 36 months, the companies intend to release twenty-two all-new never-before-told adventures set in the richly detailed Warcraft and StarCraft® universes.

According to TOKYOPOP Editor-in-Chief Rob Tokar, "After several fantastic years of working with Blizzard Entertainment on Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy, it is both a pleasure and an honor to extend our relationship in such a grand fashion. The entire TOKYOPOP team is incredibly excited to help expand the Warcraft and StarCraft universes through manga. Blizzard has been a terrific partner and, by incorporating original characters from Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy into their incredible massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft®, they have again shown that their game universe is a vast, rich, immersive phenomenon that transcends any one medium."

"We're pleased to continue working with TOKYOPOP to bring our game universes to an entirely new audience," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy proved to be a top-quality adaptation of Warcraft to the manga format, and we look forward to matching that quality with the upcoming StarCraft and Warcraft books."

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Blizzard Entertainment's bestselling StarCraft real-time strategy game, this August TOKYOPOP will publish the first volume of the new manga series, StarCraft: Frontline, a collection of four stories set in the dark and gritty StarCraft universe. StarCraft: Frontline includes "Thundergod," by renowned writer Richard A. Knaak (Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy) and Naohiro Washio, and focuses on the new Thor heavy combat walker unit that will be appearing in Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming sequel, StarCraft II. Other artists and writers featured in this collection include Simon Furman (Transformers), Paul Benjamin (Pantheon High), Joshua Elder (Mail Order Ninja), and Ramanda Kamarga (Psy-Comm).

August also hails the debut of the first volume of the all-new manga series Warcraft: Legends. Some of the world's best manga creators join together to bring the world of Warcraft to life as never before! Warcraft vets Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim (Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy) team up again for "Fallen," which is the first of a three-part tale. Other global talent for Warcraft: Legends includes Dan Jolley (Warriors; JSA Liberty Files), Carlos Oliveros and Mi-Young No (Threads of Time).

StarCraft: Frontline and Warcraft: Legends are the first two of more than twenty releases set in the StarCraft and Warcraft universes that TOKYOPOP and Blizzard Entertainment will collaborate on and publish over the course of three years. Stay tuned for more details about other books in this historic publishing program.

Blizzard has a brief retrospective of the game's first decade, reminding us that StarCraft II is indeed reality and not just a fanboy fantasy. For those too young to remember the heady, early days of Battle.net, quickly read up. Got any good StarCraft stories to share? Hit the comments.

StarCraft's 10-Year Anniversary: A Retrospective [Blizzard]

Thanks, NunianVonFuch!

The swarm of Zerg-related media from StarCraft II continues to creep out of Blizzard, with a proper direct-feed look at the reveal trailer we saw the other night. It's a blend of in-game cinematic action and gameplay, with just a dash of pre-rendered stuff, all under a melodramatic narration that should have fanboys shivering with delight.

[www.youtube.com]

I think we're all doing the best work of our careers...It's been very, very rewarding to see this thing take shape. Just getting back to that Blizzard of yesteryear where it's not all about WoW - don't get me wrong, I love WOW! But we're so much more than that.

It never was technically canceled. It's just a focus thing for us right now. We've got a finite amount of development resources and a lot of different things that we want to focus on so there's always the possibility, but right now we're spending our time on "World of Warcraft" and our expansion "Wrath of the Lich King" and "StarCraft II".

The team also revealed a list of the Blizzard games that have been canceled over the course of their 17 years, a list longer than you may think.

If you thought Blizzard was only focused on StarCraft, Warcraft and Diablo, think again. While they may have a few lesser known titles like Blackthorne and The Lost Vikings on their resumes, they were at one point working on all of the following.

• Games People Play
• Crixa
• Shattered Nations
• Pax Imperia
• Denizen
• Warcraft Adventures
• Nomad
• Raiko

A look at some of the preliminary artwork, in extra large size, can be seen here.

We know that Blizzard was unhappy with the quality of Warcraft Adventures and many of us were glad to learn of its termination and that Pax Imperia eventually went to another developer. Oddly enough, StarCraft Ghost did not appear on the list, despite appearing to be dead in the water. Unfortunately, Pardo, Morhaime and Pearce didn't expound upon the games in question, nor did they specifically reveal why they were canceled, but expect more from their talk later to shed more light on the decisions that go into canceling a game.

No, it is an unannounced Next-Gen MMO.

And that doesn't mean an expansion for World of Warcraft either.

New MMO from Blizzard in the works [WoW Forums via GamesIndustry.biz]

"This is a great honor, and I'm proud to receive it," said Morhaime. "The success that Blizzard Entertainment has had over the years would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of players around the world, and the passion and dedication of our employees, so I thank all of them for contributing to this achievement."

MMOG PIONEER MIKE MORHAIME INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME OF THE ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES

Blizzard Entertainment(R) Cofounder and CEO Honored for Expanding the Scope and Success of the Interactive Entertainment Industry

CALABASAS, Calif. - December 12, 2008 - The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) proudly announced today that Mike Morhaime, the president, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment(R), will be the eleventh visionary member inducted into its prestigious Hall of Fame. As one of the organization's highest honors, candidates are annually voted on by the Academy's illustrious Board of Directors. Induction into the Hall of Fame is bestowed upon individuals who've contributed to a significant advancement within the industry, while demonstrating proven success and leadership.

As the eleventh inductee, Morhaime will be honored for his efforts and contributions to the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) space through Blizzard Entertainment's spectacularly popular World of Warcraft(R), as well as the tremendous success of the company's Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R) and Diablo(R) series. In particular, World of Warcraft has cemented Morhaime's influence and impact on the multi-billion dollar interactive entertainment industry; it is the world's largest online game, with more than 9.3 million subscribers. Morhaime and Blizzard Entertainment are recognized for creating an MMOG that expanded the traditionally hardcore audience of the genre to also include the broader casual-gaming audience.

"This is a great honor, and I'm proud to receive it," said Morhaime. "The success that Blizzard Entertainment has had over the years would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of players around the world, and the passion and dedication of our employees, so I thank all of them for contributing to this achievement."

Morhaime will join an elite group of 10 other interactive entertainment industry luminaries in the AIAS Hall of Fame: Trip Hawkins (Electronic Arts), Peter Molyneux (Lionhead Studios), Yu Suzuki (Sega of America), Will Wright (Maxis), John Carmack (id Software), Hironobu Sakaguchi (Square Enix), Sid Meier (Firaxis Games), Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo), Richard Garriott (Origin Systems), and Dan Bunten - known later in life as Danielle Bunten Berry (Ozark Softscape).

AIAS Hall of Fame Announcement Page 2

At this year's 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards(R), taking place on February 7, 2008 at Red Rock Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Morhaime will be presented the honor by Dr. Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare Corp. In addition, Morhaime is also part of the dynamic speaker line-up during the upcoming D.I.C.E Summit(R) taking place in conjunction with the Awards.

Well, they took the game to a totally different level, one that I don't think anybody really expected. They were able to micro-manage everything, and do crazy stunts with units that nobody ever thought could be done. I think the game allowed for a lot of that, and it combined with the factions being really diverse, the timing of the release and the storyline. It was just a mix of those things and it worked its way up.

While the rules are far too complicated to grasp at BlizzCon, the board game, which is scheduled to ship in September, looks like a solid investment for strategic tabletop gaming fans. At the very least, it will give StarCraft diehards who aren't blessed with the finger speed of professional Korean gamers something to do when the electricity goes out. I know I'm getting a copy for my fallout shelter.

According to Fantasy Flight reps, attendees of GenCon will have an opportunity to get their hands on a copy of the game a bit earlier than the rest of the gaming public. And, yes, a sequel is already planned to include units from StarCraft II.

Further details at the official site.

To give you an idea of what things are like, I'll use the area in which I live — Yangju, a northern suburb of Seoul well within reach of the massive Seoul Metro — as an example. The population, mostly made up of overflow from Seoul proper, is nearly 200,000, but there isn't a single dedicated games store to be found in the entire city. The closest would be in the neighboring city of Uijeongbu (population of around 450,000), but even there, you'll only find one fledgling shop in the dark recesses of an underground mall.

The shop owner is a friend of mine, and he'll be the first to tell you that selling PC games in Korea is a dead end; he makes his money by selling console games, the kind that aren't copied so easily.

When the Air Force uploaded a feature on its website of the military life of gamer Im Yo-han, known as the king of the Terran tribe in Starcraft, it was temporarily overloaded with a crush of video game fans trying to access the page. Visitors to the Air Force's website have doubled since it founded its gamers team.

The pro game industry has welcomed the establishment of the military teams. Many pro gamers who have postponed their military service start dates will have to don their uniforms by the end of this year.

The Army is also considering starting their own team. The Navy team will be going by the moniker "Aegis" while the Air Force has dubbed their team with the slightly cooler name of ACE (Airforce Challenge E-sports).

Korean Navy to Launch Online Game Team [Digital Chosun Ilbo - English Edition]

Over at Nintendo-geared blog 4 color rebellion, Korea-based Nick Rumas chimes in on the state of console gaming there. He blogs about a Korean friend of his who's crazy about the Wii and the DS. Nick writes:

My friend Kyung is not a gamer. He knows next to nothing about the industry, stemming from the fact that he just doesn't care much in the first place. However, Kyung happens to be absolutely crazy about Wii and DS...

In contrast, ask Kyung (or any Korean in his position) about 360 or PS3, and you'll get a very different response — blank stares and something along the lines of, 'uh, they're like really expensive, right?' This past weekend's PS3 launch 'party' effectively illustrated that point. The hype is on Nintendo's side this time around, and it's only going to grow.

Nintendo Hype in Full Effect [4CR]

I'm breathless from all the exclamation points! It's just that exciting! Michael McWhertor

BlizzCon Ticket Sales [Blizzard]

That's what Past To Present Online claims the above video is from. It's mighty unimpressive from a technical, graphical and completion perspectives and appears to have been filmed while piloting a helicopter, but it sure looks like Diablo on a Game Boy. While questionable, its alpha-build existence wouldn't be that odd. Blizzard has ported three of its older games to the Game Boy Advance and certainly didn't mind releasing the hobbled StarCraft 64. Real? Fake? What do you think? Michael McWhertor

Wow. All Blizzard needs to do is mention they're working on a new StarCraft and the old StarCraft hops all they way up to number five on the most recent list of top ten best selling PC games.

Voodoo Extreme noticed that StarCraft: Battle Chest hit the list for May 20 through 26th. The best part? The game is only $19.

1) World Of Warcraft - Vivendi - $18
2) World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack - Vivendi - $39
3) Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars - Electronic Arts - $49
4) The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $30
5) Starcraft: Battle Chest - Vivendi - $19
6) Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows Of Angmar - Midway - $49
7) The Sims 2 Deluxe - Electronic Arts - $40
8) The Sims 2 Celebration Stuff Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $16
9) Warcraft III Battle Chest - Vivendi - $39
10) Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts - $36

Maybe I'll go buy it up too, I need some practice and I can't imagine Blizzard is going to tinker too much with their formula. Brian Crecente

StarCraft Makes Retail Comeback [VE3D]

I know that as I lose hundreds of Terran marines and firebats this weekend playing my recently re-installed copy of StarCraft, I'll pause, for a fraction of a second, a remember each one. I'll also continue to work my way through Odin Sphere, hopefully finally getting around to posting those long-promised impressions on Monday. And since O3's Tank Beat for the Nintendo DS showed up at my door the other day, I'm going to take it for a spin. Kick the treads, if you're into ill conceived turns of phrases.

Oh, plus I've got those Wii Points to spend. 2300 of 'em! I'll do the math and get something good this Saturday. Yourself? What are you playing this weekend? Tap it out in the comments! Michael McWhertor

Blizzard previously confirmed that they are indeed announcing a new product in Korea this month and listed open positions for work on an "next-gen MMO."

With the announcement exactly two weeks away from today, we won't have long to wait to see if dreams of an RTS sequel to StarCraft have been dashed. The only thing keeping the fanboy tears from shooting out of my ducts with the force of a hydrant is the delusional hope that Blizzard will be announcing two products next month, one being an RTS. See, I'm not an MMO kind of guy. Michael McWhertor

StarCraft MMO blasts into orbit! [CVG]

An article from a Korean site called Fighter Forum is claiming that a StarCraft 2 release might be around the corner at the end of 2007. The article is also full of meaty gossip morsels that include a new race being added to the game, and a super-sized whopper of a rumor that claims Blizzard will shut down the original StarCraft servers to make ensure that the sequel will come out on top.

I hope it is a fake. I can't take all the lies about needing to work late and the nightmares he has about making crystals. Kim Phu

A Korean Site Claims to Have the Scoop on a New Race and the Future of the Original Starcraft [IGN]

Sure, Korea is the place for professional StarCraft players. There are 225 pros (including three lucky foreigners) registered with the Korea e-Sports Association. But, imagine this: You are a Korean pro-gamer with good hair who stinks at StarCraft. What do you do? Think Europe! The best Korean Warcraft players have hooked up with Denmark's Meet Your Maker (MYM) gaming club. Says Danish MYM manager Jakob Dreyer:

Korea has some of the world's very best Warcraft players, which is why it is natural to hire our Korean gamers, who are still being among the best in the world... Our Korean players normally meet up offline. They live, train and meet in the area around Seoul, either in Internet cafes or private... When it comes to overseas traveling, MYM pays everything related to traveling and accommodations.

Interesting, but what is it with Korea and StarCraft? I mean, seriously, what's with the default setting? Brian Ashcraft

Non-StarCraft Players Must Go Elsewhere [The Korea Times]

The company's VP of development Itzik Ben Bassat talked to Empire recently about the future of the company's line up and the long-in-development Warcraft movie.

First up, what's on deck for the MMO game? Bassat is cryptic, in the typical Blizz fashion:

When we announce our next MMORPG it's not going to be another WoW - we're not a company that tends to tread the same ground. It'll be something innovative and new that really brings entertainment to another level.

Interesting. More Starcraft, please. (Not Ghost, though, please.)

How about that World or Warcraft movie? Just about wrapped up yet?

If people only knew how many years we put in to closing this movie deal. We're very happy with our progress though, it was really difficult for us as a company to find some we trusted to work with. With Legendary, well, they did Batman Returns and the new Superman so we knew that was a company we wanted to work with. Bringing Warcraft to the movies is the next step for us...

Damn it! Nothing is ever easy! More cocktease answers at the full interview. Michael McWhertor

Empire Interview: World of Warcraft [Empire via Gamespot]

Blizzard is no stranger to the action figure market, having released durable, highly detailed plastic renditions of their more popular characters from StarCraft, Diablo and earlier Warcraft games. The WoW sculpts look to be the best one's they've ever done. Michael McWhertor

INCOMING: WORLD OF WARCRAFT [Wizard Entertainment via BBP&S]