Blizzard Entertainment Announces 'World of Warcraft' Korean Release Date - Jan. 18, 2005

Business Wire, Jan 17, 2005

IRVINE, Calif. -- Blizzard Entertainment(R) today announced that "World of Warcraft(R)" will officially launch in Korea on Jan. 18, 2005. Following a highly successful beta-testing period, the game is now being prepared for availability throughout the country. Once released, players can sign up for various subscription plans and experience the epic adventure of the "Warcraft(R)" series in an immersive and continually evolving online environment.

"Officially launching 'World of Warcraft' in Korea represents the achievement of a very significant milestone for Blizzard," said Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "The Korean gaming community is extremely important to us, and we believe players in Korea will be pleased when they discover everything that 'World of Warcraft' has to offer. With fully localized content, a regional network infrastructure, and local, round-the-clock customer support, we believe that 'World of Warcraft' will provide Korean gamers with an unparalleled game experience."

To provide players with an incomparable level of service, a local Blizzard office was created to manage all aspects of support for "World of Warcraft" in Korea. This local team, composed entirely of Korean staff and management, will serve as an integral part of the game's development and customer services, assisting in the synchronization of content updates, the delivery of player feedback to the developers, and accurate translation to keep the game relevant and tailored to the Korean population. Furthermore, this local team will offer 24-hour support, year round, with direct game master (GM) support and local call-center representatives dedicated to helping players with questions regarding gameplay and/or technical issues in their native language.

"After receiving amazing response from the Korean community, we look forward to the official launch of the highly demanded, 'World of Warcraft,'" said Jungwon Hahn, managing director of Blizzard Entertainment Korea. "To the millions of Blizzard fans in Korea, the launching of 'World of Warcraft' is more than just a release of a new game. It is the opening of a whole new era in the online gaming industry, expected to set unprecedented standards in the MMORPG genre."

Players who are currently in the open beta test have the latest version of the "World of Warcraft" client and can continue playing once they input their preferred method of payment. Those who are new to the game can visit the official Blizzard Web site for instructions on how to download the client and begin playing.

For more information on "World of Warcraft," including pricing, promotions, and gameplay features, please visit Blizzard's official Web site: www.worldofwarcraft.co.kr.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the "Warcraft(R)," "Diablo(R)," and "StarCraft(R)" series, Blizzard Entertainment(R) (www.blizzard.co.kr), 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. In Korea, the company has achieved unprecedented success, with sales totaling over 6 million units(a) to date. Blizzard has been perceived as a favorite studio among Korean gamers and is also regarded as having played a major role in bringing about the birth of both professional gamers and game broadcasting. Furthermore, its games are acknowledged as one of the key drivers behind the popularization of the PC game room business in Korea.

(a)Based on EDI sell-through, internal company records, and reports from key distribution partners in Korea.