"We're very excited to announce that development of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos has been completed and that gamer and retail demand will make this the largest launch in gaming history," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder.

"When we set out to create the next installment of the Warcraft series, we wanted to design something both unique and fun to play. We're extremely proud of the game we've created and we believe gamers will be very pleased when they see what we have in store for them."

In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, players revisit the war-torn world of Azeroth a generation after the end of the Second War between the Orcs and the Humans. The fragile peace that had since settled over the land is now on the verge of being shattered, for a dark power has returned after thousands of years to carry out its nefarious plans.

Two new races -- the Undead Scourge and the Night Elves -- emerge to join the fray, as players follow a single epic storyline through four successive campaigns. Players can also take the battle into their own hands in an enhanced multiplayer mode, playable on local area networks and exclusively over the Internet on Battle.net®, the largest online service of its kind in the world.

A focus on concentrated battles between groups of mighty warriors brings an exciting new blend of action to the franchise. In the single-player game, players follow the adventures of Legendary Heroes, who grow more formidable with experience. As the game progresses, these Heroes are able to learn spells and special abilities and acquire powerful magic items.

Heroes advance even faster in multiplayer games, adding to the intensity of strategic combat between rival powers. Expanded multiplayer options include the ability to share units and resources with allies and to compete anonymously against other players of similar skill levels.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos also includes the most powerful and full-featured World Editor ever released for a Blizzard game. The World Editor puts the same tools used by Blizzard's designers into the hands of players, enabling them to create 3D maps and unique missions, with scripts for units, spells, and action-packed events.

Players will also be able to produce their own in-game cinematics, using flexible camera controls and incorporating .mp3-based sound files.

Since its debut in 1994, the #1-selling Warcraft series has won industry acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with more than 5 million copies sold(a). 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.

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos will be available at retail chains worldwide for Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP and Macintosh® formats, at a price of approximately $55-$60. The game will also be available directly from Blizzard at 800/953-SNOW and www.blizzard.com. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos has received a Teen rating from the ESRB.

Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft® series, StarCraft®, and the Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment® (www.blizzard.com), a studio of the games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, the world's third-largest publishing company, 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 six #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net® reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users