World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Launches

Blizzard Entertainment fired over the expected press release earlier today announcing that World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria has officially launched, thus giving us all another reason to renew our subscriptions and conquer all-new, panda-filled lands in the MMORPG. Word is:

A NEW AGE OF CONFLICT BEGINS — WORLD OF WARCRAFT®: MISTS OF PANDARIAâ„¢ NOW LIVE

Horde Alliance tensions approach breaking point on shores of newly revealed continent; new expansion introduces pandaren player race, monk character class, and much more

IRVINE, Calif. — September 25, 2012 — A new era of discovery and conquest has dawned on Azeroth! Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Mists of Pandariaâ„¢, the highly anticipated fourth expansion to the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now live.

Starting today, gamers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil can set sail for the newly discovered continent of Pandaria by purchasing the expansion in retail stores or digitally via the game’s official website (http://www.WorldofWarcraft.com). Mists of Pandaria will be available in South Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on September 27, and will launch in mainland China on October 2.

(Mists of Pandaria takes players back to the roots of World of Warcraft — exploration, discovery, and the epic conflict between the Alliance and the Horde,) said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. (It also contains the widest variety of content that we’ve ever added in an expansion, and we’re excited to be able to share it with players around the world this week in our first truly global launch.)

Standard Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Digital Deluxe Edition Contents

Mists of Pandaria is available now on DVD-ROM for Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 and Macintosh® at a suggested retail price of $39.99 USD. The expansion is also 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 is also now available exclusively in retail stores at a suggested retail price of $79.99 USD. In addition to the game disc, the Collector’s Edition contains:

‘¢ A World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria behind-the-scenes DVD and Blu-ray two-disc set including over an hour of developer interviews and commentary
‘¢ The World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Collector’s Edition soundtrack CD
‘¢ The Art of Mists of Pandaria, a 208-page hardback tome including never-before-seen artwork from the development process
‘¢ A special-edition World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria mouse pad featuring Chen Stormstout, the legendary pandaren brewmaster
‘¢ World of Warcraft Imperial Quilen flying mount and Lucky Quilen Cub pet, StarCraft® II Battle.net® portraits, and Diablo® III banner sigil and accent

In addition, for the first time, World of Warcraft players have the option to purchase a special Digital Deluxe version of Mists of Pandaria (suggested retail price $59.99 USD) via the World of Warcraft website (www.WorldofWarcraft.com) or by purchasing an activation code at select retailers. The Digital Deluxe edition includes a full digital copy of Mists of Pandaria as well as the digital items from the retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition. 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.

Mists of Pandaria Game Features

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 is available fully localized into Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, European Spanish, Russian, Korean, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, and for the first time with a World of Warcraft expansion launch, Italian.

For more information about World of Warcraft and Mists of Pandaria, visit http://www.WorldofWarcraft.com. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently open — visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.

About Blizzard Entertainment

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes fourteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.