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Finally! Activision Blizzard officially announced the release date of Starcraft 2. Starcraft 2 is set to be released on July 27, 2010.
Here are the SRPs and list of sites where you can pre-order Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty
Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty
Price: $59.99
Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty Collector’s edition
Price: $99.99
Includes :
- STARCRAFT II: WINGS OF LIBERTY PC/MAC GAME
- THE ART OF STARCRAFT II: WINGS OF LIBERTY ART BOOK
- JIM RAYNOR “DOG TAG” 2GB USB DRIVE INCLUDING ORIGINAL STARCRAFT ANTHOLOGY
- WINGS OF LIBERTY EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DVD
- STARCRAFT COMIC ISSUE #0
- COLLECTOR’S EDITION SOUNDTRACK
- EXCLUSIVE IN-GAME WORLD OF WARCRAFT PET (BABY THOR)
- EXCLUSIVE BATTLE.NET DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
Unlock special features through Battle.net, including in-game army icons, unique avatar portraits, and an exclusive version of the in-game Thor unit.
And of course, the official statement from Activision Blizzard
StarCraft(R) II: Wings of Liberty(TM) in Stores Starting July 27, 2010
IRVINE, Calif., May 03, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that its highly anticipated real-time strategy game, StarCraft(R) II: Wings of Liberty(TM), will arrive in stores throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau starting on July 27, 2010. Players will also be able to purchase StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty directly from Blizzard Entertainment shortly after the retail launch.
“We’ve been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe for many years, and we’re excited that the time for that is almost here,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Thanks to our beta testers, we’re making great progress on the final stages of development, and we’ll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft II and the new Battle.net(R) in just a few months.”
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II will once again center on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Unparalleled online play for StarCraft II will be available through a new version of Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment’s world-renowned gaming service. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.
The solo campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will continue the epic saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War(R). The story line chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players will be able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge-mode mini-games will also be included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies.
As of this posting, Starcraft 2 beta has been patched at least 10 times (plus a bit of minor ninja updates here and there) and everything about the game is continuously updated, from the UI, Balance, Maps and the post-game summary that shows neat graphs of how you and your opponent performed in your previous game.
My thoughts on the current state of Starcraft 2 (Multiplayer) and Battle.net 2.0
There are so many ways to be creative in Starcraft 2 regardless of what race you play. Like in Broodwar, the way you open the game and react differently depending on your opponent’s races, the maps (and individual players, once you get to analyze the way they play) will decide the outcome of the game. It is still a game of “making the least mistakes possible”, “keeping those mineral patches saturated” and all the meta stuff that we loved in Broodwar. One thing i noticed though (for D- to D+ players) macro-oriented players will be pwning micro-oriented ones at least 6:4 but after playing a couple of hundred games, you’ll learn to balance macro and micro. All the fear about the new mechanics (MBS, max unit selection) ruining the game vaporized btw.
Battle.net 2.0 is just superb. A week before EB, Gamestop, etc. offered Starcraft 2 beta keys for those who preorder Starcraft 2, Matchmaking and Placement match results were very accurate. The division you land into after the placement matches are accurate, you’re matched against players who’re close to your level — around this time, there were 8k to 12k people online at any given time (on the US server). But after the stores gave the keys free for preorders, the division placement and matchmaking wen’t a bit wonky (18k to 22k players online at any given time on the US server), but that’s no surprise considering the time that SC2 beta has been out and the way the meta game has evolved since then, and I’m definite that this is how it’s going to be during the first few weeks after Starcraft 2′s release.
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Update and Clarifications :
It seems a lot of confusion about what this merger means comes from the name. The actual merger is between Activision and Vivendi Games, the name Blizzard is simply being used in the new branding.
The merger won’t affect our development, just as having a parent company hasn’t affected our development when we were owned by Davidson & Associates before we even shipped our first Warcraft game. Or when we were then briefly purchased by Cendant, and then owned by Havas, then finally on to Vivendi. We’ve gone through quite a few changes throughout the years, and throughout all of it we ensure that we always have our games and players first and foremost in our minds.
The same people from Vivendi that have been hands-off in allowing us to develop our games are still there after this merger, and that policy is going to continue to be the same as it always has. While this is a very exciting announcement as it means a lot of positive business changes are happening, we’re looking to continue our day-to-day lives and development of the games you love to play the same as we always have.
– ————- Original News ——————-
as posted by Karune:
We’re pleased to announce that along with the other companies that make up Vivendi Games, we are merging with Activision to form a new global entertainment organization called Activision Blizzard (pending shareholder and regulatory approval). Similar to our previous arrangement, Blizzard Entertainment will now operate as a division of this new organization.There will be no changes to our games, our websites, our personnel, or our day-to-day operations as a result of the deal. However, this combining of resources will benefit all of the companies involved and will further strengthen Blizzard’s ability to continue delivering high-quality content for our players around the world for many years to come. To learn more about this exciting new development, please read our Activision Blizzard FAQ:
as posted by Ordinn:
Q: What are the details of the deal?
A: Under the terms of an agreement with Vivendi, Blizzard and the other companies that make up Vivendi Games will combine with Activision to form a new public company called Activision Blizzard. We do not anticipate any difference in Blizzard’s operations as a result of the combination. Joining forces with Activision will create a stronger and more diversified company that we anticipate will benefit and strengthen both brands.
Q: What will happen to the Blizzard brand name?
A: The Blizzard brand name will stay the same as it’s always been: Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Q: What will change with regard to the day-to-day operations at Blizzard?
A: There will be no changes in the way Blizzard operates. All of the people, processes, and philosophies that have made Blizzard so successful will be preserved. Blizzard will benefit from all-star sales and distribution teams to service our products. In addition, the combined company will be stronger financially, managerially, and operationally.
Q: How will this impact Blizzard’s games?
A: This will not impact Blizzard’s games. We remain committed to providing the same high-quality game content and support that we always have. Development on Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II, as well as on our unannounced games, is continuing as normal.
Q: Will there be any visible differences in Blizzard’s logo or packaging/marketing materials as a result of this deal?
A: No, there won’t be any changes to our company name, logo, packaging/marketing materials, or anything else along those lines.
Q: Will there be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of this deal?
A: No, there won’t be any management changes at Blizzard as a result of the combination.
Q: Will Activision and Blizzard now share development teams?
A: No, both of our companies will continue to operate as they have previously with regard to game development.
Q: Will the release schedules for any Blizzard games be impacted?
A: No, the transaction will not have any impact on our games, our day-to-day operations, or our release timelines.
Q: Will any of Blizzard’s offices close as a result of the deal? Or, will any new offices open?
A: No, all of our offices will continue to function as they have, and we don’t foresee the need to open any new offices for the time being.
Q: Will any employees move to different offices as a result of the deal?
A: We don’t anticipate making any such moves as a result of the deal.
Q: Does this deal include Activision’s and Blizzard’s international offices?
A: Yes, every part of our companies in the U.S. and abroad is involved in this deal.
Q: If Activision Blizzard is a public company, does that mean I’ll now be able to buy stock in Blizzard?
A: Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard, Inc and will continue to be a publicly listed company traded on NASDAQ. You will be able to buy stock in the combined company.
Q: When will the transaction be complete?
A: The transaction is subject to approval of Activision shareholders, customary closing conditions, and regulatory approvals. Pending approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by mid 2008.
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Video game giants in $18bn merger
Blizzard to join forces with Activision
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