DIABLO® III OFFICIAL GLOBAL LAUNCH EVENTS

DIABLO^® III OFFICIAL GLOBAL LAUNCH EVENTS

Blizzard Entertainment to raise hell with players at multiple stores around the world on the eve of Diablo III’s 15th of May release

PARIS, France - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced several official launch events to celebrate the release of its highly anticipated action–role-playing game, Diablo^® III, with players around the world. On the night of 14^thof May, key retail partners in the US, UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Poland, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the region of Taiwan will welcome gamers who want to be among the first to purchase Diablo III and lock horns with the Lord of Terror.

In the UK the official launch event will be hosted by Blizzard and retail partner HMV at:

150 Oxford Street
Greater London
W1D 1DJ

Festivities will start at 22.00 BST on the 14^th of May. Gamers in attendance will enjoy an epic evening of entertainment before Diablo III goes on sale at 23.00 BST, including a variety of giveaways and multiple contests with exclusive prizes from our partners. In addition, members of the Diablo IIIdevelopment team will be on site at each of the official events to meet with players and sign their copies of the game.

For more information on the global launch events, visithttp://eu.blizzard.com/en-en/company/events/d3-opening/. In addition to the official UK launch event, other retail locations around the country will open at 23.00 BST to support gamers looking to pick up their copy of the game the moment it goes live. Please check with your local retailers for further details.

Attendees at the official Diablo III launch events will have the opportunity to purchase^† the standard edition of the game as well as the Collector’s Edition, which contains the following bonus items in addition to the game disc:

• Exclusive aesthetic artifacts for Diablo III, as well as an exclusive World of Warcraft^® in-game fetish shaman pet and exclusive StarCraft^® IIBattle.net^® portraits and army decal
• A behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD two-disc set with over an hour of interviews detailing how the world of Sanctuary came together
• The Art of Diablo III, a 208-page art book that catalogues numerous pieces of Diablo III art, from early concepts to final 3D renderings
• The official Diablo III soundtrack CD, containing 24 original pieces from the game
• A 4GB USB soulstone, preloaded with full versions of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction^®, and corresponding Diablo skull base

 
In Diablo III, players assume the role of one of five heroic characters - barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk or demon hunter - and engage in pulse-pounding combat with endless legions of evil. As they undertake an epic quest to rid Sanctuary from the corrupting forces of the Burning Hells, players will explore diverse and perilous settings, grow in experience and ability, acquire artifacts of incredible power and meet key characters who’ll join them in battle or aid them in other ways. Diablo III was built from the ground up to leverage the full functionality of Blizzard’s Battle.net platform, which delivers powerful matchmaking and communication tools, allowing players to seamlessly join forces for exciting cooperative play.

For more information about Diablo III, visit http://www.diablo3.com. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently open - visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.

† Limited to supplies on hand.

• Based on internal company records.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft^® and theWarcraft^®, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes thirteen #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 players.