Global Battle.net^® Invitational and GSL October Final Set to Take Place Before Sell-Out Crowd at Blizzard Entertainment's Upcoming Gaming Festival

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blizzard Entertainment announced today that the 2011 Global Battle.net^® Invitational and the 2011 GSL (Global StarCraft^®II League) October Final will both be held at BlizzCon^® 2011. The action will be live at BlizzCon and presented for free over the Internet at www.blizzcon.com. A free Battle.net account will be required for access to the Internet stream. Sign up for an account at www.battle.net.

BlizzCon, which takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from October 21 to 22, is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft^®, StarCraft, and Diablo^® universes. Tickets to attend BlizzCon are sold out, but virtual tickets, which provide comprehensive live coverage of the event, will be available for $39.99 USD at www.blizzcon.com.

"Between the Global Battle.net Invitational and the GSL October Final, two of the biggest eSports events of the year will be taking place at BlizzCon 2011," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're looking forward to witnessing the high level of competition between the pro gamers participating in these events alongside our attendees at BlizzCon and the viewers at home."

The Global Battle.net Invitational is one of the top attractions at BlizzCon, featuring top-ranked pro players who have been invited to participate from across the world. This year, players will compete in StarCraft^® II: Wings of Liberty^™ and World of Warcraft^®: Cataclysm^™.

The GSL is one of the world's most-watched eSports competitions. Since its inception in 2010, millions of viewers have watched GSL broadcasts featuring intense matches between highly skilled professional players. These world-class competitors make a living through sponsorships and by battling it out for cash prizes in prestigious tournaments. The GSL October Final match is expected to bring much excitement to both domestic and overseas viewers as it will be the first GSL tournament final to take place outside of Korea. Between the Battle.net Invitational and the GSL October Final, a total prize pool of nearly $300,000 USD will be up for grabs at BlizzCon 2011.

More information about BlizzCon and the 2011 Global Battle.net Invitational can be found at the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com), and more information on the GSL can be found on its official website (www.gomtv.net).

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 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.

About Gretech Corp.

Gretech Corp., founded in 1999 in South Korea, is producing a successful array of software which is currently being used on 88% of all computers in the Korean market. Gretech's products are being used worldwide by people from 213 different countries, totaling over 100 million users. In addition to the software, which includes the GOM Player, GOM Audio, GOM Encoder and GOM Recorder, Gretech currently hosts about 300,000 contents accessible through the media service, GOMTV. As Blizzard Entertainment's exclusive broadcasting partner for StarCraft II content in Korea, Gretech is currently hosting and producing the GSL (Global StarCraft® II League), which is being broadcasted live to audiences from all over the world. Gretech's main office is located in Seoul, South Korea. For additional information, please visit Gretech's homepage (http://www.gretech.com/eng/index.html).

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Lisa Jensen
Vice President, Global Public Relations
949-854-6200 dir
949-854-7900 fax
ljensen@blizzard.com
or
Rob Hilburger
PR Director
949-242-8404 dir
949-854-7900 fax
rhilburger@blizzard.com

Source: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

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