Press Release

THE OFFSPRING TO PLAY AT BLIZZCON™

Blizzard Entertainment®’s upcoming game festival will feature world-famous punk rock band in concert
 

IRVINE, Calif. – September 26, 2005 – Blizzard EntertainmentÒ, Inc. today announced that multi-platinum recording artists The Offspring will headline the closing-night concert at BlizzCon™, Blizzard's inaugural game festival. BlizzCon will take place on October 28-29, 2005, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA and will include two days of gaming, contests, developer Q&A panels, an official tournament, and other activities centered on Blizzard's 15 years of game development.

"BlizzCon will be an epic celebration of gaming culture, so we wanted to book a truly epic band for this event," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're especially excited that The Offspring will help us make this a memorable occasion for our players, and we look forward to having the band bring BlizzCon to a fitting close."

BlizzCon ShowPasses, which include a ticket to the closing-night The Offspring concert, are now sold out, and concert tickets are not being sold separately. However, a limited number of additional BlizzCon ShowPasses (US $120) may become available in October, so please check the official BlizzCon Web site (www.blizzcon.com) regularly if you’re interested in attending the show and seeing The Offspring live in concert.

For more information about BlizzCon, including a growing lists of contests, prizes, event attractions, and related hotel and travel discounts, please visit www.blizzcon.com.

About The Offspring

With over 32 million records sold and seven albums, The Offspring are one of the most prolific and successful rock bands in the world. The band debuted in 1989 with their self-titled album and quickly gained a legion of fans with their unique brand of punk rock music. With the release of Smash in 1994, The Offspring rocketed to worldwide fame with the hit singles "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," "Self Esteem," and "Gotta Get Away." Smash went on to sell 11 million copies, becoming the most successful independent release of all time. In July 2005, The Offspring released Greatest Hits, a career-spanning compilation of their most memorable songs that includes over thirteen Billboard Music Top 10 hits.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment®, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard’s track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s free Internet gaming service, Battle.netâ, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.