Unveiled last November at BlizzCon ®, Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard's upcoming free-to-play, online team brawler featuring iconic heroes from more than 20 years of Blizzard gaming history. Gamers will be able to play some of their favorite characters from the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® universes, and team up with friends to battle other teams online. Heroes of the Storm features a variety of battlegrounds with multiple objectives that affect strategy in unique ways. In addition, players will be able to customize their heroes with a variety of skins, as well as special mounts that help them cover ground on the battlefield more quickly.
Heroes of the Storm will be the fourth Blizzard game brought to China by both companies since 2008. Currently, Blizzard and NetEase collaborate to bring World of Warcraft®, StarCraft® II, and Hearthstone™: Heroes of Warcraft™, and the Battle.net ® gaming platform to millions of Chinese gamers. Today’s announcement further strengthens the partnership between Blizzard and NetEase, and reinforces both companies’ commitment to providing epic game experiences and top-quality service for all Blizzard gamers in mainland China.
“Heroes of the Storm offers our unique spin on a popular online game genre, with iconic Blizzard heroes and multiple unique battlegrounds that affect strategy and gameplay,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re pleased to expand our partnership with NetEase to bring this game to Chinese players.”
“We are very excited to be presenting another hotly-anticipated Blizzard game to Chinese players.” said William Ding, CEO and founder of NetEase Inc. “We believe Chinese gamers will enjoy the amazing content and quality of Heroes of the Storm, and its focus on team battles. We’re working closely with Blizzard to prepare everything needed for launching Heroes of the Storm in China, and we look forward to providing players with the best possible service.”
The Chinese official website for Heroes of the Storm (www.heroesofthestorm.com.cn) is now live. Registration for Heroes of the Storm closed beta testing on the China realm is now available for Chinese gamers via the website. Details on closed beta testing, including the start date, will be announced later.
To learn more about the Heroes of the Storm, please visit the Chinese official website: www.heroesofthestorm.com.cn. Further details about the game will be announced as development progresses.
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.
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 Heroes of the Storm, 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.