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E3 2003: Blizzard unveiles World of Warcraft

15th May 2003, 4:42pm
Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled several new gameplay elements for "World of Warcraft," its upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

During the hands-on demo, the company debuted the game's fifth new playable race, the reclusive Night Elves. These shadowy, immortal creatures were the first to study magic, which they unleashed throughout the world of Azeroth nearly ten thousand years before the events chronicled in the original "Warcraft."

Blizzard also announced several new classes, many forms of transportation, and stunning new lands to explore. For the first time ever, the company also previewed the game's new fully customizable interface, which allows players to adjust the appearance and features of the interface to suit their particular preferences and style of play.

"We're very excited to show `World of Warcraft' at this year's E3," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "We plan to reveal several innovative gameplay elements, and we look forward to receiving feedback on these significant additions to the game."

Building on the success of the Warcraft series, Blizzard hopes to expand the MMORPG genre by creating a deep, immersive, user-friendly experience that will appeal to both veteran gamers and casual players alike. The E3 presentation shows off the vibrant world of Azeroth in great detail and demonstrates the significant new ways in which the universe has been expanded.

Key features in the game include:

  • Immense, detailed world spanning miles of terrain and featuring hundreds of familiar locations throughout the rich Warcraft universe, as well as all-new, uncharted territories.


  • Hundreds of quests that drive gameplay and provide countless opportunities for adventure and heroism.


  • Regular content updates created by an ongoing live development team that continuously designs new lands, quests, and monsters.


  • Thousands of items, including rare and unique weapons and armor with which to customize your character's appearance and abilities.


  • Numerous character classes, each with its own distinctive style of play and multiple paths for development.


  • A revolutionary secondary-skill system that allows players to create truly original characters with unique combinations of abilities.


  • Multiple races to choose from, including Night Elves, Humans, Orcs, Tauren, Dwarves, and more to be revealed.


  • Several personal modes of transportation, including horses, wolves, and more.


  • Ships, Zeppelins, and Gryphons provide quick and easy travel throughout the world.


  • Instanced zones create a personal combat and adventure experience for you and your companions.


    • "World of Warcraft" takes place three years following the aftermath of "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne," where a great tension has settled over the ravaged world of Azeroth. As the various races begin to rebuild their shattered kingdoms, new threats, both ancient and terrifying, have arisen to plague the world once again. Players must explore the lands of Azeroth, forge fellowships with other players, and build their strength in order to prevail.

    Since its debut in 1994, the #1-selling "Warcraft" series has won industry acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with more than 8 million copies sold. In 1995, Blizzard followed the well-received "Warcraft: Orcs and Humans" with the highly acclaimed "Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness," considered by many critics to be one of the best games ever made.

    In 2002, Blizzard expanded the boundaries of the epic "Warcraft" universe with the release of "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos." This third chapter in the legendary saga quickly became the fastest-selling PC game ever and has since garnered numerous Game of the Year awards.

    Best known for blockbuster hits including the "Warcraft, StarCraft," and "Diablo" series, Blizzard Entertainment (www.blizzard.com), 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. Blizzard's track record includes seven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.
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    by Damien