Blizzard Announces Blizzcon 2009 For August

Blizzard Entertainment announced that its fourth BlizzCon gaming convention will return to the the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California and take place from August 21st to 22nd. The World of Warcraft company revealed that this year's event will expand from three convention halls to four in response to "the festival's increasing popularity." Last year's BlizzCon attracted some 15,000 attendees. BlizzCon seeks to provide a "celebration of the global player communities" around its Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises. This year's convention will allow attendees to play upcoming Blizzard titles, such as real-time strategy game StarCraft II and action role-playing game Diablo III. "We’ve been amazed by the incredible response to each of our previous BlizzCon events," says Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime. "We’re pleased to be bringing the convention back to Anaheim this year, and we look forward to this new opportunity to meet Blizzard gamers from around the world." The event will also offer discussion panels with Blizzard developers, competitive and casual tournaments, community contests, commemorative merchandise, and a silent auction.