NVIDIA AND BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT TEAM UP FOR WORLD OF WARCRAFT
1,000 Beta Accounts for Eagerly Awaited MMORPG Are Up for Grabs Starting Today at www.nzone.com
NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), a worldwide leader in graphics and digital media processors, today announced a collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment® for World of Warcraft®, the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set to release this holiday season.
NVIDIA and Blizzard are working together to ready the game for play on NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs), the preferred graphics hardware platform for World of Warcraft. The companies will also engage in strategic co-marketing activities as part of NVIDIA's "The Way It's Meant to Be Played" programme. To celebrate the collaboration, NVIDIA and Blizzard will randomly distribute 1,000 closed beta accounts to eager gamers hoping to be among the first to experience the game. Sign-ups will be held for one week only, starting today at www.nzone.com.
"Blizzard is one of the world's most respected game developers, and we're thrilled to be working with them," said Bill Rehbock, general manager of content development at NVIDIA. "The blend of Blizzard's creative talent and NVIDIA graphics processors makes World of Warcraft a sight to behold."
Building on the success of the Warcraft® series, Blizzard hopes to expand the MMORPG genre by creating a deep, immersive, user-friendly experience that will appeal to both veteran gamers and casual players alike. With World of Warcraft, Blizzard is set to deliver a new type of gaming experience that will grow over time with awe-inspiring visuals enabled by NVIDIA's latest-generation graphics technology.
"NVIDIA GPUs enrich the gaming experience with faster frame rates and enhanced visuals," stated Paul Sams, senior vice president of business operations at Blizzard Entertainment. "With a track record of performance, compatibility and reliability, it's easy to recommend NVIDIA GPUs for those about to begin their journey into the World of Warcraft."
As part of NVIDIA's The Way It's Meant to Be Played programme, World of Warcraft will undergo extensive compatibility testing to ensure a "no hassles" install-and-play experience for gamers equipped with NVIDIA GPUs. Blizzard has optimised the game for NVIDIA hardware and is working with NVIDIA to ensure the game plays well across a broad line-up of GPUs, from the brand new GeForceTM 6800 series to the GeForce 2. "The investment we're making with Blizzard in compatibility will pay out in spades as soon as the legions of gamers go from install to play quickly and effortlessly," added Rehbock.
For additional information about NVIDIA's The Way It's Meant to Be Played programme, please visit http://www.nzone.com. For more information about World of Warcraft, log on to http://www.blizzard.com/wow.
About Blizzard Entertainment®Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment (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 eight no1-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.
About NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corporation is a worldwide leader in graphics and digital media processors. The Company's products enhance the end-user experience on consumer and professional computing devices. NVIDIA GPUs (graphics processing units), MCPs (media and communications processors), and WMPs (wireless media processors) have broad market reach and are incorporated into a variety of platforms, including consumer and enterprise PCs, notebooks, workstations, PDAs, mobile phones, and video game consoles. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and employs more than 2,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.nvidia.co.uk.
Certain statements in this press release, including any statements relating to the Company's performance expectations for NVIDIA's family of products and expectations of continued revenue growth, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, manufacturing and other delays relating to new products, difficulties in the fabrication process and dependence of the Company on third-party manufacturers, general industry trends including cyclical trends in the PC and semiconductor industries, the impact of competitive products and pricing alternatives, market acceptance of the Company's new products, and the Company's dependence on third-party developers and publishers. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Certain Business Risks," for a fuller discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.
*Based on EDI sell-through, internal company records, and reports from key distribution partners around the world.
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