If you attended BlizzCon 2008 and brought a camera along, we want to see your pictures. Send your best photos of the event, particularly from Friday’s contests, to blizzconweb@blizzard.com. We'll collect the finest of your submissions and post them on the site for all to see. Take a look at last year’s BlizzCon photo gallery to get a sense of what we're looking for.

With the day's panels and tournaments coming to an end, BlizzCon 2008's closing ceremonies are about to begin, featuring the comedy of Patton Oswalt, the thunderous death-knight metal of Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, and the symphonic majesty of Video Games Live, who are returning to the convention this year with new arrangements of music from Blizzard Entertainment games.

We'd like to thank everyone who helped make BlizzCon 2008 possible, including comedians Jay Mohr and Patton Oswalt; Video Games Live; AMD, Dell, DIRECTV, Intel, and our other partners and sponsors; and, most of all, the community of gamers whose support and dedication are what this show is all about. We hope everyone enjoyed the informative developer panels, the live tournaments and contests, and the hands-on gaming BlizzCon had to offer.

While the convention might be coming to an end, there's still more to come at BlizzCon.com. Keep your eyes on the site for more photos and other post-show coverage.

On the second day of BlizzCon 2008, attendees experienced epic Warcraft III, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft Arena tournaments; informative developer panels covering everything from the art of Diablo III to the lore of StarCraft II to raid dungeons in Wrath of the Lich King; and tons of other fun activities. Here's a recap of the day's events.

Saturday's developer panels offered something for World of Warcraft players of all types, along with tons of lore and story details for Diablo III and StarCraft II enthusiasts. Here's a quick summary of some of the discussions that took place on the last day of BlizzCon.

Creativity and craftsmanship were in huge supply at Friday night's Costume, /Silly, and Dance contests. Here are the winners of the evening's live competitions:

Dance Contest

/Silly Contest

Costume Contest

You can check out photos of the BlizzCon 2008 Costume and Dance contest winners and other festivities in our BlizzCon galleries. Thanks to everyone who participated!

The first day of BlizzCon has drawn to a close, with Jay Mohr hosting another awesomely epic evening of contests, costumes, dances, and /silly one-liners. We'll have photos, results, and more from the contests soon -- but in the meantime, here are some of the day's highlights.

At Friday's developer panels, attendees got an in-depth look at Diablo III's wizard class, heard some big news about StarCraft II's single-player campaign, and got a chance to ask game designers, artists, and programmers all their burning questions. If you couldn't make it to any of the panels, here's a quick recap of what you missed.

During the live costume, dance, and other contests Friday evening, we announced the winners of the various BlizzCon Online Contests we held prior to the convention. We saw some amazing creativity, wit, and artistry in the hundreds of dioramas, posters, songs, and movies we received -- but in the end, our judges had to whittle down the entries to a select few standouts. And the winners are....

BlizzCon is officially underway! Gamers from around the world have come to Anaheim to join us for this two-day celebration of Blizzard Entertainment games and the passionate communities of players surrounding them. We'll be updating BlizzCon.com regularly throughout the show with news and photos from the floor, as well as from the various contests, developer panels, and other events we've planned. We'll also be broadcasting streaming video of the 2008 StarCraft Invitational and other tournaments -- so be sure to check back often over the next couple of days.

Here's your chance to participate in BlizzCon even if you aren't able to be there in person. We're now asking folks to submit their burning questions related to the Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo game universes. We'll sort through them all and pick the best questions to be answered live during DIRECTV's pay-per-view broadcast of BlizzCon 2008. If your question is selected, you'll also receive an ATI graphics card and some exclusive BlizzCon merchandise. For submission information, contest rules, and a list of prizes, visit our contest page.

Blizzard Entertainment is pleased to present the brand new Oswald statue, to be presented to the best-in-category machinima submissions at BlizzCon 2008. The winners will be showered in prestige, and will write the first chapter in the history of our annual Oswald award. Oswald recipients will be selected based on three categories for outstanding machinima production:

- Action/Adventure
- Comedy
- Drama/Romance

When the fierce gaming competition gets underway on the tournament stages at BlizzCon, you'll be able to follow the action at home -- right on your computer screen. On October 10 and 11, we'll be providing streaming video coverage of select tournaments live from the convention floor. Whether you prefer the coordinated team play of World of Warcraft's Arena, the meticulous hero management of Warcraft III, or the fast-paced space battles of StarCraft, you're sure to find something to cheer about. Stay tuned to BlizzCon.com for the live stream on the first day of the show.

Video Games Live and Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain will both return to Anaheim this Saturday to re-rock the Anaheim Convention Center during the BlizzCon 2008 closing ceremony. Recently upgraded from Level 70 at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris this past June, Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain's performance will conclude their “On and On, South of Northrend!” world tour. The Video Games Live performance will feature music from each Blizzard game universe, and new Blizzard music will be debuted as well.

The closing-night ceremony will take place in Hall C of the Anaheim Convention Center at 5:30 PM. For those attending BlizzCon, be sure to arrive early, as seating will be first come, first served. Ganking fellow attendees to steal their seats is strictly forbidden and generally frowned upon. Generally.

Both acts will also be included as part of DIRECTV's live BlizzCon HD pay per view package. See the BlizzCon DIRECTV Pay Per View page to learn more.

We've just released the final schedule and floor plan for BlizzCon. The schedule lists the locations and times for the major events that will take place during the convention, such as hands-on gaming, tournaments, contests, and of course the developer panels where Blizzard's game designers talk about the many aspects of making a great game. The floor plan will give you more information on the exact locations of this year's points of interest such as the stores, hands-on gaming stations, and more.

Check out the schedule of events and the interactive floor plan now!

BlizzCon 2008 begins this Friday, October 10, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. The show will feature two days of gaming, contests, developer Q&A panels, tournaments, and more, in addition to live entertainment by comedian Patton Oswalt, all-Blizzard metal band Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, and Video Games Live. Our recruiting team will be there, too, so if you're interested in a career at Blizzard Entertainment, bring along your resume, demo reel, art portfolio, or business card. See our media alert for more details -- and keep an eye on www.BlizzCon.com for live updates throughout the show.

The map pools for the BlizzCon StarCraft Invitational and Warcraft III global finals have been determined, and are listed below. The Warcraft III map pool includes the four winning maps from the Warcraft III Melee Map Contest. Each player will be able to eliminate two maps prior to each match and then select a map they wish to play on to determine the map order. Check out the BlizzCon Tournaments website for more details.

StarCraft:

-Andromeda
-Athena
-Blue Storm
-Colosseum
-Othello
-Troy
-Wuthering Heights

Warcraft III:

-Centaur Grove
-Echo Isles
-Melting Valley
-Road to Stratholme
-Secret Valley
-Terenas Stand
-Tidewater Glades

The submission window for all BlizzCon 2008 contests has now closed. We thank everyone again for all of your entries and look forward to a great night of contests at BlizzCon!

Throughout BlizzCon 2008, various exhibitors and licensed partners will be hosting additional events, demos, and contests of their own. Be sure to swing by Hall B to join in the excitement.

Check out the BlizzCon activities page now!

Much like its famous neighbor (the Happiest Place on Earth) across the street, arriving at BlizzCon may leave you wondering where to go and what to do first. We've just posted some tips to help you get the most out of your two days in a way that would give a seasoned Disneyland expert a run for her money.

Check out the BlizzCon Survival Guide now!

Blizzard Entertainment will be hiring at BlizzCon. Do you have the passion to create great games? We're always looking for skilled individuals willing to challenge themselves to achieve excellence. This year at BlizzCon, members of Blizzard's recruitment and university relations teams will be on hand to answer all of your job-related questions. Bring your resume, demo reel, or business card -- our staffing team will be happy to receive all your materials and talk to you about opportunities at Blizzard.

Look for the "Blizzard Recruiting” booth near the Hall B entrance of the convention center. We look forward to meeting you in Anaheim, CA.

Please visit our jobs page at www.blizzard.com/jobs for information regarding our current openings.

The submission window for the BlizzCon 2008 /Silly, Dance, and Costume contests has now closed. We thank everyone again for all of your entries!

Please note that the Movie, Original Song, and Motivational Poster contests closed late last week, and players have until October 3rd to enter our Diorama contest. We're looking forward to plenty more great submissions for this final contest.

Want to get in on some competitive gaming while you're at BlizzCon? We're hosting several community competitions at this year's convention, including the first-ever StarCraft II Community Tournament. Other events include Defense of the Ancients (based on Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne) and World of Warcraft Battlegrounds tournaments. BlizzCon attendees can sign up in advance here or enter on site during show hours at the community tournament area.

The brackets for the StarCraft, Warcraft III, and World of Warcraft Arena tournaments at BlizzCon are now live. These brackets show the starting matches and also provide some information about the contestants who will be competing in this year's BlizzCon tournaments. We will be updating these brackets during BlizzCon, so make sure to check back to see the latest tournament results and replays.

Check out the brackets here: StarCraft, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft Arena Tournament

For anyone interested in experiencing the panels, contests, tournaments, and other highlights of BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home, we'd like to provide a more thorough idea of what to expect from DIRECTV's U.S. pay per view package of live HD event coverage.

Multiple cameras will be travelling the show floor to capture the experience of being at BlizzCon, and the coverage will be anchored from a central broadcast desk. The hosts for the show will be:

-Geoff Keighley, executive producer and host of Spike's GameTrailers TV, the #1-rated videogame show on television
-Becky "AKTREZ" Young, creator and leading lady of the Girls Entertainment Network
-Kat Hunter, general manager of professional gaming team for the Championship Gaming Series, the San Francisco Optx, and former Frag Doll

Celebrity guests Patton Oswalt and Jay Mohr will also be appearing -- Jay is returning to host the live BlizzCon contests, and Patton will be performing a comedy routine during the closing-night ceremony, which will also feature all-Blizzard rock band Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain. In addition, senior Blizzard Entertainment developers such as Rob Pardo, Jay Wilson, Dustin Browder, and Jeff Kaplan will be rotating in and out of the broadcast desk throughout the day to talk about their work and share their thoughts on the convention as it unfolds.

Viewers will also enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of the Blizzard Entertainment headquarters, get the BlizzCon-exclusive in-game polar bear mount for a World of Warcraft character they play, and be able to download high-resolution cinematic trailers for upcoming games (with an appropriate DVR).

DIRECTV is currently running a special promotion -- available only through the BlizzCon website -- offering the pay per view event free to new customers who sign up for DIRECTV by September 30. Time is running out on this offer, so act quickly.

Beginning this Sunday, September 28, through the end of the convention, current DIRECTV customers will be able to order the package for $39.95. For more information, please visit www.directv.com/blizzcon or call 1-800-728-9375.

The submission window for the BlizzCon 2008 Movie, Original Song, and Motivational Poster contests has now closed. We thank everyone for the wide array of creative entries we've seen.

BlizzCon attendees have until September 30th to enter for the /Silly, Dance, and Costume contests, and until October 3rd to submit pictures for the Diorama contest.

We are in the process of reviewing all applications and submissions as we receive them and look forward to seeing more!

If you live in Australia but are unable to make it to BlizzCon 2008 in person, Foxtel's Main Event is broadcasting coverage of the conference live on pay-per-view on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12 beginning at 4 a.m. (AEDT). Main Event will present eight hours of live coverage per day, including main stage presentations, interviews, tournaments, game demos, and more. As a bonus, people who purchase both days of the show will be eligible to receive a gift card redeemable for the BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft in-game polar bear mount. For full details, visit the Main Event site at www.mainevent.com.au, or order Day 1 and Day 2 directly.

We're also looking into the possibility of bringing televised BlizzCon 2008 coverage to other regions of the world -- keep an eye on BlizzCon.com for more.

In order to give would-be contestants more time to build their fields of epic battle and scenes of historic lore, we've extended the submission deadline for the BlizzCon 2008 Diorama Contest to October 3. For more details on the Diorama Contest, visit the BlizzCon Contests page or see the official rules.

DIRECTV's BlizzCon package features over 16 hours of live HD coverage of the event, including exclusive interviews and commentary. New DIRECTV subscribers in the US who sign up for DIRECTV by September 30 through www.blizzard.directv.com or 800-728-9375 will receive the BlizzCon pay per view package for free, while existing DIRECTV customers will be able to order it for $39.95 beginning on September 28. The package also includes the BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft in-game polar bear mount. For full details head over to the BlizzCon site.

We've just released an overview over some of the cool Blizzard merchandise you'll be able to buy at BlizzCon. Check it out here!

All of the tickets available in the BlizzCon 2008 Ticket Drawing are now sold out. Ticketholders should keep an eye on the official BlizzCon site for the latest information on panels, contests, and other events at the show, which takes place Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

The cast of the popular web series The Guild will be making a live appearance at this year's BlizzCon, participating in a discussion panel and chatting with attendees about all aspects of the show. They'll also be giving folks a first-ever sneak preview of their upcoming second season.

The Guild is an independent web-based sitcom that depicts the real-life adventures of a group of online gamers. It's written for gamers, about gamers, and by a gamer, and has won several prestigious awards for Best Web Series. If you're not yet familiar with The Guild -- or just want to get to know its members better -- head over to www.watchtheguild.com to catch all 10 episodes of Season 1 right now.

Several StarCraft fansites are currently hosting contests for a chance to win tickets to this year's BlizzCon, including:

• SC2Pod.com (Entry deadline: September 14)
• StarCraft2Forum.org (Entry deadline: September 17)
• TheWarCenter.net (Entry deadline: September 18)
• StarCraft2.com.au (Entry deadline: September 19)

Visit the sites above for more information on their contests, including rules and instructions how to enter.

We are now accepting entries for our BlizzCon online contests, including our Diorama, Motivational Poster, and Movie contests. Whether you have tickets to BlizzCon or not, your application is welcome. Simply fill out the Submission form and be prepared to demonstrate your creative talents! For more contest information visit our BlizzCon Contests page.

For those BlizzCon attendees looking to show off graceful dance moves, fill the convention center halls with laughs, or come dressed as your favorite Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo characters, the Submission form for all applicants is now available! For more contest information visit our BlizzCon Contests page.

DIRECTV has just announced further details for their pay per view package of BlizzCon coverage, and that the special promotion offering it free with a new subscription is now open. New DIRECTV subscribers in the US who sign up for DIRECTV by September 30 through www.blizzard.directv.com or 800-728-9375 will receive the package for free, while existing DIRECTV customers will be able to order it for $39.95 beginning on September 28. For full details, check out the official announcement, or head over to the BlizzCon site.

The winners of the BlizzCon 2008 Ticket Drawing have been chosen. We've sent emails to 1,500 randomly selected eligible Blizzard Account holders containing instructions for purchasing up to two tickets to the show. For your security, please note that in this email we are not asking winners to email us credit card information directly, nor are we asking winners to call Blizzard for any reason.

If we still have tickets remaining after this initial round, we will select more winners from the original opt-in pool. We will make an announcement on our websites once all tickets available have been sold. For more information, refer to the BlizzCon Ticket Drawing FAQ.

The opt-in period for the BlizzCon 2008 Ticket Drawing is now over. We will be randomly selecting winners within the next few days and will announce when selections have been made on our websites. If you are chosen, you will receive an email from Blizzard containing information about how to purchase up to two tickets to BlizzCon 2008. If you haven't done so already, please go to Blizzard Account Management and update your contact information. For more details, see the FAQ.

The BlizzCon 2008 Ticket Drawing opt-in is now live. People with eligible Blizzard Accounts who wish to enter the drawing can now do so by logging in to Blizzard Account Management. The opt-in period will last until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 24. After it ends, we will select 1,500 people from the opt-in pool and offer them a chance to purchase up to two tickets to BlizzCon 2008.

This is a random drawing -- everyone with an eligible Blizzard Account who opts in any time during the opt-in period will have the same chance to win. Please make sure your Blizzard Account contact information (email and phone number) is up to date. For more information, including eligibility requirements, click here or read the FAQ.

As discussed last week, we're preparing a drawing to offer 3,000 more BlizzCon 2008 tickets for sale. We're finalizing the process now, and you'll be able to enter the drawing beginning Wednesday morning -- in the meantime, here is an overview of how the drawing will work:

- To be eligible for the BlizzCon ticket drawing, you must (1) have an active Blizzard Account that was created on or before 9:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, August 12, 2008, when we first announced BlizzCon 2008 tickets had sold out; (2) be an adult in your country of residence; (3) have not previously purchased BlizzCon 2008 tickets; and (4) live in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, or South Korea.

- Prior to the drawing, we will hold an opt-in period during which you can enter an eligible Blizzard Account into the drawing for a chance to purchase two BlizzCon 2008 tickets. Once the opt-in begins , you'll see an opt-in feature when you log in to Blizzard Account Management. The opt-in period begins on Wednesday morning and will end the evening of Sunday, August 24. As this is a random drawing, those who opt in early will not have a better chance of being selected than those who opt in later.

- After the opt-in period ends, we will randomly select 1,500 eligible Blizzard Accounts from the opt-in pool to receive the opportunity to purchase up to two BlizzCon 2008 tickets. If selected, you will be notified via email with further information about how to purchase the tickets.

- Prior to the end of the opt-in period, please ensure the contact information (both email address and phone number) associated with the Blizzard Account is accurate and up to date, so that we may contact you if you are selected. To check and update your information, log in to Blizzard Account Management.

We recently announced that we will be offering 3,000 more BlizzCon 2008 tickets for sale via a drawing. Soon, eligible Blizzard Account holders who created accounts prior to 9:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 will be able to opt in for a chance to purchase up to two tickets to the show. We're aware that many players are waiting for this drawing, and we appreciate your continued patience as we finalize the details. We'll have more information to share here and on our other websites early next week.

Please note that a Blizzard Account is an account created for the Blizzard Online Store -- as opposed to an account created for a Blizzard game, such as World of Warcraft. If you have any questions regarding Blizzard Accounts, please read our Blizzard Account FAQ.

Blizzard Gamers,

On behalf of everyone at Blizzard, I want to apologize for the challenges and frustrations you experienced while trying to purchase BlizzCon tickets on Monday and Tuesday. BlizzCon is about the positive experiences you all have had with Blizzard games. As a result of this week's events, the excitement that many of you felt about the show has turned into dissatisfaction and disappointment.

Due to these circumstances, we've reevaluated our convention hall space and come up with some solutions that will allow us to offer 3,000 more tickets for sale. We know this will not be enough to satisfy the very high level of demand for tickets this year, but we want to ensure that BlizzCon remains a great experience for those of you who are able to attend. To avoid the issues many of you faced this week, we'll be selling these 3,000 via a lottery. We'll post further details once our plans are finalized. Please note that the lottery will only be open to those with an active Blizzard Account as of 9:00 PM PDT on August 12, the time that the “Sold Out” notice was posted.

I, and everyone else at Blizzard, share the frustration and disappointment that many of you have expressed as a result of this process. We'll do what it takes to avoid this type of situation in the future.

Sincerely,
Mike Morhaime

Tickets to BlizzCon 2008 are now sold out. We'd like to thank everyone once again for their overwhelming interest in this year's show. If you were unable to secure tickets, please keep in mind that DIRECTV will be broadcasting BlizzCon live from the Anaheim Convention Center on October 10 and 11. In the meantime, keep an eye on the BlizzCon 2008 website for updates on panels, exhibits, events, and more. We look forward to meeting some of you at the show!

Tickets for BlizzCon 2008 are now available for USD $100 each. BlizzCon will take place October 10-11 in Anaheim, California -- place your BlizzCon ticket order now. We look forward to meeting some of you at the show!

For everyone contemplating a trip this year's BlizzCon (October 10-11 in Anaheim, California), we'd like to give you a glimpse of just a few items you might find in your goody bag when you arrive at the show.

If you've ever been on the verge of finishing off a paladin, only to be foiled at the last second, you'll appreciate the 16" inflatable divine shield ball, complete with a paladin inside in the midst of hearthing away. Half of the goody bags handed out will contain the bubble-hearth ball, while the other half will have...

Frostmourne. The very name of Arthas's runeblade strikes terror into hearts across Azeroth. Now it comes to you in a more convenient package, and you don't even have to travel to Icecrown Glacier to get it. As you go about your daily activities, whether they be raising legions of the undead or just brooding on your throne, carrying this 48” inflatable Frostmourne will grant you an extra touch of sinister majesty.