BlizzCon is a Blizzard Entertainment-hosted gaming convention.

Contents 1 BlizzCon 2005 2 2006 3 BlizzCon 2007 3.1 Audience participation 3.2 Actual Events 4 BlizzCon 2008 5 BlizzCon 2009 6 BlizzCon 2010 7 References

BlizzCon 2005Edit

The first BlizzCon was held October 28–29, 2005. The Major announcement was the first World of Warcraft expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, as well as the new Horde race, the Blood Elves.

Playable demos of The Burning Crusade and StarCraft: Ghost were also available.

2006Edit

In 2006, Blizzard had neither a BlizzCon nor a Worldwide Invitational, instead they attended the Electronics Entertainment Expo (or E3) and unveiled the new Alliance race for the Burning Crusade expansion pack, the Draenei. This was the last E3 Blizzard attended, and they have since preferred to hold their own events.

The only game that had a playable demo was the Burning Crusade, as StarCraft: Ghost had been "indefinatly postponed" by this time.

BlizzCon 2007Edit

On the 12th of April 2007 Blizzard announced that they would be holding a second convention this year. This convention was held on August 3, 2007. Details about the event are limited to what was included in the announcement;

Highlights for this year's BlizzCon included:

• Discussion panels with Blizzard game developers;
• Competitive and casual tournaments, including a World of Warcraft TCG tournament;
• Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes;
• Live orchestral performances of music from Blizzard games;

• And many more exciting activities.

The major announcement at the convention was the second World of Warcraft expansion pack, The Wrath of the Lich King.

Audience participationEdit

On June 21, Blizzard Entertainment announced that the very first publicly playable demo of StarCraft II will be available at BlizzCon.^[1]

Actual EventsEdit

During the convention, the Terran race was revealed,^[2] along with aspects of the Terran campaign.^[3] A lore discussion^[4] and art discussion ^[5] were held. Those attending the convention also were able to play skirmished StarCraft II matches, either multiplayer or against a computer, using either the Terran or Protoss races.

BlizzCon 2008Edit

On May 12, 2008, Blizzard announced their third Blizzcon event gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11. In response to the demand to accommodate more attendees, this year's event was expanded from two convention halls to three.^[6]

Highlights for this year's Blizzcon included

• 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

The major announcements at the convention were the Wizard class for Diablo III and the intro cinematic for Wrath of the Lich King.

Playable demos of Wrath of the Lich King, Diablo III, featuring the new Wizard class, as well as the already existing Barbarian and Witch Doctor classes, and StarCraft II.

BlizzCon 2009Edit

BlizzCon 2009 was held on August 21 and 22 in the Anaheim Convention Center.^[7] Among the events were panels on the Heroes and Monsters, Lore and Art of the Diablo series.^[8]

The Monk was also revealed during this event, along with the third World of Warcraft expansion pack, Cataclysm.

Playable demos of StarCraft II, Cataclysm and Diablo III were also available.

BlizzCon 2010Edit

On March 25, 2010, Blizzard announced the fifth BlizzCon was going to be held October 22–23, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention center.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Blizzard Entertainment main page. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed June 21, 2007.
2. ↑ 2007-09-13. Gameplay Video - Terran. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-09-14.
3. ↑ 2007-08-03. StarCraft II Single-Player Campaign BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2007-08-07.
4. ↑ Metzen, Chris; Chambers, Andy; Masterboo. 2007-08-31. BlizzCon 2007 StarCraft Lore Panel Editorial. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-12-02.
5. ↑ 2007-08-03. BlizzCon StarCraft art/graphics panel discussion The Unofficial Starcraft 2 Forums @ IncGamers Accessed 2007-08-07.
6. ↑ 2008-12-05, Blizzcon 2008 Announced. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2008-12-05
7. ↑ http://www.blizzard.com/blizzcon/index.xml BlizzCon Index]. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2009-05-17
8. ↑ BlizzCon Events.Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2009-05-17

• 2007-07-05. BlizzCon forum. Battle.net Accessed 2007-07-05.

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