Blizzard Entertainment(R) Announces Expansion Set For World Of Warcraft(R)

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. has announced plans for the upcoming expansion set to World of Warcraft^®, its award-winning subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade^TM will take players to a new realm of adventure and intrigue as they continue to explore Azeroth and the regions beyond. New races to play, new lands to explore, and new levels of power for existing World of Warcraft characters all await players in The Burning Crusade.

"We're extremely proud of what we created with World of Warcraft, and we look forward to expanding the boundaries of the game with The Burning Crusade," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment^®. "With all of the new content we have planned, the expansion set will offer something for every World of Warcraft player to explore and enjoy."

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade takes up where World of Warcraft left off, with the races of the Horde and the Alliance continuing to rebuild their lives among the shattered lands of Azeroth. Amid the fragile peace that exists between the factions come rumors that the Burning Legion's age-old war against Azeroth - the so-called Burning Crusade - has been rekindled and threatens to consume the world in another firestorm of war and strife. Old allegiances fall and new ones rise as both the Horde and Alliance look to new friends in this time of need.

Building on the award-winning formula set forth in World of Warcraft, the expansion set adds even more rich content to an already massive game. Players can look forward to:

• New Player Races: New allies will join the game, expanding the story line and allowing players to develop powerful new characters within the world.

• Higher Level Limit: The game's level cap is being raised to 70, and every new level will offer meaningful spell, ability, and talent upgrades for each character class.

• New Lands and Battlegrounds: Explore the magical realms of the Blood Elves, journey through the Dark Portal into untamed Outland, and visit dungeons and battlefields previously inaccessible to players.

• Flying Mounts: In Outland, players will gain access to unique airborne mounts that will allow for smoother travel over some of that region's more hazardous terrain.

• Jewelcrafting, Socketable Items, and More: Crafters will be pleased to know that the expansion adds an all-new profession to the game: Jewelcrafting. With Jewelcrafting comes the advent of socketable items in World of Warcraft, which will give players additional variety in how they can customize their gear. In addition, existing professions will be enhanced to take advantage of the increased character-level limit.

• New Quests, New Monsters, and New Challenges: As the boundaries of World of Warcraft are stretched farther than ever before, there will be exciting new quests for players to undertake and new monsters to confront. And with greater challenges come greater rewards....

Since launching in November 2004 in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, World of Warcraft has quickly grown to become the world's most popular MMORPG, with a worldwide subscriber base of over 4.5 million players. For more information on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, visit the official World of Warcraft website at www.worldofwarcraft.com. Additional news, including new features and release dates, will be announced there in the coming months.

World of Warcraft's Paying Customer Definition

World of Warcraft customers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or purchased a prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the installation box bundled with one free month access. Internet Game Room players that have accessed the game over the last seven days are also counted as customers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired pre-paid cards. Customers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

About Blizzard Entertainment^®, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft, the Warcraft, StarCraft^®, and Diablo^® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net^®, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.