STARCRAFT®
II UNVEILED
Blizzard
Entertainment®
announces
highly
anticipated
sequel at
2007
Worldwide
Invitational
event in
South Korea
SEOUL, South
Korea – May
19, 2007 –
Blizzard
Entertainment®
today
unveiled
StarCraft®
II, the
sequel to
its
award-winning
real-time
strategy
game
StarCraft,
at the 2007
Blizzard
Worldwide
Invitational
event in
Seoul, South
Korea. The
announcement
took place
inside the
Olympic
Gymnastics
Arena, in
front of
thousands of
attendees,
who received
a
presentation
that
included a
StarCraft II
cinematic
trailer and
a gameplay
demonstration
by the
development
team.
Designed to
be the
ultimate
competitive
real-time
strategy
game,
StarCraft II
will feature
the return
of the
Protoss,
Terran, and
Zerg races,
overhauled
and
re-imagined
with
Blizzard’s
signature
approach to
game
balance.
Each race
will be
further
distinguished
from the
others, with
several new
units and
new gameplay
mechanics,
as well as
new
abilities
for some of
the classic
StarCraft
units that
will be
making a
reappearance
in the game.
StarCraft II
will also
feature a
custom
3D-graphics
engine with
realistic
physics and
the ability
to render
several
large,
highly
detailed
units and
massive
armies
on-screen
simultaneously.
“With
StarCraft
II, we’ll be
able to do
everything
we wanted to
do with the
original
StarCraft
and more,”
stated Mike
Morhaime,
president
and
cofounder of
Blizzard
Entertainment.
“We
recognize
that
expectations
are high
following
the
long-running
popularity
of the
original
game, but we
plan to meet
those
expectations
and deliver
an engaging,
action-packed,
competitive
experience
that
StarCraft
players and
strategy
gamers
worldwide
will enjoy.”
StarCraft II
will include
a unique
single-player
campaign, as
well as
fast-paced
online play
through an
upgraded
version of
Blizzard’s
renowned
online
gaming
service,
Battle.net®.
In addition,
the game
will come
with a
powerful,
full-featured
map editor
that will
put the same
tools used
by
Blizzard’s
designers
into the
hands of
players.
Blizzard is
developing
StarCraft II
for
simultaneous
release on
the Windows®
and
Macintosh®
PC
platforms.
Further
information
about the
game,
including
details on
the
single-player,
multiplayer,
and
map-editor
features, as
well as
system
requirements,
pricing, and
availability,
will be
announced in
the months
ahead. To
learn more
about
StarCraft
II, please
visit the
official
website at
www.starcraft2.com.
About the
StarCraft
Series
Since its
debut in
1998, the
original
StarCraft
has won
unprecedented
critical
acclaim and
has remained
a staple of
tournament
gaming
worldwide.
The game’s
expansion
set,
StarCraft:
Brood War,
also
released in
1998, is
still
considered
by many to
be one of
the best
add-on
products
ever
created. To
date, the
series has
sold more
than 9.5
million
copies
worldwide.*
StarCraft’s
gritty
sci-fi
universe has
also spawned
numerous
complementary
products,
including
several
novels and
action
figures, as
well as a
pen-and-paper
role-playing
game.
About
Blizzard
Entertainment,
Inc.
Best known
for
blockbuster
hits
including
World of
Warcraft®
and the
Warcraft®,
StarCraft,
and Diablo®
series,
Blizzard
Entertainment,
Inc. (www.blizzard.com),
a division
of Vivendi
Games, is a
premier
developer
and
publisher of
entertainment
software
renowned for
creating
some of the
industry’s
most
critically
acclaimed
games.
Blizzard’s
track record
includes ten
#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
users. In
South Korea,
Blizzard is
regarded as
having
played a
major role
in bringing
about the
birth of
professional
gamers and
game
broadcasting.
Furthermore,
its games
are
acknowledged
as one of
the key
drivers
behind the
popularization
of South
Korea’s PC
game room
business.
*Based on
internal
company
records and
reports from
key
distribution
part