Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and NetEase, Inc. today announced that they
will be co-hosting the Battle.net® World Championship in
Shanghai, China on Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18, 2012.
The Battle.net World Championship will bring to a riveting conclusion
Blizzard’s 2012 StarCraft® II World
Championship Series, which comprises more than 30 national and
continental tournaments around the world, and the World of Warcraft®
Arena global finals. Blizzard gamers and eSports fans will be able to
witness some of the most skilled pro players on the planet in action as
they battle it out at the Battle.net World Championship for glory, cash
prizes, and the title of undisputed world champion.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the best players in the World
Championship Series face each other at the Battle.net World Championship
in Shanghai this November,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of
Blizzard Entertainment. “The level of StarCraft II and World
of Warcraft Arena competition we’ve already seen around the world
has been amazing, so we’re anticipating a truly epic finale.”
“We’re excited to partner with Blizzard to co-host a world-class eSports
event here in China,” said William Ding, CEO of NetEase. “There are
millions of eSports enthusiasts in China and we’re looking forward to
presenting them with the opportunity to come together, have fun, and
celebrate their passion for professional gaming.”
In addition to highly competitive eSports matches, the Battle.net World
Championship will serve as a gathering place for the Blizzard gaming
community and offer attendees:
-
Hands-on play time with some of the latest Blizzard games
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Opportunities to meet some of the world’s most popular pro players
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Commemorative merchandise based on Blizzard’s game universes
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More activities and attractions to be announced
Further details about the Battle.net World Championship will be
announced at the official website, http://battle.net/bwc,
as the event draws closer.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®
and the Warcraft®, 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 fourteen #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.
About NetEase, Inc.
NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading China-based Internet
technology company that pioneered the development of applications,
services and other technologies for the Internet in China. NetEase’s
online communities and personalized premium services have established a
large and stable user base for the NetEase websites which are operated
by its affiliates. In particular, NetEase provides online game services
to Internet users through its in-house development or licensing of
massively multi-player online role-playing games, including Fantasy
Westward Journey, Westward Journey Online II and III, Tianxia
III, Heroes of Tang Dynasty, Datang and Ghost, as well
as the licensed Blizzard Entertainment games World of Warcraft
and StarCraft II.

Source(s) : Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.