Tag Archives: Blizzard

Train2Game News Microsoft Acquires Activision

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With three billion people actively playing games today, and fueled by a new generation steeped in the joys of interactive entertainment, gaming is now the largest and fastest-growing form of entertainment.

Recently, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), a leader in game development and interactive entertainment content publisher.

This acquisition will accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse.

Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion, inclusive of Activision Blizzard’s net cash.

When the transaction closes, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony. The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from the Activision, Blizzard and King studios like “Warcraft,” “Diablo,” “Overwatch,” “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush,” in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. The company has studios around the word with nearly 10,000 employees. 
 

Bobby Kotick will continue to serve as CEO of Activision Blizzard, and he and his team will maintain their focus on driving efforts to further strengthen the company’s culture and accelerate business growth. Once the deal closes, the Activision Blizzard business will report to Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming.
 

“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “We’re investing deeply in world-class content, community and the cloud to usher in a new era of gaming that puts players and creators first and makes gaming safe, inclusive and accessible to all.”

“Players everywhere love Activision Blizzard games, and we believe the creative teams have their best work in front of them,” said Phil Spencer, CEO, Microsoft Gaming. “Together we will build a future where people can play the games they want, virtually anywhere they want.”

“For more than 30 years our incredibly talented teams have created some of the most successful games,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard. “The combination of Activision Blizzard’s world-class talent and extraordinary franchises with Microsoft’s technology, distribution, access to talent, ambitious vision and shared commitment to gaming and inclusion will help ensure our continued success in an increasingly competitive industry.”

Mobile is the largest segment in gaming, with nearly 95% of all players globally enjoying games on mobile. Through great teams and great technology, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will empower players to enjoy the most-immersive franchises, like “Halo” and “Warcraft,” virtually anywhere they want. And with games like “Candy Crush,” Activision Blizzard´s mobile business represents a significant presence and opportunity for Microsoft in this fast-growing segment.

The acquisition also bolsters Microsoft’s Game Pass portfolio with plans to launch Activision Blizzard games into Game Pass, which has reached a new milestone of over 25 million subscribers.

With Activision Blizzard’s nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and three billion-dollar franchises, this acquisition will make Game Pass one of the most compelling and diverse lineups of gaming content in the industry. Upon close, Microsoft will have 30 internal game development studios, along with additional publishing and esports production capabilities.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and completion of regulatory review and Activision Blizzard’s shareholder approval.

The deal is expected to close in fiscal year 2023 and will be accretive to non-GAAP earnings per share upon close.

The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both Microsoft and Activision Blizzard.

Train2Game News BlizzConline

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Blizzard Entertainment today kicked off BlizzConline™, a fully virtual version of its perennial community and gaming celebration, with a slew of news and game announcements for a global online audience of fans and enthusiasts tuning in FREE via www.blizzcon.com.

During the event’s just-concluded opening ceremony, company president J. Allen Brack and development leaders for Blizzard’s franchises reflected on the past and shared an exciting look at the future, revealing the following games and game updates—much of which will be explored in more detail during the show:

  • One of the most acclaimed titles in PC gaming history returns with Diablo® II: Resurrected™, a faithful remaster of Blizzard’s classic action-RPG and its award-winning expansion, Lord of Destruction®, coming later this year to Windows PC and, for the first time, consoles. PC players can sign up now at www.diablo2.com for a chance to participate in upcoming public testing.
  • Blizzard also unveiled the Rogue for Diablo® IV, with a dark cinematic trailer and gameplay footage of the new player class in action. The Rogue is a swift, deadly, mobile class with unparalleled versatility. Rogue players can choose from a variety of ways to attack and trap their enemies and can enhance their combat through poisons, shadow magic, and specialized techniques. 
  • Blizzard is set to kick off another jam-packed year of content—the Year of the Gryphon—for Hearthstone®, its popular free-to-play digital card game, in the coming weeks. The new Hearthstone year will feature a new Core set of cards designed to shake up the game, and the introduction of the Classic format, which will let players craft decks and compete using the original Hearthstone cards as they were when the game launched in 2014.
  • Also coinciding with the Year of the Gryphon is the first Hearthstone expansion of 2021, Forged in the Barrens™, inspired by the iconic World of Warcraft® locale where millions of adventurers began forging their legends—available for prepurchase now at www.playhearthstone.com.
  • Later in the year, Blizzard will roll out Hearthstone Mercenaries, a single-player and competitive game mode in which players collect mighty characters from the Warcraft® universe and level them up in tactical battles.
  • For World of Warcraft, Blizzard announced Chains of Domination, the first major content update coming later this year for the recently released Shadowlands expansion, as well as an all-new charity pet program that will yield two separate pets—Bananas the monkey and Daisy the sloth—for all modern WoW® players once donation goals are met. Blizzard also revealed Burning Crusade Classic™, an authentic recreation of the acclaimed first World of Warcraft expansion—also coming later this year, and included in players’ existing World of Warcraft subscription at no additional cost.
  • Now included as part of Blizzard’s anniversary-themed Celebration Collection on Windows® PC (via Battle.net®), as part of The Blizzard® 30-Year Celebration Collection on consoles, or as a standalone game on consoles, the Blizzard® Arcade Collection is a digital set of Blizzard’s original console hits, The Lost Vikings®, Rock N Roll Racing®, and Blackthorne®, enhanced for modern platforms.

Over the next few hours today and starting again at 12 p.m. PST tomorrow, six channels of programming will feature deeper dives on Blizzard’s franchises, including a behind-the-scenes look at ongoing development of Overwatch® 2, the company’s highly anticipated sequel to its blockbuster team-based shooter, and Diablo® Immortal™, its upcoming mobile massively multiplayer online action-RPG. (Of note, Blizzard recently completed its first stage of regional testing on Diablo Immortal, receiving an enthusiastic response from testers, and will be rolling out further tests in the coming months. The game has also recently received publishing approval for release in China.) Viewers will also be treated to one-of-a-kind esports showmatches—with legendary StarCraft® and StarCraft II pros facing off, as well as a battle between reigning Overwatch League™ champions, the San Francisco Shock, and a dream team comprising pros, community figures, and more.

Channeling the spirit of the live show, BlizzConline will also put a huge spotlight on the creativity and skill of the people who help bring Blizzard’s games to life. There will be multiple segments featuring artists, musicians, voice actors, content creators, and streamers, as well as an epic showcase highlighting some of the talented cosplayers, storytellers, and other artists inhabiting the Blizzard community.

To learn more about BlizzConline and for a full schedule of events, visit www.blizzcon.com.

Train2Game News Shadowlands Expansion Launch Celebration On Twitch

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HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., is teaming up with Blizzard Entertainment for a livestream event to celebrate the launch of World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands, Blizzard’s new expansion for its acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

WoW fans can join the Into the Shadowlands event through HyperX’s Twitch channel on 20 Nov. 2020 at 10 a.m. PST, 6 p.m. GMT or 7 p.m. CET for hours of entertainment leading up to the expansion’s Nov. 23 release.  

HyperX will play host to familiar WoW faces, musicians, voice actors, Blizzard developers, esports players, and more to explore the ins and outs of the Shadowlands. During the event, HyperX will be offering viewers the chance to win great prizes that will support them on their journey through the wondrous realms of Azeroth’s afterlife.  

One of the highly anticipated features coming to World of Warcraft with Shadowlands is the all-new character-customisation options, including a wide range of hair and facial designs, which will enable players to enhance the look of their characters. Reflecting this deeper in-game customisation, HyperX’s NGenuity software enables gamers to personalize their gaming gear not only with specialised commands but also to match RGB lighting with their customized WoW characters. Whether gaming with an Alloy Elite 2 keyboard or Pulsefire Raid mouse, HyperX enables WoW players to extend their characters’ personality to their peripherals.   

“As long-standing partners with Blizzard Entertainment, we are excited to offer our #HyperXFamily the chance to celebrate this amazing franchise’s latest expansion pack three days ahead of its release,” said Jessany Van’t Hoff, head of global gaming partnerships, HyperX. “We believe that all gamers play better with HyperX. Our prize giveaway during the live Twitch stream will ensure that a lucky few will have the ultimate personalisation experience when playing World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.”

To learn more about World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, visit http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/shadowlands.

Train2Game News Small World Of Warcraft Available Now

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Days of Wonder is excited to announce the release of Small World® of Warcraft® today in stores and online, including the Blizzard Gear Store.

Small World® of Warcraft® is a new board game combining the Small World game mechanics with Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed Warcraft® universe. The game is set on Blizzard’s fantasy world of Azeroth, where the races of the Alliance and the Horde—including Orcs, Dwarves, Trolls, and Worgen—clash in a world-consuming conflict.

In Small World of Warcraft, players choose combinations of special powers and races from the Warcraft universe, such as Portal Mage Pandaren or Herbalist Goblins, and vie for control of Azeroth. To help them achieve dominance, players will occupy legendary places and seek control of powerful artifacts. However, all empires must eventually fall, so players will have to make hard decisions and allow an overextended race under their control to fall into decline and allow a new one to vie for control of Azeroth.
 
Days of Wonder worked closely with Blizzard to create a game that seamlessly brings together both universes. Small World of Warcraft features a variety of new and exclusive artwork that captures the feel of the colorful and vibrant Warcraft universe, with races and special powers designed to be familiar to the millions of WoW® players around the world.
 
“Working alongside Blizzard has been an amazing experience. Not only did our vision for the game align quickly, but the creative work we’ve done together has been intense and extremely satisfying,” said Adrien Martinot, head of Days of Wonder. “Blizzard allowed us to dive deep into the rich Warcraft universe, and I’m eager to see this incredible cooperation come to light with the game’s release.”
 
Small World of Warcraft is a standalone game designed for 2 to 5 players and can be completed in 40 to 80 minutes. It includes 6 double-sided boards, 16 Warcraft Race banners, 182 Matching Race tokens and 15 Murloc tokens, 20 Unique Special Power badges, 5 Player Summary Sheets, 12 Artifact and Legendary place markers, 10 Mountains, 9 Wisp Walls, 4 Harmony tokens, 12 Bombs, 1 Champion, 10 Forts, 2 Military Objectives, 5 Beasts, 6 Watch Towers, 110 Victory coins, 1 Custom Reinforcement die, 1 Game turn track, 1 Game turn marker, 1 rulebook and 1 Team Variant Rules sheet.

Small World of Warcraft is available now in North America and Europe at a suggested retail price of $59.99/£60 and will be available in the following languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Czech, Slovak, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Fans can purchase the game from the Blizzard Gear Store as well as other retails stores and online.
 
Small World is a registered trademark of Days of Wonder, and World of Warcraft and Warcraft are registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Train2Game WoW Shadowlands Release Date

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Beyond Azeroth’s shattered sky,a realm of infinite afterlives awaits: the Shadowlands, where mortal souls go to reckon with their pasts, discover new purpose . . . or suffer an eternity of torment.

On October 27, the heroes of the Horde and the Alliance will forge their own fate in the next world as World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands, the eighth expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, launches around the globe.

Upon entering the Shadowlands, Azeroth’s champions will encounter an otherworld in disarray. Virtuous souls are being wrongfully cast into the eternal darkness of the Maw, while the Covenants—powerful factions who hold dominion over the afterlife’s disparate realms—face ruin and strife as the flow of the Shadowlands’ essential anima mysteriously dwindles. As an ancient, long-bound evil gathers the strength to break its chains, players must carve their path through the uncharted reaches of the beyond, forge a pact with the Covenant that most aligns with their own principles and purpose—and ultimately restore balance to the hereafter.

“In Shadowlands, players will explore one of the Warcraft universe’s most mysterious undiscovered frontiers,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “And in selecting a Covenant to align themselves with, they’ll face one of the most challenging decisions they’ve ever made in the game—one that will impact nearly every aspect of their experience with this expansion. We can’t wait to see what paths players choose when Shadowlands launches this October.”

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is loaded with content and features that give players whole-new ways to discover and shape their characters’ destinies:

§  Explore Warcraft’s Afterlife—Discover the wonders and horrors that await in the world beyond the veil. Ride across the gleaming fields of Bastion, lose yourself among the gothic spires of Revendreth, find yourself at the crossroads of fate in the eternal city of Oribos, and much more. 

§  Pledge Yourself to a Covenant—Align with one of the Shadowlands’ four Covenants, each with unique story campaigns, gameplay features, and powers that they bestow upon those who pledge themselves to their cause. Choose between Bastion’s valiant Kyrian or Revendreth’s prideful Venthyr, fight for the mighty Necrolords of Maldraxxus, or seek renewal with the wild Night Fae of Ardenweald.

§  Ascend the Tower of the Damned—The vilest souls in existence are locked away in Torghast, an otherworldly prison ruled by the terrifying entity known as the Jailer. This ever-changing, roguelike challenge is open to solo players and groups of up to five, and those who brave its trials will earn materials to commission rune-carved legendary equipment of their choosing.

§  Rise as a Death Knight—Bolvar Fordragon, the former paladin who once wore the helm of the Lich King to keep the Scourge at bay, seeks to bolster the Death Knights’ numbers—now, all Allied Races as well as pandaren can join their unholy ranks. (Available with pre-purchase.)

§  And More. . .—Endure the Jailer’s watchful eye in the Maw, where the challenge mounts the longer you linger; Soulbind withkey characters of your chosen Covenant to share their distinct powers; choose how to restore your Covenant’s Sanctum to glory . . . Shadowlands is unlike anything ever before experienced in World of Warcraft.

Death Rises in Azeroth

Prior to the expansion’s release, Azeroth will begin to bear the effects of Sylvanas’s actions during a special pre-launch in-game event: “Death Rising.” This limited-time event will send players to the frozen wastes of Icecrown, where the veil between worlds has been shattered—and the reawakening of the undead Scourge heralds the stirring of more sinister forces.

The “Death Rising” event is part of the major pre-expansion game update to prepare for Shadowlands’ release, which also includes a newly revamped leveling experience that takes players to the new pre-Shadowlands level cap of 50, the addition of an epic introductory adventure for players new to World of Warcraft set on the accursed island of Exile’s Reach, a variety of updates to classes and abilities in preparation for the expansion, and more.

Choose Your Path Into the Shadowlands

Players who wish to prepare for their journey into the Shadowlands today can pre-purchase the expansion now at www.worldofwarcraft.com. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available in a range of editions to suit players’ interests:

§  Shadowlands Base Edition (£34.99, digital only), which comes with the expansion only, and provides a new lower entry point compared to previous expansions. 

§  Shadowlands Heroic Edition (£49.99, digital only), which comes with the expansion; a character boost so players can be ready to enter the Shadowlands at launch; and the Ensorcelled Everwyrm mount, which additionally provides access to a quest line through which players can earn the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmogrification set.

§  Shadowlands Epic Edition (£69.99, digital only), which includes everything in the Heroic Edition plus the Anima Wyrmling pet; the Wraithchill cosmetic weapon effect; the Eternal Traveler’s Hearthstone, which provides a unique visual effect; and 30 days of game time.

§  Shadowlands Collector’s Edition (£109.99 SRP, retail only), a limited-edition boxed set that comes with the Epic Edition content along with mementos to adorn the physical realm, including four pins bearing the sigils of the Covenants; a mouse pad reflecting the shattered sky over Icecrown; a hardcover Art of the Shadowlands book; and a key to download the Shadowlands soundtrack. The Collector’s Edition is scheduled to begin shipping from retailers starting October 13, 2020; check with your local store for pre-order availability or information regarding their shipping policies. Players who pre-purchased a digital copy of Shadowlands and who upgrade to the Collector’s Edition will automatically be credited Blizzard Balance†† based on their original purchase (some restrictions apply; read Blizzard’s Collector’s Edition article for details).

All bonuses from the Heroic and Epic Editions are unlocked immediately upon pre-purchase. In addition, pre-purchasing any edition of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will open the ability for players to create Pandaren and Allied Race Death Knights.

Enjoy the trailer…

Train2News Diablo IV Announced

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An ancient evil threatens to engulf Sanctuary in darkness, and new heroes have been called upon to face challenges the world has never seen before.

Blizzard Entertainment has announced Diablo IV, the highly anticipated next entry in its genre-defining action–role-playing series. The newest instalment of Diablo was announced during BlizzCon® 2019, where attendees were eager to be the first in the world to play a public demo of the game. Diablo IV draws players into a grim storyline and gives them the freedom to explore and forge their own path across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary—a bleak and shattered hellscape bereft of hope and beset by demons.

True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.

“Sanctuary has been home to Diablo players for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announce Diablo IV today,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment.

“We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessential Diablo gameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”

In Diablo IV, players will attempt to bring hope back to the world by vanquishing evil in all its vile incarnations—from cannibalistic demon-worshipping cultists to the all-new drowned undead that emerges from the coastlines to drag their victims to a watery grave. For the first time in the series, Sanctuary will be a contiguous, seamless landmass comprising diverse regions ranging from the burning desert of Kejhistan, to the verdant werewolf-infested forests of Scosglen, to the harsh and rugged wilderness of the Dry Steppes.

At BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed the first three of Diablo IV’s character classes, all playable at the show:

  • The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.
  • The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.
  • The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.

These three iconic characters honour the legacy of the franchise and exemplify how Diablo IV builds upon the series’ history by preserving the core Diablo fantasy while allowing players to explore untapped gameplay possibilities with fresh inspiration.

Players will be able to experiment and discover countless character builds through customizable talent trees and skills, a deep loot system filled with legendary and set items to collect, runes and rune word combinations, and even personalized mounts for traversing the open world.

Diablo IV is being developed using modern technology that pushes the franchise to dark, new depths. This technology is at the heart of everything players will see, hear, and feel—delivering much higher fidelity and a more engrossing experience. It opens up countless possibilities for the Diablo series, from smooth character animations, such as the Druid’s fluid shapeshifting, to the seamless, vast overworld players will travel across in search of the next loot-filled underground dungeon. Ultimately, Diablo IV will ground players in a grittier and deadlier world.

Diablo IV is currently in development and will be coming to PC, PlayStation® 4, and Xbox One. Brave souls can seek out more information at www.diablo.com.

Train2Game News Overwatch 2 Announced

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More than 50 million players worldwide have teamed up to capture objectives, push payloads, and fight for the future in Overwatch®, Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed team-based shooter.

Before a sold-out crowd of BlizzCon 2019 attendees and millions watching online, Blizzard Entertainment revealed Overwatch 2, a supercharged sequel that will send players deeper into the world and story of Overwatch and build upon the original game’s critically acclaimed foundation of world-class PvP competition.

In Overwatch 2, players will take on the roles of the world’s heroes in cooperative missions that challenge them to team up, power up, and stand together against an overwhelming outbreak of threats around the globe.

Players will also battle each other in the next evolution of competitive Overwatch play, which carries forward existing players’ accomplishments and loot collections and features the current complete Overwatch roster, a new generation of heroes, new internationally recognizable maps that widen the scope of the world, a new Push map type, and more.

“With Overwatch 2, we’re building the cooperative, narrative-driven game experience that players have been asking for since the original—and that we’ve wanted to make for a long time,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment.

“We’re looking forward to telling the next chapter of this epic story in-game, and we’re excited to give players a whole-new kind of co-op experience built around progressing and customizing their favorite heroes—all while providing even more of everything they love about Overwatch today.”

In the sequel’s action-packed cooperative Story Missions, players will experience the advent of a new Overwatch as Winston, Tracer, and other members of the original Overwatch join forces with a new generation of heroes. Players will take an active role in the Overwatch saga as a new global crisis unfolds through a series of intense, high-stakes four-player missions. As the story progresses, players will team up as different sets of heroes and fight to defend the world from the omnic forces of Null Sector, uncover the motives behind the robotic armies’ attacks, and come face-to-face with rising new threats around the globe.

The battle continues in Hero Missions, where the Overwatch team will be called upon to go beyond their limits as they deploy across the planet, defending cities against robot invasions, taking on elite Talon agents, and battling the villainous forces laying siege to the world. In this highly replayable mode, players can level up their favorite heroes and earn powerful customization options that supercharge their abilities in co-op play—such as altering Reinhardt’s Fire Strike to ignite nearby enemies or modifying Tracer’s Pulse Bomb to cause a devastating chain reaction—granting the extra edge they need against the overwhelming odds.

To help realize these missions, the sequel also introduces significant engine upgrades that support larger maps for co-op (PvE) play, as well as the wide variety of new enemies and factions that players will encounter on their missions. The game also introduces visual enhancements designed to bring players’ favorite heroes—and their new looks for Overwatch 2—to life in greater detail.

Overwatch 2 also represents the beginning of a new era for the series’ world-renowned competitive 6v6 play. In addition to carrying forward all of the original game’s heroes, maps, and modes—as well as existing Overwatch players’ accomplishments and loot collections—the sequel adds multiple new playable heroes to the ever-growing roster; widens the scope of the world with even more maps and locations; and adds a new Push map type, in which two teams compete to make a robot (that happens to be pretty good at pushing things) push the map’s objective to their opponent’s side.

Overwatch 2 also renews Blizzard’s commitment to continue supporting the existing Overwatch community. Current Overwatch players will battle side-by-side with Overwatch 2 players in PvP multiplayer. In addition, current Overwatch players will be able to play Overwatch 2 heroes and maps, ensuring the core PvP experience remains dynamic and vital for today’s community in the Overwatch 2 era. More details on Blizzard’s plans, including some of the new heroes joining the fray, will be announced in the future as development continues.

For more information on Overwatch 2, visit www.playoverwatch.com.

Train2Game News New WoW Expansion Announced

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Sylvanas Windrunner, fallen leader of the Horde, has pierced the veil between Azeroth and the realm of the dead, setting in motion a series of events that threatens to upset the cosmic balance between life and death.

Blizzard Entertainment revealed World of Warcraft®: Shadowlands, the latest expansion for the company’s acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game, in which Azeroth’s heroes will confront the wonders and horrors of the afterlife as they deal with the consequences of Sylvanas’ actions.

World of Warcraft players entering the fabled Shadowlands will find the realms of the dead in upheaval. Under the normal order, departed souls were delivered to a realm appropriate to the lives they led, but now, all souls are being funneled into the Maw, where the most wicked are damned to suffer for eternity.

As they seek to right the cycle and uncover the extent of Sylvanas’ designs, players will forge bonds with the Covenants who hold domain over different planes within the Shadowlands:

  • The steadfast Kyrian of Bastion, whose discipline and duty compels them to safeguard souls from the mortal realm as they pass into the Shadowlands.
  • The mysterious Night Fae of Ardenweald, who fiercely defend the spirits of nature from those who would deprive them of rebirth.
  • The cunning Venthyr of Revendreth, who feast on the souls of the prideful and vain in a gothic realm of opulence and torment.
  • The warlike Necrolords of Maldraxxus, who forge the undead armies that serve as the first line of defense for the Shadowlands and honor those who seek power and glory in battle.

In their journeys through the Shadowlands, players will also come face-to-face with some of the departed legends of the Warcraft® universe, such as Uther the Lightbringer, who struggles against dark forces that seek to transform him into a symbol of retribution, and Kael’thas, who pursues vengeance on an enemy from his past while confined to Revendreth for the crimes he committed in life.

“Shadowlands is taking us somewhere we’ve never dreamed of going in the Warcraft universe, and that’s incredibly exciting,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “We can’t wait to explore the great beyond, catch up with old departed friends, and forge an epic new chapter in the Warcraft saga together with our players.”

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Features

A host of new features and activities await players in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. When they cross into the realm-between-realms, players will be able to:

  • Explore the Realm of the Dead: For the first time ever in World of Warcraft, players will cross into the Shadowlands and experience the wonders and horrors of the afterlife across five new zones—the gleaming fields of Bastion, the scarred battlefields of Maldraxxus, the eternal twilight of Ardenweald, the opulent keeps of Revendreth, and the horrific Maw.
  • Claim a Covenant’s Power: Players will be called upon to forge a bond with one of four Covenants that rule Shadowlands’ new zones, setting the tone for their journey through the expansion with a full Covenant Campaign. As they level up, they’ll get new abilities based on their choice, including class-specific abilities for each Covenant—as well as developing Soulbinds with specific Covenant members, which grant them access to that character’s specific traits and bonuses.
  • Ascend the Tower of the Damned: At the heart of the Maw lies Torghast, Tower of the Damned, a cursed otherworldly prison where the wickedest souls in the universe are locked away. Highly replayable and inspired by roguelike games, heroes are invited to explore its ever-changing halls and chambers and do battle with the minions of the Jailer, Torghast’s vile ruler. Those who brave its trials can claim legendary treasures and help free the heroic spirits wrongfully trapped within.
  • Every Level Is Meaningful: Shadowlands will introduce a new leveling system, meant to provide a meaningful sense of advancement with every level achieved. Current max-level characters will begin Shadowlands at level 50 and work toward the new level cap of 60.
  • A New Army of the Dead Rises: To combat Sylvanas’ assault on Icecrown, Bolvar Fordragon— the revered former paladin who took on the mantle of Lich King to keep the Scourge at bay—has raised heroes from among all the peoples of Azeroth to bolster the Death Knights of Acherus. With Shadowlands, pandaren and all allied races will now be able to become Death Knights.
  • Improved Character Customization Options: A host of new appearance options for all races will be made available to players when they create new World of Warcraft characters (or alter existing ones at the in-game barber shop).

Pre-purchase Options

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is available for pre-purchase digitally from the Blizzard Shop starting today, with three different options all designed with player preference in mind.

The Base Edition of Shadowlands is available for £34.99 SRP, providing a new lower entry point compared to previous expansions.

The Heroic Edition £49.99) includes the expansion; a level-120 character boost; and the Ensorcelled Everwyrm mount, which provides access to a questline through which players can earn the Vestments of the Eternal Traveler transmogrification set.

The Epic Edition (£69.99) includes the Anima Wyrmling pet; the Wraithchill cosmetic weapon effect; the Eternal Traveler’s Hearthstone, designed with a unique visual effect; and 30 days of game time, in addition to all of the contents from the Heroic Edition.

All bonuses from the Heroic and Epic Editions are unlocked immediately upon pre-purchase.

In addition, pre-purchasing any edition of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will open the ability for players to create pandaren and allied race Death Knights once the Visions of N’Zoth content update for the current expansion, Battle for Azeroth™, arrives in the coming months.

For more information on World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, visit www.worldofwarcraft.com.

Train2Game News World of Warcraft Classic Live

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All current World of Warcraft subscribers can start playing Classic today at no additional cost!

WoW® Classic rings in the game’s 15th anniversary, with celebrations in Battle for Azeroth™ to follow in the coming months

Grizzled veterans and hardy newcomers alike can now experience Azeroth as it was in its earliest days with World of Warcraft® Classic, which is live starting today and included at no additional cost as part of everyone’s WoW® subscription globally. World of Warcraft Classic has been a labor of love for Blizzard, and the result is an authentic re-creation of the pre-expansion game in its most feature-complete state, as it was during 2006’s “Drums of War” update (patch 1.12.0). Blizzard has continued to bring WoW Classic realms online around the world to accommodate the more than two million players who have created characters in anticipation of today’s launch, and will work to add more based on player population trends.

World of Warcraft®, which has been played by more than 140 million players over the past 15 years,* has evolved considerably across seven expansions, with numerous features, enhancements, and quality-of-life improvements. In many ways, World of Warcraft Classic is more unrelenting and demanding of self-direction from players than today’s version of the game. Bonds among the community are paramount—activities like raids and dungeon runs must be organized collectively by players on the same realm, with the toughest challenges requiring 40 coordinated and committed souls to surmount.

Classic’s Azeroth is equal parts wonder and hazard, and its trials will push players to their limits. The Alliance and the Horde, in the midst of outright war, are made to reckon with forces whose powers transcend their own brutal conflict—including some of the most iconic and love-hated of villains of the Warcraft® universe, like Ragnaros the Firelord and the Archlich Kel’Thuzad.

“It’s been a long time coming, but we’re overjoyed to welcome our friends new and old to classic Azeroth,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “The community’s excitement is infectious and deeply motivating—it’s clear they’re as thrilled as we are to relive the World of Warcraft Classic experience. We look forward to rediscovering its wonders and challenges together with them, starting today.”

World of Warcraft Classic will continue to expand in the weeks and months following today’s launch, allowing players the opportunity to live through pivotal moments in Azeroth history previously lost to time. Among the host of features and activities set to be introduced to the game across six phases are iconic raids like Blackwing Lair, Zul’Gurub, and Naxxramas; player-versus-player battlegrounds like Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin, and the classic version of Alterac Valley; and time-limited server-wide events like the Ahn’Qiraj War Effort, and the Scourge Invasion.

Train2Game News Blizzard Fine Art Prints

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Official fine art prints from Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® are coming to Cook and Becker for sale starting today!

These beautiful prints from Blizzard’s iconic game universes are officially licensed and will be released in several sets over time.

The first set of prints, from Blizzard’s legendary massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, are available today, with work by artists from Blizzard and around the world who have helped bring the game to life for millions of players and art fans globally.

Visit the online store to see the entire selection:

Click here to see the World of Warcraft collection in full

The eye-catching and vibrant artwork of Blizzard’s talented artists has helped shape Blizzard’s iconic worlds.

A spokesman from Cook and Becker said “At Cook and Becker, we are very proud to work with Blizzard on these official fine art print collections, which have been reproduced to the highest standards with details that are as close to the artist’s intentions as possible. Our reproductions are of archival quality, intended to help preserve the history and legacy of these culturally significant games, and Blizzard fans are sure to be pleased with these productions.”

The World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo prints to be released by Cook and Becker are all limited-edition Certified Art Giclees™.

The prints are available for purchase unframed, or with a high-quality frame or finish.

For more information, visit the official website: www.cookandbecker.com.