World Of Warcraft: Frozen Throne sells over 1 million copies

BW5183 AUG 14,2003 05:33 PACIFIC 8:33 EASTERN

( BW)(CA-BLIZZARD-ENT) "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" Sells Over 1
Million Copies; Blizzard Entertainment's Latest Expansion Set Becomes the
Company's Eighth #1-Selling Game

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2003--Blizzard Entertainment(R)
announced today that "Warcraft(R) III: The Frozen Throne(TM)" has surpassed
1 million units sold worldwide, according to EDI sell-through, internal
company estimates, and reports from key retail accounts around the world.
Following in the tradition of previous Blizzard games, "Warcraft III: The
Frozen Throne" is now the eighth Blizzard product to sell 1 million copies
and also to reach #1 in U.S. sales. The game, which began shipping on July
1, is topping PC sales charts in North America, Europe, and Asia.

"We are very excited about the worldwide demand for 'Warcraft III: The
Frozen Throne,'" stated Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and
co-founder. "We put a lot of effort into giving players more of everything
that 'Warcraft(R) III: Reign of Chaos(TM)' offered, in addition to a host of
new features, and the expansion set's popularity tells us that our long
hours and hard work have paid off."

"'Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne' is one of the largest PC expansion set
releases for us since 'Diablo II: Lord of Destruction' in June 2001. We had
high expectations for 'The Frozen Throne,' and it's turned out to be a solid
hit," stated Bob McKenzie, director of merchandising for GameStop, Babbages,
Software Etc., and FuncoLand. "From what we've seen with previous 'Warcraft'
products and other Blizzard games, we expect 'Warcraft III: The Frozen
Throne' to remain on the top-10 lists for some time to come."

"Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" provides gamers with a vast new chapter in
the epic 'Warcraft' saga. In the single-player campaigns, players revisit
the war-torn world of Azeroth. Several months have passed since Archimonde
and the Burning Legion were defeated at the battle of Mount Hyjal, but now a
new evil threatens to plunge Azeroth into darkness once again.

"Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" expands on every aspect of "Warcraft III:
Reign of Chaos," with new Heroes, monsters, magical items, merchant shops,
tilesets, over 20 new missions for the single-player campaigns, a bonus
RPG-style mini-campaign, and an enhanced user interface designed to give
players more control than ever before. Players will also be pleased to find
that each army has been bolstered with powerful new units that add even more
depth and strategic elements to the "Warcraft III" experience. Expanded
multiplayer options include support for automated tournaments, extensive
clan support, and many new maps to explore and do battle on. The game's
powerful World Editor has also received significant enhancements, including
the ability to link maps together to create custom campaigns.

"Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" brings all of these new features and
enhancements to the fastest-selling PC game ever(a), "Warcraft III: Reign of
Chaos." To date, "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos" has sold well over 3 million
copies worldwide(a). "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne" is available at
retail chains worldwide for Windows(R) 98/ME/2000/XP and Macintosh(R)
formats, at a price of approximately $35.00. The game is also available
directly from Blizzard at 800-953-SNOW and www.blizzard.com. "Warcraft III:
The Frozen Throne" has received a Teen rating from the ESRB.

Since its debut in 1994, the #1-selling "Warcraft" series has won industry
acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with over eight million
copies sold. In 1995, Blizzard followed the well-received "Warcraft: Orcs
and Humans(TM)" with the critically acclaimed "Warcraft II: Tides of
Darkness(TM)," which won multiple Game of the Year awards and is still
considered by many critics to be one of the best games ever made. In 2002,
Blizzard expanded the boundaries of the epic "Warcraft" universe with the
release of "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos(TM)." This third chapter in the
legendary saga quickly reached the #1 position on sales charts around the
world and has since garnered numerous Game of the Year awards.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the "Warcraft" series,
"StarCraft(R)," and the "Diablo(R)" 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 #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The
company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net(R) reigns as the largest
in the world, with millions of active users.