More than 2.7 million players join the crusade against the Angel of
Death with the launch of Diablo® III: Reaper of
Souls™
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Malthael claimed that no one could stop Death . . . actually, Diablo®
III players have already stopped Death more than 1.5 million times
and counting. On March 25, players the world over launched a crusade
against the fallen angel with the release of Diablo III: Reaper of
Souls™ for Windows® and Mac®.
As of the first week of the expansion's availability, more than 2.7
million copies have sold-through online and at retailers worldwide.*
Players, community personalities, and members of the press joined
Blizzard to celebrate the expansion's release on the evening of March 24
at launch parties in Seoul, Taipei, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Los Angeles.
The icy grasp of the Angel of Death reached players around the world
through live streams from several of the events, with total Diablo III
views on Twitch on launch day alone exceeding 2.4 million.†
"With Reaper of Souls, we wanted to emphasize all the things that
Diablo gamers have always loved about the series, from the dark gothic
setting to the piles and piles of epic loot," said Mike Morhaime, CEO
and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're excited to see that
players are enjoying the changes we've made to the game, and we look
forward to achieving our Paragon levels alongside everyone else in the
weeks and months ahead."
Reaper of Souls continues the Diablo III story with a
challenging new act that takes players from the legendary city of
Westmarch to the unhallowed halls of the Pandemonium Fortress,
culminating in an epic battle with Malthael, the Angel of Death. The
expansion also adds the unstoppable Crusader class to Diablo III's
roster of heroes, and increases the game's level cap to 70, adding
several powerful spells and abilities for the original five hero classes.
Other new features in Reaper of Souls include Adventure Mode: a
new game mode that allows players to choose their own path across
Sanctuary in total freedom; Bounties: randomized objectives that award
gold and experience; Nephalem Rifts: fast-paced randomized dungeons
offering endless replayability and heaps of loot; and the Mystic: a
powerful new artisan who provides gear-customization options.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is available for purchase in
retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Korea,
Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as
well as digitally around the world via the game's official website (http://www.diablo3.com/reaperofsouls).
The expansion will launch in Russia and the CIS, and at retail stores in
Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, on April 15. Reaper of Souls has been
fully localized in English, German, French, Latin American Spanish,
European Spanish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Italian, Polish,
and Brazilian Portuguese.
With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous
positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com
for more information and to learn how to apply.
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.
*Based on internal company records and reports from
key distribution partners.
†Source: Twitch.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies
regarding the future, including statements about scheduled release dates,
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.
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Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Rob Hilburger
VP, Global
Communications
949-242-8404
rhilburger@blizzard.com
or
Emil
Rodriguez
Director, Global PR
949-955-1380 x12064
elrodriguez@blizzard.com
or
Steven
Khoo
PR Manager
949-955-1380 x12508
skhoo@blizzard.com
Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
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