Death Breathes New Life into Sanctuary
More than 2.7 million players join the crusade against the Angel of Death with the launch of Diablo® III: Reaper of Souls™
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Malthael claimed that no one could stop Death . . . actually, Diablo® III players have already stopped Death more than 1.5 million times and counting. On March 25, players the world over launched a crusade against the fallen angel with the release of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls™ for Windows® and Mac®. As of the first week of the expansion's availability, more than 2.7 million copies have sold-through online and at retailers worldwide.*
Players, community personalities, and members of the press joined Blizzard to celebrate the expansion's release on the evening of March 24 at launch parties in Seoul, Taipei, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Los Angeles. The icy grasp of the Angel of Death reached players around the world through live streams from several of the events, with total Diablo III views on Twitch on launch day alone exceeding 2.4 million.†
"With Reaper of Souls, we wanted to emphasize all the things that Diablo gamers have always loved about the series, from the dark gothic setting to the piles and piles of epic loot," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're excited to see that players are enjoying the changes we've made to the game, and we look forward to achieving our Paragon levels alongside everyone else in the weeks and months ahead."
Reaper of Souls continues the Diablo III story with a challenging new act that takes players from the legendary city of Westmarch to the unhallowed halls of the Pandemonium Fortress, culminating in an epic battle with Malthael, the Angel of Death. The expansion also adds the unstoppable Crusader class to Diablo III's roster of heroes, and increases the game's level cap to 70, adding several powerful spells and abilities for the original five hero classes.
Other new features in Reaper of Souls include Adventure Mode: a new game mode that allows players to choose their own path across Sanctuary in total freedom; Bounties: randomized objectives that award gold and experience; Nephalem Rifts: fast-paced randomized dungeons offering endless replayability and heaps of loot; and the Mystic: a powerful new artisan who provides gear-customization options.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is available for purchase in retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as digitally around the world via the game's official website (http://www.diablo3.com/reaperofsouls). The expansion will launch in Russia and the CIS, and at retail stores in Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, on April 15. Reaper of Souls has been fully localized in English, German, French, Latin American Spanish, European Spanish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Italian, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.
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 sixteen #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.
*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
†Source: Twitch.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about scheduled release dates, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Rob Hilburger
VP, Global Communications
949-242-8404
rhilburger@blizzard.com
or
Emil Rodriguez
Director, Global PR
949-955-1380 x12064
elrodriguez@blizzard.com
or
Steven Khoo
PR Manager
949-955-1380 x12508
skhoo@blizzard.com
Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Players, community personalities, and members of the press joined Blizzard to celebrate the expansion's release on the evening of March 24 at launch parties in Seoul, Taipei, Warsaw, Stockholm, and Los Angeles. The icy grasp of the Angel of Death reached players around the world through live streams from several of the events, with total Diablo III views on Twitch on launch day alone exceeding 2.4 million.†
"With Reaper of Souls, we wanted to emphasize all the things that Diablo gamers have always loved about the series, from the dark gothic setting to the piles and piles of epic loot," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're excited to see that players are enjoying the changes we've made to the game, and we look forward to achieving our Paragon levels alongside everyone else in the weeks and months ahead."
Reaper of Souls continues the Diablo III story with a challenging new act that takes players from the legendary city of Westmarch to the unhallowed halls of the Pandemonium Fortress, culminating in an epic battle with Malthael, the Angel of Death. The expansion also adds the unstoppable Crusader class to Diablo III's roster of heroes, and increases the game's level cap to 70, adding several powerful spells and abilities for the original five hero classes.
Other new features in Reaper of Souls include Adventure Mode: a new game mode that allows players to choose their own path across Sanctuary in total freedom; Bounties: randomized objectives that award gold and experience; Nephalem Rifts: fast-paced randomized dungeons offering endless replayability and heaps of loot; and the Mystic: a powerful new artisan who provides gear-customization options.
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls is available for purchase in retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as digitally around the world via the game's official website (http://www.diablo3.com/reaperofsouls). The expansion will launch in Russia and the CIS, and at retail stores in Mexico, Chile, and Brazil, on April 15. Reaper of Souls has been fully localized in English, German, French, Latin American Spanish, European Spanish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Italian, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.
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 sixteen #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.
*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
†Source: Twitch.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about scheduled release dates, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Rob Hilburger
VP, Global Communications
949-242-8404
rhilburger@blizzard.com
or
Emil Rodriguez
Director, Global PR
949-955-1380 x12064
elrodriguez@blizzard.com
or
Steven Khoo
PR Manager
949-955-1380 x12508
skhoo@blizzard.com
Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.