World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will bring sweeping changes to the world of Azeroth. Players will be able to adventure as two new playable races, achieve new levels of power, take on challenging quests and dungeons in all-new zones, and experience dramatic changes to familiar aspects of the game in the wake of a world-shattering disaster.

In Cataclysm, players will witness the face of Azeroth being altered forever, as the corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing awakens from his subterranean slumber and erupts onto the surface, leaving ruin and destruction in his wake. As the Horde and Alliance race to the epicenter of the cataclysm, the kingdoms of Azeroth will witness seismic shifts in power, the kindling of a war of the elements, and the emergence of unlikely heroes who will rise up to protect their scarred and broken world from utter devastation.

Building on the foundation established in World of Warcraft and its first two expansions, Cataclysm will add a variety of new content and offer players the opportunity to rediscover Azeroth and experience the game from a whole new perspective.

GameStop will host a collection of “Midnight Awakening” launch events at approximately 3,500 GameStop stores, celebrating the midnight release of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft: Cataclysm on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010. Cataclysm is the third expansion to the world’s most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft.

Starting at 10 p.m. local time on Monday, Dec. 6, World of Warcraft faithful can visit one of the 3,500 GameStop stores to enjoy costumed revelers, along with trivia and dance contests in anticipation of the 12:01 a.m. release. Customers who pick up their copy at midnight will receive the Cataclysm Perk Pack loaded with special partner offers including 20-percent off EVGA/NVIDIA video cards, 20-percent off Linksys/Cisco valet wireless routers and much more. PowerUp Rewards members score 50-percent more points when they pre-order then pickup at GameStop on Dec. 7 or Dec. 8.

Attendees at the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launch events will have the opportunity to purchase the standard edition of the expansion (suggested retail price $39.99) as well as the Collector’s Edition (suggested retail price $79.99), which contains the following bonus items in addition to the game disc:

• An exclusive World of Warcraft: Cataclysm behind-the-scenes DVD including over an hour of developer interviews and commentaries
• The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Collector’s Edition soundtrack CD
• The Art of Cataclysm, a 176-page hardback book featuring never-before-seen artwork from the development process
• Starter pack and exclusive cards for the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game
• Exclusive in-game pet, Lil’ Deathwing
• A special-edition World of Warcraft: Cataclysm mouse pad

Key Features:

• Two New Playable Races: Adventure as the cursed worgen with the Alliance or the resourceful goblins with the Horde.
• Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 85 and earn new abilities, tap into new talents, and progress through the path system, a new way for players to customize characters.
• Classic Zones Remade: Quest to level 60 as you never have before. Familiar zones across the original continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been reforged by the cataclysm and updated with new quests and content.
• Flying Mounts in Azeroth: Explore Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms from a whole new perspective.
• Guild Advancement: Progress as a guild to earn guild levels and guild achievements.
• New High-Level Content: Explore newly opened parts of the world, including Uldum, Grim Batol, and the great sunken city of Vashj'ir beneath the sea, and enjoy even more high-level raid content than in previous expansions.
• New PvP Zone & Rated Battlegrounds: Take on PvP objectives and daily quests on Tol Barad Island, a new Wintergrasp-like zone, and wage war in all-new rated Battlegrounds.
• Archaeology: Master a new secondary profession to unearth valuable artifacts and earn unique rewards.
• New Race and Class Combinations: Explore Azeroth as a gnome priest, blood elf warrior, or one of the other never-before-available race and class combinations

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7 and Macintosh at a suggested retail price of €34.99 and will also be offered as a digital download from the Blizzard Store. The special Collector’s Edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores for a suggested retail price of €69.99.