In an interview with G4, WoW Lead Producer J. Allen Brack spoke about the prospects of a console MMO and why it’d be no simple task.

“I think there’s a lot of reasons,” said Brack. “There’s not one thing. One is, it takes a long time to develop an MMO. The lifecycle of consoles being what they are, you have to really time when your console’s going to come out, what its projected lifecycle is going to be with when your game is going to be, which is challenging.”

But what about World of Warcraft specifically?

“In the case of WoW, we talk about it all the time,” he said. “How would we bring WoW to the console?”

He also expressed the various technical barriers keeping WoW from consoles, namely the massive hard drive space such a game, with its patches and all, would require.

“There’s those technical challenges,” he explained, “there’s patching challenges, there’s the quality controls that we have vs. the quality controls that say, a Microsoft or Sony or Nintendo has. All those things sort of raise the bar in terms of the challenges and then specifically in the case of WoW, WoW was designed to be a keyboard game and its control scheme and its camera controls and the number of abilities that you have and the spells and how things work are very keyboard-centric. The idea of translating that to a gamepad is a very, very challenging proposition.”

“I think it’s unlikely that WoW comes to the consoles,” he said. “It is something that we talk about on a pretty regular basis, but someone is going to figure out how to make an MMO on a console and they’re going to be wildly successful. I have no doubt about that.”

A press release from the Foundation, which aims to bring joy to the lives of children with threatening medical issues, expressed its gratitude for the lofty donation.

Blizzard didn’t donate the money out of its own pocket though. Blizzard promised that gamers who purchased the Pandaren Monk in-game pet (imaged below) for $10 would see half of the fee go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Pandaren Monk

The effort ran through the months of November and December and resulted in the $1.1 million total.

“This donation also reflects the spirit and generosity of our players,” said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime. “Their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this possible.”

Did any of you participate? I missed out and feel bad. Ouch.

Source: GameLife

Expected to arrive “in the weeks ahead” are the soft and lovable creatures, first available in Wind Rider Cub and Gryphon Hatchling models and later extending to a full line of pets.

Best of all, when you buy the plush creature, you’ll also earn a code to download a digital version of the critter in-game as an account-bound, non-combat creature to show off to all your buddies.

Keep an eye on the Online Blizzard Store for more information. We’ll update when the plushies go on sale, because, well, I’ll be buying one.

Could the team behind the project have foreseen such gargantuan success? Who knows, but a select few who did believe in the project are now richer than you, and one is part-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The game has sold above and beyond 8.6 million in the US in its life and 11.5 million of you continue to pay $15 a month to log into Azeroth.

How long will the game remain at the forefront of the gaming world? Well, probably much longer, as the game’s next expansion, Cataclysm, isn’t even out yet, or has even been dated.

Not entirely related, but WoW continues to expand its cultural phenomenon by embracing Mr. T and letting him sell the game. Take a look.

Source: Joystiq

The deal, which runs until midnight tonight, or when stock evaporates, discounts the price of popular Blizzard franchises Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo.

Starcraft Battle Chest is now $10 and the Warcraft III and Diablo Battlechests are $20. Those price drops equate to a savings of %50 on each collection.

In other Blizzard news, the World of Warcraft Battlechest is still $40, but the Lich King expansion is now $10 cheaper, available at $29.99

If you’ve never played any of these games and have a twinge to, now seems like the time. The price is right afterall.

Source: Slickdeals

If you’re enthusiastic about kicking your Azeroth-flavored habit, and have $14,000 to spare, an Internet Addiction rehabilitation center in Seattle, just opened up, claiming to be the first of its kind, and more than willing to help you go cold turkey.

The course, dubbed reSTART, is a 45-day intensive program where addicts are continuously forced to listen to a recording of Liam Neeson forcefully saying “Play WoW again and I’ll cut your balls off.” We kid, and if you’re really serious about quitting WoW, head on over to the reSTART website to learn more.

Or end up like this kid, your choice.

A deal inked with Legendary Pictures and Activision/Blizzard today confirmed the signing and Raimi had this to say:

“At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story, I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen.”

No mention was made concerning any of the plot, leading actors/actresses, or really anything relating to the actual film, but, if Raimi could take the already loved SpiderMan comic and turn it into a global phenomenon for non-geeks as well, just imagine what he’ll do in the Warcraft universe!

Tickets for the show go on sale May 16 priced at $125 USD.  No word on whether or not WoW gold is an accepted method of payment.

Blizzard kindly reminds the faithful ticket-seekers to register with Battle.net before May 16 in order to simplify the ticket purchasing process.

Can’t make it to the show? Not a problem.  The event, for the first time ever will be available online as streaming content at the price point of $39.95.  What’s more, DIRECTV owners can purchase the pay-per-view event at the same price point and have both the television and internet stream available at no additional charge.  And anyone forking over precious moolah to the video game giant will receive an undisclosed WoW in-game item.  Better not be the Swine Flu sickness.

Where would we be without Blizzard?  Don’t answer that-it’s a scary and impossible thought to even conjure.

Blizzard announced today that this summer, you’ll be able to see World of Warcraft characters in a new place — the beverage aisle.

The Mountain Dew Game Fuel will launch in two World of Warcraft inspired flavors, Alliance Blue (wild fruit) and Horde Red (citrus cherry).

I can picture the scene at Store 24, I reach down for the Horde flavor and I am met by a member of the filthy Alliance and in that moment PvP has created an entirely new meaning.

This marketing scheme also begs some very interesting questions; does my in-game loyalty bind me to a particular flavor?  Will I be hated based on the drink I hold?  Will World of Warcraft guilds and raids bleed into the real world?

Blizzard promises more details soon.

This year’s BlizzCon will be bigger and better than ever before.  Due to a high forecast of attendees, floor space will expand from three convention halls to four.  That’s an entire extra hall for you and your raiding pals to soak in Blizzard’s latest offerings.

Blizzard has been known to keep secrets, but when they’re ready to divulge, BlizzCon is usually where it happens.  Who knows, maybe we’ll finally get a glimpse at the World of Warcraft movie fanboys have been screaming for, or perhaps, their next non-World of Warcraft MMO.  One thing is for sure, whatever coveted secret Blizzard decides to unveil will blow our minds.

Mike Morhaime, CEO and founder of Blizzard Entertainment says,

“We’ve been amazed by the incredible response to each of our previous BlizzCon events,” and that  “We’re pleased to be bringing the convention back to Anaheim this year, and we look forward to this new opportunity to meet Blizzard gamers from around the world.”

And why shouldn’t he be.  With hands on time with pre-release titles, discussion panels with Blizzard developers, competitive and casual tournaments for attendees, great prizes, commemorative merchandise based on the Blizzard universe, and a silent auction, this year’s BlizzCon looks to be aiming for new heights.

Keep an eye on the BlizzCon 2009 official site for further details regarding ticket availability and pricing.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft^(R) and the Warcraft^(R), StarCraft^(R), and Diablo^(R) series, 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 eleven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online-gaming service, Battle.net^(R), is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Blizzard Entertainment generally uses words such as “outlook,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “might,” “remains,” “to be,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “estimate,” future,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “project,” “remain,” “scheduled,” “set to,” “subject to,” “upcoming” and similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Blizzard Entertainment’s titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Blizzard Entertainment’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Blizzard Entertainment’s products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Blizzard Entertainment, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, vendors and third-party developers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates, integration of recent acquisitions and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, Activision Blizzard’s success in integrating the operations of Activision Publishing and Vivendi Games in a timely manner, or at all, and the combined company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits and synergies of the transaction to the extent, or in the timeframe, anticipated, and the other factors identified in Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

According to a statement Sunday, The new company, called Activision Blizzard, is expected to have approximately $3.8 billion in revenues this year and the largest operating margins (read: the richest) video game publisher in the world.

“This is … a pivotal event in the continuing transformation of the interactive entertainment industry,” said Robert Kotick, Activision’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “By combining leaders in mass-market entertainment and subscription-based online games, Activision Blizzard will be the only publisher with leading market positions across all categories of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry and reach the broadest possible audiences.”

Vivendi/Blizzard bring World of Warcraft, the largest and most proliferated online game while Activision already boasts mega-hit console and PC games including the best-selling Guitar Hero franchise.

“By joining forces with Vivendi Games, we will become the immediate leader in the highly profitable online games business,” said Kotick.

Financials

Under the terms of the agreement, Vivendi Games will be merged with a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision. In the merger, shares of Vivendi Games will be converted into 295.3 million new shares of Activision common stock. Based on the transaction price of $27.50 per share of Activision common stock, this implies a value of approximately $8.1 billion for Vivendi Games. Concurrently with the merger, Vivendi will purchase 62.9 million newly issued shares of Activision common stock at a price of $27.50 per share – a premium of 31% to Activision’s average closing price over the past 20 trading days – for a total of $1.7 billion in cash. As a result of these transactions, Vivendi will own an approximate 52% ownership stake in Activision Blizzard on a fully diluted basis. When the transaction finalizes, Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard and will continue to operate as a public company traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ATVI.

A host of managerial moves will be made also.

Robert Kotick will be President and Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. Bruce Hack, current Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi Games, becomes Vice-Chairman and Chief Corporate Officer of Activision Blizzard, in charge of finance, human resources and legal matters. Mike Griffith will serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Activision Publishing, which after deal finalizes, will also include the Sierra Entertainment, Sierra Online and Vivendi Games Mobile divisions.

Mike Morhaime will continue to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Blizzard Entertainment. Thomas Tippl, currently Chief Financial Officer of Activision, will be appointed Chief Financial Officer of Activision Blizzard and Jean-François Grollemund, currently Chief Financial Officer of Vivendi Games, will be appointed Chief Accounting Officer of Activision Blizzard.

Vivendi’s board of directors has approved the deal, which is now subject to the approval of Activision’s shareholders and regulatory officials.

This is one of the largest corporate transactions in the history of the video game industry. Both companies are promising a painless transition.

“There will be no changes to our games, our websites, our personnel or our day-to-day operations as a result of the deal,” said Blizzard, in a statement on their website. “However, this combining of resources will benefit all of the companies involved and will further strengthen Blizzard’s ability to continue delivering high-quality content for our players around the world for many years to come.” Blizzard is offering fans a FAQ to explain the merger.