BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® LAUNCHES BATTLEGROUNDS FOR WORLD OF WARCRAFT®

A new era of player-vs.-player warfare has arrived in Blizzard's critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online game

PARIS, France – 7 June, 2005 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced the release of the first two player-vs.-player (PvP) Battlegrounds for World of Warcraft®, its record-setting subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Featuring distinctly different map designs and game objectives, these highly anticipated PvP battlefields provide an entirely new dimension of competitive gameplay for both expert and new World of Warcraft players.

"While World of Warcraft has been expanding with new content regularly since launch, the PvP Battlegrounds represent the single biggest update to the game yet," stated Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're excited that players can now experience Horde-vs.-Alliance combat as it was meant to be, and we're looking forward to adding even more Battlegrounds to the game with future updates."

World of Warcraft's Battlegrounds are PvP-enabled zones where players compete against each other to achieve victory, Honor points, and valuable in-game rewards. Each Battleground has different goals and gameplay styles, providing an addictively engaging experience for participants. The two initial Battlegrounds now available to the public are Alterac Valley, a high-end zone designed for large groups of experienced players, and Warsong Gulch, a more casual zone designed for all players level 21 and up.

In Alterac Valley, two teams of 40 battle each other for all-out domination. The snowy zone, nestled high within the Alterac Mountains of Lordaeron, features a fully functioning base for each faction, NPC defenders, PvP quests, and unique allied monsters to create a challenging and epic conflict. Players can spend hours executing carefully planned strategies in Alterac Valley, earning bonus Honor points by achieving key objectives along the way and ultimately by winning the Battleground.

Victory in Warsong Gulch, situated on the border between Ashenvale Forest and the Barrens, likewise requires strategy and teamwork, but the pace of play is faster, with games lasting 45 minutes on average. In Warsong Gulch, two teams of 10 vie to capture each other's flag and return it to base while defending their own flag from capture. Three successful captures result in a win, with each capture conferring bonus Honor points.

The Honor points gained in both Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley accumulate to help players advance in rank in World of Warcraft's Honor System. Designed as an alternate means of character advancement, the Honor System allows players to access increasingly powerful items as they move up through the ranks.

Blizzard is currently in the process of designing additional Battlegrounds, complete with exciting new settings and new styles of gameplay, which will be available for testing in the months ahead. For more information about World of Warcraft's Battlegrounds and the PvP Honor System, visit the official World of Warcraft website at http://www.wow-europe.com.