More than 1.1 million viewers tuned into StarCraft II®:
Heart of the Swarm™ launch broadcast
More than 1.1 million eSports fans watched StarCraft II competition
at Major League Gaming Pro Circuit Winter Championship
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced a trio of milestones
achieved during the launch week of StarCraft®
II: Heart of the Swarm™. More than 1.1
million viewers tuned into the company's 21-hour, global broadcast of
launch events and community celebrations around the world, with peak
concurrent viewership reaching over 125,000, as reported by Twitch. As
of the end of its first two days of sales, Heart of the Swarm had
sold through approximately 1.1 million copies worldwide, including both
retail and digital sales.
Last weekend, more than 1.1 million viewers tuned in to see the StarCraft
II: Heart of the Swarm tournament at the Major League Gaming (MLG)
Winter Championship in Dallas, Texas. Heart of the Swarm reached
a peak concurrent viewership of more than 157,000 viewers, as reported
by Twitch.
"We want to thank the global StarCraft community for the
incredible passion and support they've shown for Heart of the Swarm,"
said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "In
addition to a brand-new single-player campaign, we added a ton of
enhancements with this expansion to make StarCraft II even more
fun to play, and more exciting to watch. We're pleased to see gamers and
eSports fans around the world enjoying Heart of the Swarm."
"StarCraft II has been a premier game at Major League Gaming
events since Wings of Liberty® was released,"
said Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO of Major League Gaming. "Heart of
the Swarm has generated even more excitement, and we're all looking
forward to what the future brings for StarCraft II eSports."
"StarCraft II has always been one of the most popular games
on Twitch, and we've noticed a wave of new viewership since Heart of
the Swarm launched last week," said Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch.
"Viewer numbers are up just about across the board for the most popular StarCraft
II pro-gamers and personalities who stream on Twitch."
Learn more about StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm at http://www.StarCraft2.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.
For press inquiries, please contact Emil Rodriguez in Blizzard
Entertainment public relations at elrodriguez@blizzard.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 sixteen #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.
About Twitch
Twitch is the world's leading video platform and community for gamers.
More than 28 million gamers gather every month on Twitch to broadcast,
watch and chat about gaming. Twitch's video platform is the backbone of
both live and on-demand distribution for leading video game broadcasters
including casual gamers, pro players, tournaments, leagues, developers
and gaming media organizations. Twitch is leading a revolution in the
gaming community, working to create a participatory experience that
transcends gameplay. Learn more at http://twitch.tv
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Emil Rodriguez
949-955-1380
elrodriguez@blizzard.com
Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
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