New World of Warcraft^® expansion sells 2.7 million copies in first week -- global subscriber base passes 10 million

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Following the September 25 global rollout of World of Warcraft^®: Mists of Pandaria™, the new expansion to the world's #1 subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that millions of players have already joined the fight for Pandaria. During the first week of launch, prior to the release in China on October 2, the expansion had already sold through approximately 2.7 million copies and the game's global player base passed 10 million subscribers, with growth across all major regions.^*

"With Mists of Pandaria, we set out to expand on the sense of fun and discovery that's always been at the heart of World of Warcraft -- in addition to adding a huge variety of new content and features to the game," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "It's been gratifying to see the results of all of the work we put into this expansion and to hear all of the positive feedback from players so far."

The World of Warcraft development team is already hard at work on the first major post-launch content update. Further details, including features and release timing, will be provided in the weeks ahead.

In World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, warships of the Alliance and Horde clash off the coast of a long-lost continent, signaling the start of a new era of discovery and conquest in the history of Azeroth. As players storm the shores of this exotic new frontier and begin to explore its mysteries, they'll encounter brave new allies, unearth ancient secrets, and play their part in reigniting the long-brewing conflict between the Horde and Alliance on a strange battlefield far from home.

Mists of Pandaria is available now on DVD-ROM for Windows^® XP/Windows Vista^®/Windows^® 7 and Macintosh^® at a suggested retail price of $39.99 USD. The expansion is also available digitally directly from Blizzard's World of Warcraft website (www.WorldofWarcraft.com), also priced at $39.99 USD.

A special Collector's Edition packed with bonus items is also now available exclusively in retail stores at a suggested retail price of $79.99 USD. In addition to the game disc, the Collector's Edition contains:

• World of Warcraft Imperial Quilen flying mount and Lucky Quilen Cub pet, StarCraft^® II Battle.net^® portraits, and Diablo^® III banner sigil and accent
• The Art of Mists of Pandaria, a 208-page hardback tome including never-before-seen artwork from the development process
• A World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria behind-the-scenes DVD and Blu-ray two-disc set including over an hour of developer interviews and commentary
• The World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Collector's Edition soundtrack CD
• A special-edition World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria mouse pad featuring Chen Stormstout, the legendary pandaren brewmaster

For the first time, World of Warcraft players also have the option to purchase a special Digital Deluxe version of Mists of Pandaria (suggested retail price $59.99 USD) via the World of Warcraft website (www.WorldofWarcraft.com) or by purchasing an activation code at select retailers. The Digital Deluxe edition includes a full digital copy of Mists of Pandaria as well as the digital items from the retail-exclusive Collector's Edition. Players who purchase the standard edition digitally or at retail will have the option to upgrade to the Digital Deluxe version at any time (for as long as the standalone Digital Deluxe version remains available) for an additional $20 USD.

Mists of Pandaria offers a wide variety of content for new and returning World of Warcraft players. Features include a new playable race (the pandaren) with its own starting zone and quests, a new character class (the monk), and an expansive new continent for players to explore as they adventure to the new level cap of 90. The expansion also includes a host of new gameplay elements designed to give players even more ways to enjoy the game, including scenarios -- a flexible new kind of cooperative PvE trial; challenge modes, which offer high-prestige rewards for mastering Mists of Pandaria's 5-player dungeons; and an all-new pet battle system.

Mists of Pandaria has received a Teen rating from the ESRB. In addition to the English version, Mists of Pandaria is available fully localized into Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Russian, Korean, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, and for the first time with a World of Warcraft expansion launch, Italian.

For more information about World of Warcraft and Mists of Pandaria, visit http://www.WorldofWarcraft.com. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently open -- visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.

*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition

World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

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 fourteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net^®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future 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.

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Lisa Jensen
Vice President, Global Public Relations
949.854.6200 dir
949.854.7900 fax
ljensen@blizzard.com
or
Rob Hilburger
Director, Global Public Relations
949.242.8404 dir
949.854.7900 fax
rhilburger@blizzard.com
or
Shon Damron
Public Relations Manager
949.955.1380 x12508 dir
949.854.7900 fax
sdamron@blizzard.com

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

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