The final chapter in the Starcraft 2 saga is Legacy of the Void, and Blizzard just provided us with a hefty update on how that game’s development is coming. Specifically, they talked about the game’s multiplayer mode, speaking about the changes and development choices that they have made.

The most important of these is the addition of a brand new Protoss unit to the game, currently being debated to be a harassment unit that would be of incredible use in the early game; other notable things include a hard resource cap at about 70% of the amount in Heart of the Swarm, and a change in the worker count.

A lot of these changes, cumulatively, could have a great impact on how Starcraft II is played, and on player strategies, so personally, I am very excited to see what Blizzard brings to the table with Legacy of the Void.

Stay tuned, because we’ll keep you posted.

There have been some great pranks in gaming, developers always seem to have a sense of humor, which is a great thing for such a high stress working environment. We see a bunch of jokes or pranks every year around from some of our favorite big-name developers who love to play jokes on one another. On the flip side of it all, most of the gaming community sure has a similar sense of humor. Unfortunately, some of these pranks can be incredibly cruel.

With the popularity of online gaming being what it is today, it seems that the cruelty is expanding and keeping pace with all the new technology, hardware and software. The only real limit at this point is someone’s imagination. Even knowing this though, there is certainly some old classics that will go down in history as some of the nastiest burns in gaming history. Lets take a look at a few of the worst we could find for you.

Earthbound:

Plenty of folks have played and love the absolute hell out of Earthbound, most of us though have played it way back on the original SNES, or at the very least an emulator years later. What most of us didn’t have a chance to experience (thankfully,) is the Super Hard Mode version of Earthbound.

The designers built in a little bit of a surprise for folks who managed to get their hands on a non-authentic version of a Super Nintendo. The surprise is that the game becomes incredibly difficult, spawning enemies too fast for the player to handle it. Basically, the game just becomes way too difficult for anyone to actually play. It’s a brilliant idea, really.

The multi-platinum rock band the Foo Fighters will be playing in front of the sold-out crowd during closing ceremony of Blizzard Entertainment’s epic gaming festival, BlizzCon 2011.  Since the event is sold out as always you can purchase a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, that will include live coverage of event as well as the Foo Fighters performance, via Internet worldwide and DIRECTV in the US.

Your Virtual Ticket will also get you an exclusive pet for World of Warcraft and his name is Murkablo. Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters founder/frontman said “We’re pretty sure that in the future, music historians will look back at BlizzCon 2011 as the unquestionable pinnacle of Foo Fighters’ long and illustrious career,”. He continued on saying “We look forward to living up to that prediction by bringing the Horde and Alliance together to rock the hell out of Anaheim next month.”

Now you might think they are just getting paid for the event but I think we all know that Dave Grohl and the rest of the Foo Fighters are just as much as the gaming geeks that will be in attendance at BlizzCon 2011, taking place October 21st-22nd at the Anaheim Convention Center. Full press release below.

IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Foo Fighters will headline the closing concert of this year’s sold-out BlizzCon^®, taking place October 21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center. While tickets to the convention are currently sold out, viewers can watch at home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage of the event (including Foo Fighters’ performance) globally over the Internet and also on DIRECTV^® in the United States.

Over the course of their 16-year career, the Foo Fighters have sold tens of millions of records, won half a dozen Grammy awards, and raised countless voices in singalongs of iconic anthems like “Everlong,” “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly”, “All My Life,” “Best of You,” and “The Pretender.” Foo Fighters’ BlizzCon debut marks founder Dave Grohl’s triumphant return to the convention after playing drums for Tenacious D in last year’s show, and comes during an international arena, stadium, and festival tour promoting their seventh album, the international #1 record Wasting Light.

Opening up the concert will be The Artist Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, who are returning to BlizzCon following a two-year interstellar tour through the Koprulu sector. Blizzard’s in-house metal band will amp up the crowd with an earth-shaking set of both familiar and brand-new songs drawn from the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo universes before turning the stage over to Foo Fighters for the main event.

“There’s no better way to cap off two days of gaming entertainment than by blowing the roof off the convention center with an awesome rock concert,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Everyone attending BlizzCon and watching from home can look forward to ending the show with a bang when Foo Fighters bring the house down.”

“We’re pretty sure that in the future, music historians will look back at BlizzCon 2011 as the unquestionable pinnacle of Foo Fighters’ long and illustrious career,” said Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters founder and frontman. “We look forward to living up to that prediction by bringing the Horde and Alliance together to rock the hell out of Anaheim next month.”

BlizzCon is a celebration of the global player communities surrounding Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft^®, Diablo^®, and StarCraft^® game universes. In addition to serving as a gathering place for the Blizzard Entertainment gaming communities, BlizzCon will have an array of activities, including discussion panels, competitive and casual tournaments, contests, hands-on playtime with current and upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games, and more. Viewers at home can order a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket for $39.99 USD, available around the world as a multi-channel Internet stream with over 50 hours of coverage (pricing and availability may vary by region), and also via DIRECTV in the United States. Visit www.blizzcon.com/live-stream/ for more details and ordering information.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft^® as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on available career opportunities can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs. As BlizzCon draws closer, further details about the show will be announced at www.blizzcon.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
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 thirteen #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.

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 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, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Blizzard Entertainment’s products, competition from the used game market, industry competition and competition from other forms of entertainment, rapid changes in technology, industry standards and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as real-time strategy, action—role-playing and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Blizzard Entertainment, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers who can create high quality “hit” titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, and the other factors identified in the risk factors section of 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.

Here is your first look at the Heart of the Swarm add on for Starcraft 2 with this teaser trailer.  Blizzard has not actually gave to the go ahead to officially start promoting it so I’d catch this trailer while you can.

Lots of Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 news is coming from Blizzcon 2010, here is a rundown of what we have learned.

– Blizzard announced Star Craft 2 custom mods including Auir Chef, Left 2 Die, StarJeweled and Blizzard DotA. Blizzard DotA is a spin on WarCraft III’s Defence of the Ancients and on top of the energy gathering and troop building already in the game, StarJeweled will add gem-matching. Auir Chef will have your killing your way to win the title of “Executor Chef” and Left 2 Die will add a new co-op mode on the Star Craft 2 mission “Outbreak.”

– In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be downloadable from December 7 before its actual release provided you pre-order it straight from Bilzzard.

– The final playable class was revealed for Diablo III which is the ‘Demon Hunter’ with her deadly crossbow.  The trailer is shown above.

– The StarCraft 2 spin-off Blizzard DOTA has had good things said about it being playable to a select few at BlizzCon this year.  Blizzard DOTA was explained as a a “larger” undertaking than the other three Blizzard mods. With that said they mentioned the release will be “further out” than the other spin-offs/mods.  Blizzard also promised to keep up with supporting the spin-off Blizzard DOTA with new content and updates.

– Blizzard’s next MMO will happen in 2010 at the earliest.

– The World of Warcraft movie seems to be a definite at this point with all intentions to “Do it right”.

– Blizzard said they are banking on all the custom mods to be part of the “Waves and waves” of Starcraft 2 (free) content coming before Heart of the Swarm.

– Blizzcon 2010 revealed that Diablo III will have PvP battles.  In PVP Arenas can allow you to make use of all your traits, abilities, runes, armor, weapons, etc. as well as the ability to unlock titles, achievements amd such.  Some first shots of it are at the site here. They also when into explain PvP in detail which we have below:

PvP (short for ‘player versus player’ combat) has had a storied history in the Diablo series. For Diablo III, we’ve decided to take it in a new direction to ensure that it’s deep, organized, frantic, and fun.

Diablo III’s PvP battles are fought in arenas spread out across the world of Sanctuary. These arenas aren’t random — they’re all unique, designed with differing amounts of terrain and cover. You participate in PvP using the character of your choice, with access to all of the gear and skills you’ve accumulated playing the game in single-player or cooperative mode.

You’ll learn many of the fundamentals of PvP (like how to avoid attacks or target specific foes) by playing the single-player game, but PvP differs in that it isn’t an ideal venue for gathering new weapons and armor. Your rewards for shedding blood in the arena are purer than that: bragging rights, the joy of sending friends old and new to their swift and inglorious deaths, and points that represent how far you’ve progressed on the path to fame and glory.

When you participate in ranked games (fights that pit two opposing teams of players against each other in ‘best of’ matches), you’ll earn points for advancement based on kills, accomplished objectives, wins, and other factors. Points lead to multiplayer achievements, titles, and more. Our system is focused on encouraging furious combat and multiplayer progression, not stringent competitive rankings, so you’ll earn points after every match and Battle.net matchmaking will pit you against similarly skilled opponents.

We’re also looking into other PvP game types that exist outside the ranking system, like 1-on-1 duels and mutually chosen team battles (for example, you and your friends could divide into two teams for an arena showdown). We’ll have more information on the availability of these game types in the future.

Our aim for Diablo III’s PvP is to set you up with dangerous, exciting gladiatorial matches, let you battle it out with other players at your own pace, and allow you to proudly display your rewards. We’ve added a robust system to remove the obstructions that may have kept you out of the action, so that you can focus on what really matters: answering the age-old question of ‘who would win in a fight’ — with a gauntlet to the face.

Ever since the release of StarCraft 2, thousands of players were banned due to cheating and hacking, but now Blizzard had enough, and they are now suing some Starcraft 2 hackers.

Last week, Blizzard filed a suit in the LA US District Court against three hackers, “Permaphrost,” “Cranix,” and “Linuxawesome”, accusing them for creating and then selling hacks while also violating the end-user license agreement, Battle.net terms of use, and copyright law.

“Just days after the release of Starcraft II, Defendants already had developed, marketed, and distributed to the public a variety of hacks and cheats designed to modify (and in fact destroy) the Starcraft II online game experience.”

“In fact, on the very day that Starcraft II was released, representatives of the hacks Web site advised members of the public that ‘our staff is already planning new releases for this game.'”

“The harm to Blizzard from Defendants’ conduct is immediate, massive and irreparable, by distributing the Hacks to the public, Defendants cause serious harm to the value of StarCraft II.” the suit claims.

“Among other things, Defendants irreparably harm the ability of Blizzard’s legitimate customers (i.e. those who purchase and use unmodified games) to enjoy and participate in the competitive online experience. ”

“That, in turn, causes users to grow dissatisfied with the game, lose interest in the game, and communicate that dissatisfaction, thereby resulting in lost sales of the game or ‘add-on’ packs and expansions thereto.”

This will definitely decrease the number of hacckers found in the game, good job Blizzard.

Source

Greg Canessa, project director of Battle.net has hinted that Heart of Swarm, the first expansion of Blizzard’s extremely successful RTS, StarCraft II, may not release until 2012.

Discussing future Battle.net features, Canessa said, “a main area of focus we’re going to be seeing on the StarCraft II side over the next 18 months between now and Heart of the Swarm.”

GameSpot reports that the expansion will be releasing sometime around April, 2012, which means we would have only 9 months to play it, with the impending doomsday in December. And yes, this is a joke, please don’t make fun of me.

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has sold over 3 million copies worldwide in the first month of its release, building on the game’s momentum as the bestselling PC game of 2010 and the fastest-selling real-time strategy game of all time.*

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was released simultaneously in North America, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on July 27. With day-one sales topping 1 million copies, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty became the bestselling PC game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability. The game went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, setting the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time, and has won numerous critical accolades, including multiple editor’s choice awards from major gaming publications.

“We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II once again centres on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Unparalleled online play for StarCraft II is available through a new version of Battle.net®, Blizzard Entertainment’s world-renowned gaming service. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.

Starcraft II has officially become the bestselling PC game of 2010, but this is nothing in comparision to what the future has in store for Blizzard’s sci-fi real time strategy game. Analysts predict that the game will have sold a total of 6.5 million copies soon.

Keep watching out for more news.