[Seda]

Fourth expansion brings tides of war to the shores of a long-lost continent Digital Deluxe and Retail Collector's Editions revealed Presales NOW LIVE IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Land, ho! Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Mists of Pandaria™, the fourth expansion set for the world's most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, will be available in stores and online starting from September 25, 2012. Upon the expansion's release, intrepid explorers of the Alliance and the Horde will be able to set foot upon the shores of the long-lost continent of Pandaria and embark on a perilous journey to uncover its ancient mysteries. Mists of Pandaria will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 and Macintosh® at a suggested retail price of $39.99 USD. The expansion will also be available digitally directly from Blizzard's World of Warcraft website (www.WorldofWarcraft.com), also priced at $39.99 USD. A special Collector's Edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores for a suggested retail price of $79.99 USD. In addition, for the first time, World of Warcraft players have the option to purchase a special Digital Deluxe version of the expansion containing the in-game bonus items from the Collector's Edition. The Digital Deluxe version is available to download directly from Blizzard via www.WorldofWarcraft.com for $59.99 USD. Players who purchase the standard edition digitally or at retail will have the option to upgrade to the Digital Deluxe version at any time (for as long as the standalone Digital Deluxe version remains available) for an additional $20 USD. Presales for the standard digital and Digital Deluxe versions of Mists of Pandaria are now live. Players who would like to purchase either version and be ready to play the moment the expansion launches can do so now by visiting www.WorldofWarcraft.com. The expansion content will automatically be digitally delivered to pre-purchasers via World of Warcraft's streaming launcher prior to the release of Mists of Pandaria. Players who would like to preorder the standard box or the retail-exclusive Collector's Edition can do so by visiting their local retailer. "Mists of Pandaria contains the biggest variety of new content we've ever created for a World of Warcraft expansion, with features that will appeal to new players, veterans, and everyone in between," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We've received a lot of great feedback from players during our most extensive beta test yet, and we hope they enjoy exploring everything Pandaria has to offer when the expansion comes out in September." The Digital Deluxe version of Mists of Pandaria includes a full digital copy of the expansion along with the following exclusive in-game bonus items: World of Warcraft In-Game Mount: Take to the skies of Azeroth astride the mystical Imperial Quilen flying mount. World of Warcraft In-Game Pet: Journey across Pandaria with the Lucky Quilen Cub at your side. StarCraft® II Battle.net® Portraits: Bring the Horde and Alliance rivalry to the far reaches of the Koprulu sector with exclusive Infested Orc and Night Elf Templar Battle.net portraits. Diablo® III Banner Sigil and Accent: Display your status as a hero of Pandaria with the iconic markings of World of Warcraft's newest playable race, the pandaren. The Collector's Edition of Mists of Pandaria includes the full version of the game on DVD-ROM and contains the following exclusive bonus items, in addition to the in-game content from the Digital Deluxe version: Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray: Learn about the creation of Pandaria with this two-disc set featuring over an hour of commentary, insider interviews, and developer roundtables. Collector's Edition Soundtrack CD: Experience 20 orchestral pieces from Mists of Pandaria. The Art of Mists of Pandaria Book: Explore this 208-page hardcover tome featuring never-before-seen pieces from the expansion, from early concepts to final 3D renderings. Chen Stormstout Mouse Pad: Equip your desk with this special-edition mouse pad featuring the legendary pandaren brewmaster. In World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, warships of the Alliance and Horde clash off the coast of a long-lost continent, signaling the start of a new era of discovery and conquest in the history of Azeroth. As players storm the shores of this exotic new frontier and begin to explore its mysteries, they'll encounter brave new allies, unearth ancient secrets, and play their part in reigniting the long-brewing conflict between the Horde and Alliance on a strange battlefield far from home. Mists of Pandaria offers a wide variety of content for new and returning World of Warcraft players. Features include a new playable race (the pandaren) with its own starting zone and quests, a new character class (the monk), and an expansive new continent for players to explore as they adventure to the new level cap of 90. The expansion also includes a host of new gameplay elements designed to give players even more ways to enjoy the game, including scenarios -- a flexible new kind of cooperative PvE trial; challenge modes, which offer high-prestige rewards for mastering Mists of Pandaria's 5-player dungeons; and an all-new pet battle system. Mists of Pandaria has received a Teen rating from the ESRB. In addition to the English version, Mists of Pandaria will be fully localized into Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and for the first time with a World of Warcraft expansion launch, Italian. Availability of Mists of Pandaria in mainland China will be announced at a later date. To learn more about World of Warcraft and Mists of Pandaria, please visit the official website at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com. To set up a Battle.net account and to opt-in to Blizzard Entertainment beta tests, please visit the official Battle.net website at http://www.battle.net. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available -- visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply. About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. . ...

http://investor.activision.com/relea...leaseID=695153

Summary
Dated Sept 25, 2012

Regular Edition - $39.99

Digital Deluxe Edition - $59.99 (can be upgraded to whenever "as the standalone Digital Deluxe version remains available")

• World of Warcraft In-Game Mount: Take to the skies of Azeroth astride the mystical Imperial Quilen flying mount.
• World of Warcraft In-Game Pet: Journey across Pandaria with the Lucky Quilen Cub at your side.
• StarCraft® II Battle.net® Portraits: Bring the Horde and Alliance rivalry to the far reaches of the Koprulu sector with exclusive Infested Orc and Night Elf Templar Battle.net portraits.
• Diablo® III Banner Sigil and Accent: Display your status as a hero of Pandaria with the iconic markings of World of Warcraft's newest playable race, the pandaren.

Collector's Edition - $79.99

• All the stuff from the Digital Deluxe Edition
• Behind-the-Scenes DVD and Blu-Ray: Learn about the creation of Pandaria with this two-disc set featuring over an hour of commentary, insider interviews, and developer roundtables.
• Collector's Edition Soundtrack CD: Experience 20 orchestral pieces from Mists of Pandaria.
• The Art of Mists of Pandaria Book: Explore this 208-page hardcover tome featuring never-before-seen pieces from the expansion, from early concepts to final 3D renderings.
• Chen Stormstout Mouse Pad: Equip your desk with this special-edition mouse pad featuring the legendary pandaren brewmaster.

Nice.

Amazon pre-orders for the CE are up.

[Majine]

They weren't that expensive before, were they?

[Gemüsepizza]

Digital Deluxe Edition. Finally.

[Mister Saturn]

Blizz expansions have been $40 base price for a long time, I think going all the way back to DII: LoD.

[SteveO409]

Will I be able to use my Blizzbucks that i got from d3 with this lol

[flyinpiranha]

I'm really curious to see the sales on this thing. Anecdotal but a lot of the people I played with are no longer playing the game.

This will be the first expansion I don't purchase.

[Arsin]

Finally doing some kind of digital deluxe version! No more boxes taking up space.

[Xyphie]

They weren't that expensive before, were they?

It was always $40 / 30€ MSRP or digitally from Blizzard themselves.

[Jackl]

I'm really curious to see the sales on this thing. Anecdotal but a lot of the people I played with are no longer playing the game. This will be the first expansion I don't purchase.

Pretty much. Been done with it For alittle over a year now. Theres tons of stuff for me to do right now if I wanted catch up, and I don't really care.

[Phinor]

Finally doing some kind of digital deluxe version! No more boxes taking up space.

Huh, are people actually excited to pay 20 extra bucks for a mount, pet and few battle.net images?

Or is there something I'm not aware of?

[QisTopTier]

Huh, are people actually excited to pay 20 extra bucks for a mount, pet and few battle.net images? Or is there something I'm not aware of?

Yes, yes they are.

[FtHTiny]

Will I be able to use my Blizzbucks that i got from d3 with this lol

I think you can buy the game for blizzbucks but not your abo.

[Fourman]

Finally doing some kind of digital deluxe version! No more boxes taking up space.

I am pretty happy about that as well. Just bought the digital deluxe version!

[zerokoolpsx]

They weren't that expensive before, were they?

It has always been $40 for the standard version of all their expansions. This time, they added a digital deluxe version. So standard isn't the only one the blizzard store will sell.

[Bisnic]

Huh, are people actually excited to pay 20 extra bucks for a mount, pet and few battle.net images? Or is there something I'm not aware of?

Considering you can buy a WoW pet for 10$ and a Wow mount for 25$ on the Blizz store...yes, people get excited for this.

Also, one month after Guild Wars 2... gonna be interesting to see how that will affect sales of both games.

[ManDudeChild]

I'm really curious to see the sales on this thing. Anecdotal but a lot of the people I played with are no longer playing the game. This will be the first expansion I don't purchase.

Came to post similar anecdotal comment. I stopped playing around the time the entire the entire interface changed. Just seemed very nerfed ... though the game has been nerfing itself for awhile now.

[Majine]

It was always $40 / 30€ MSRP or digitally from Blizzard themselves.

Sorry, I saw the deluxe version that was 60 bucks.

[zashga]

Glad to see this dated; it's been a really long time since Cataclysm "ended."

The digital deluxe bonuses sound pretty weak. Also, I regret buying the Diablo 3 collectors' edition. Regular version it is!

[hym]

I suspect this means the Diablo 3 PvP patch will be after September the 25th. I know they said before that they don't mind cannibalizing the players of one of their games in favour of another as long as they stay with Blizzard but I don't believe that for one second.

[UnluckyKate]

Two release in the same year ? Woot blizzard, it's 2010 all over again !

so Heart of the Swarm confirmed between may and september 2013

[AbandonedTrolley]

Like others have said, this will be the first that I don't bother with. Stopped playing after clearing FL and haven't missed it at all. Lots of other things taking up my time now and I like not having to live to raid times and arranging things around that.

[CypherSignal]

Huh, are people actually excited to pay 20 extra bucks for a mount, pet and few battle.net images? Or is there something I'm not aware of?

In 2010, Blizzard released the "Celestial Steed", a $25 epic flying mount (it did not confer the skill for epic flying; you had to have that skill already). A couple hundred thousand of those were sold in a day: http://kotaku.com/5518416/world-of-w...blizzard-today

[Phinor]

Considering you can buy a WoW pet for 10$ and a Wow mount for 25$ on the Blizz store...yes, people get excited for this.

I still maintain that those items are a joke on the Blizz Store and Blizzard doesn't actually allow anyone to pay for them. It's insanity. Then again, people have paid me actual real life money for Diablo 3 items so maybe I'm just very out of touch with the youth of today.

[Mister Saturn]

Will be the first time I don't buy a new Blizzard product. Call it burn-out if you like, but they've really done a lot to sour my fandom for their games, particularly with the way they've handled Diablo now.

[RPGCrazied]

regular edition for me. $20 more for a mount and pet? I have a couple of the expansion CE's, while nice, they're more of the same. I think I'm going to save $40 this year.

[Dynoro]

I don't play wow any more but very tempted by the CE for the art book and soundtrack

[Bisnic]

I still maintain that those items are a joke on the Blizz Store and Blizzard doesn't actually allow anyone to pay for them. It's insanity. Then again, people have paid me actual real life money for Diablo 3 items so maybe I'm just very out of touch with the youth of today.

Think what you want, but these items are popular. The number of golden dragons i've seen the first week it was released on the store was quite high. They could get rid of the monthly subscription and get enough money from that store + server transfers + race changes + faction changes if they wanted to.

[Entropia]

I'll bite on the Digital Deluxe edition. Considering how into the game I am I've never bought the CEs before.

[FtHTiny]

I still maintain that those items are a joke on the Blizz Store and Blizzard doesn't actually allow anyone to pay for them. It's insanity. Then again, people have paid me actual real life money for Diablo 3 items so maybe I'm just very out of touch with the youth of today.

Part of the money for some of the pets got into the make-a-wish foundation. So maybe some bought it to support this but probably not.

[UnluckyKate]

In 2010, Blizzard released the "Celestial Steed", a $25 epic flying mount (it did not confer the skill for epic flying; you had to have that skill already). A couple hundred thousand of those were sold in a day: http://kotaku.com/5518416/world-of-w...blizzard-today

But it was sooooo pretty (and still the best looking mount in the game)

[sazzy]

I wanted to post this :\

[Bisnic]

But it was sooooo pretty (and still the best looking mount in the game)

Yeah... no. Unless you're into shiny transparent flying horses, there are far better looking mounts. That do not cost 25$.

[King Mystery]

I quit after WotLK. Didn't even get Cataclysm. Had some really fun times on my night elf priest in WSG though.

I lost interest in playing when they changed a lot of the old world content, like making Azshara a Horde area and changing what drops in Scholomance and Dire Maul. Nobody, at least in my realm, went to these places and because of that fact, they had unique drops you'd never see in the auction house. So I would go in there to farm and put what I found in the AH, and people would be like "Dude, where'd you get that?! I'll buy it from you! C'mon, please take it out of the AH!". It made me feel like an archaeologist. I even built up a reputation on my realm as being known at the go-to-guy for all sorts of old world vanilla stuff.

[Finaika]

WoW, that's earlier than expected.

Diablo 3 had a good run.

[Reluctant-Hero]

Any sign of the retail CE available for preorders? Amazon? GameStop?

[Mister Saturn]

WoW, that's earlier than expected.

Indeed. Still thinking that Diablo 3 is doing just fine?

[Majine]

WoW, that's earlier than expected. Diablo 3 had a good run.

Funny how everyone thought D3 would be the one to do it, and here we are.

But well, should see the next subscriber numbers before anything...

[Mister Saturn]

Funny how everyone thought D3 would be the one to do it, and here we are. But well, should see the next subscriber numbers before anything...

I anticipate that after MoP releases they will put out a press release boasting of the amount sold over a short period of time, and perhaps attach rate. Afterwards, probably silence about total subscribers, or only vague numbers that we've heard before.

[Bisnic]

I quit after WotLK. Didn't even get Cataclysm. Had some really fun times on my night elf priest in WSG though. I lost interest in playing when they changed a lot of the old world content, like making Azshara a Horde area and changing what drops in Scholomance and Dire Maul. Nobody, at least in my realm, went to these places and because of that fact, they had unique drops you'd never see in the auction house. So I would go in there to farm and put what I found in the AH, and people would be like "Dude, where'd you get that?! I'll buy it from you! C'mon, please take it out of the AH!". It made me feel like an archaeologist. I even built up a reputation on my realm as being known at the go-to-guy for all sorts of old world vanilla stuff.

There is still plenty of unique looking items from the old world or even Outlands. I like that cloth "helm" from BRD that looks like floating fire rocks. And best of all, you can use their look at high lvls with transmogrification now!

[DJ Lushious]

Any sign of the retail CE available for preorders? Amazon? GameStop?

I need to know this, too! :P

[ultron87]

Guess I'll be playing WoW for September and October.

[ZombieSupaStar]

Huh, are people actually excited to pay 20 extra bucks for a mount, pet and few battle.net images? Or is there something I'm not aware of?

I have CE's of

WoW, BC, WotLK, Cata, Panderia (soon)
Starcraft 2
Diablo 3 (ugh..)


one of my favorite things to do is get invited to the Something Awful guild with a new toon and then spam all my CE pet account bindings and promptly get gkicked lol.

[speedpop]

Going to be an interesting outcome to watch. I will likely be passing over on this.

[Kenai]

Any sign of the retail CE available for preorders? Amazon? GameStop?

They will probably take a few days to come up. There's always been CE preorders for both outlets iirc.

[Klyka]

One month too late.

[Robin64]

Farm a few items in Inferno Diablo III, sell for money to buy Pandaria Digital Deluxe. Perfection!

[Lenardo]

basic e version for me
deluxe for my wife and son...

[idlewild_]

sweet, digital deluxe it is.

One month too late.

nah, they're probably aiming 5.0 to hit at the same time with the expansion to come around the 1 month lull.

[lordmrw]

I've been playing on the beta and anyone who is into WOW is in for a treat. There's so much side content in addition to raiding to keep you occupied if that isn't your thing and the new zones are just phenomenal.

[TheExodu5]

We'll have to see how excited I am for this when September 25 rolls by. Really couldn't care less about it at the moment, but every once in a while, WoW ends up gripping me for a month or two before I lose interest again.