IRVINE, Calif . – October 20 , 2015 – Whether you’re geeking out on the show floor at BlizzCon® or tuning in from home, this is a performance you won’t want to miss. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Linkin Park will be taking the stage on Saturday, November 7, to provide an epic send-off for everyone attending this year’s BlizzCon or watching from home. While tickets to Blizzard’s two-day gaming convention are sold out, players and Linkin Park fans around the world can still watch the show live with the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket.
Over the course of Linkin Park’s genre-defying career, the Grammy Award–winning band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and is the biggest band on Facebook with over 63 million fans and counting. They also made Internet history by becoming the first rock band to hit 1 billion views on YouTube. This week, Linkin Park is celebrating the 15th anniversary of their smash debut album, Hybrid Theory. They’re currently in the studio working on their seventh studio album.
“We’re beyond excited to welcome SoCal natives Linkin Park to close out BlizzCon with a bang on Saturday night,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We can’t think of a better way to bring two full days of gaming and action-packed eSports matches to an epic conclusion than with a band that’ll carry the weekend’s electricity through to the very end.”
“Playing BlizzCon will be one hell of a first for us,” said Chester Bennington, lead vocalist of Linkin Park. “We’re looking forward to giving all the gamers out there a killer rock show.”
BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities that bring Blizzard’s games to life. Taking over the Anaheim Convention Center November 6 and 7, this year’s show is brimming with discussion panels of all sorts, eSports tournaments, contests, hands-on play time with the latest Blizzard Entertainment games, and much more.
Though tickets to the convention sold out rapidly, viewers at home can still join the excitement by ordering the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket ($39.99 USD), which offers comprehensive live online coverage of both days of the event—including the community contests hosted by Wil Wheaton on Friday evening and Linkin Park’s performance on Saturday night.
In addition to the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, DIRECTV customers in the United States have the option to watch the show from home by ordering the BlizzCon 2015 Pay Per View event, priced at $39.99 USD (includes access to the Virtual Ticket online stream). Ordering information will be available in the near future.
As the countdown to BlizzCon continues, further details about the show will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.
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 nineteen #1 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.
*Sales and/or downloads. Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
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 BlizzCon and the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, 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.