The official date for the open beta testing of World of Warcraft in China will be April 26, 2005, earlier than the originally planned April 29, 2005. WoW's open beta testing date has been brought forward by three days to accommodate tremendous requests and strong expectations from players.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Phantom Grove"... Map info: "An ancient horror lurks in these twisting paths turning away all but the most stalwart of champions. These would-be heroes enter confidently, seeking battle and adventure to immortalize their legacy... but none have returned." This is a small sized map and the suggested no. of players is 1v1 or 2v2. It is based on the "Lordaeron Summer" tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard issued a small statement announcing they have once again banned a slew of Warcraft 3 accounts from players who were using hacks to cheat. "A number of additional accounts and CD keys have been tied to the use of a hack or cheat program while playing Warcraft III on Battle.net. In keeping with our aggressive stance against cheating, we have permanently closed 5,900 Warcraft III accounts. 2,300 of the Warcraft III CD keys used with the now-closed accounts have been banned from ladder play for one month, and 500 more have been banned from ladder play permanently." Read more about it on the official Blizzard website.

Blizzard Entertainment announced today that an additional 250,000 standard box copies of World of Warcraft, its successful massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), will be available in retail stores across Europe on 15th April. This new shipment of boxes follows the sales of more than 620,000 copies in Europe since its launch on 11th February.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Full Scale Assult"... Map info: "In these eternally contested lands, war comes and goes leaving behind death and glory. Strike strategically and fight valiantly till your foes fall and you can hear the snowflakes land on the dead. Victory, at last." This is a large sized map and the suggested no. of players is 3v3 or 4v4. It is based on the "Lordaeron Winter " tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft, its massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has surpassed the 1.5 million subscriber mark.

"Over the recent weeks we have been investigating the activities of certain individuals who have been farming gold in order to sell it in exchange for real world currency. After researching the situation, we have issued permanent suspensions to over one thousand accounts that have been engaging in this practice. We do not condone such actions and will take decisive action as they are against our policy and damage the game economy as a whole. We will continue researching this matter. If you suspect someone of taking part in said gold farming, please eMail the report to wowgm@blizzard.com."

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Worm War"... Map info: "Every baby worm dreams of being a gladiator in the worm arena, where burly worms battle it out to eat sheep, grow, and squish their adversaries." This is a tiny sized map and the suggested no. of players is 4-12. It is based on the "Dalaran" tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard has released new update patches for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos as well as The Frozen Throne. This upgrade brings your retail game to v1.18 and addresses several game balance, map tweaks, bug fixes, enchancements to the world editor, and other changes. Read more for download links ...

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Cherryville"... Map info: "Cherryville holds the truth of nature... from the vines, life grows and from the sheath, death follows. Those that wield both crush all those who oppose." This is a medium sized map and the suggested no. of players is 3v3 or 4v4. It is based on the "Village Fall" tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard today announced that World of Warcraft has become an overnight success in Europe, achieving record-breaking sales in its first 24 hours since the game launched on Friday, 11th February. World of Warcraft has sold-through an estimated 280,000 copies at retail on day-one, this figure rose to more than 380,000 units being sold-through by the end of the first weekend.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Highperch"... Map info: "Highperch bestows beauty and magical powers to those brave enough to withstand savage attacks from the inhabitants who protect its secret healing waters." This is a medium map and the suggested no. of players is 2v2 or 3v3. It is based on the "Barrens" tileset. Go download it here!

Rich in legend and filled with adventure, the World of Warcraft awaits! For the first time, players experience the lands of Azeroth from a new, in-depth perspective. As heroes, they explore familiar battlefields, discover new lands and take on epic quests and challenges in Blizzards massively multiplayer, on-line, role-playing game. Limited amount of slots, so go and sign up NOW!

Blizzard President Mike Morhaime has addressed the WoW community to shed some light on the recent downtime and apologies for the problems some of the players may have been experiencing on the servers. "I am sure that many of you are wondering what has been going on with the World of Warcraft servers, as there was another period of extended downtime during peak hours last night.... Last night, we took down 20 realms for emergency maintenance.... Players on these same 20 realms also experienced service interruptions earlier in the week... Therefore, in addition to the three days already credited to these players as a result of the server issues earlier in the week, players on these realms will be receiving an additional four-day credit to their accounts." Read the full statement on the official WoW forums...

A number of additional accounts and CD keys have been tied to the use of a hack or cheat program while playing Warcraft III on Battle.net. In keeping with their aggressive stance against cheating, Blizzard has permanently closed 12,000 Warcraft III accounts. 6,000 of the Warcraft III CD keys used with the now-closed accounts have been banned from ladder play for one month, and 1,000 more have been banned from ladder play permanently. Repeat offenders risk having their CD keys disabled, which will result in the permanent removal of their copies of Warcraft III from Battle.net.

Over the weekend Blizzard updated some of the World of Warcraft database hardware in order to improve performance. This update required extended downtime for certain realms as data was transferred from the launch servers to the new servers. Due to the extended nature of the server issues, Blizzard will be providing a free 48-hour extension of play time, which will show up as free extra time on your current billing period. You can read more about it on the official World of Warcraft website...

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft will officially launch in Korea on January 18, 2005. Following a highly successful beta-testing period, the game is now being prepared for availability throughout the country. Once released, players can sign up for various subscription plans and experience the epic adventure of the Warcraft series in an immersive and continually evolving online environment.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Goldshire"... Map info: "War and hunger have brought interlopers to Elwynn Forest, endangering the town of Goldshire. Sweep the woods free of this threat so that masons can begin laying the foundation of Stormwind." This is a small map and the suggested no. of players is 1v1 or 2v2. It is based on the "Cityscape" tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft has sold through more than 600,000 units to customers in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The fastest-growing massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) has also shattered all previous concurrency records in North America, achieving over 200,000 simultaneous players during the holiday period.

On December 22 many players were unable to access World of Warcraft for approximately seven hours, due to server problems. Blizzard will address this issue by automatically extending the trial period of all players who created an account on or before December 22 (11:59 PM PST) for an additional day.

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "Azeroth Grand Prix." Unlike previously released maps, this one actually turns Warcraft III into a kart racing game. Map info: "Legends speak of a hidden race track north of the border where representatives from the far reaches of the land gather to test their skills and racing prowess. This event is known to break even the mightiest of combatants with its no-rules-barred arena." This is a huge map and the suggested no. of players is 4 to 8. It is based on the "Lordaeron Winter" tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard is not only hunting down people using cheats in World of Warcraft but not also taking action against people selling items for real money of Ebay. "It has come to our attention that certain individuals are selling Blizzard's in-game property for cash on auction sites such as eBay and on personal websites. The World of Warcraft Terms of Use clearly state that all of the content in World of Warcraft is the property of Blizzard, and Blizzard does not allow "in game" items to be sold for real money." Read the full article here ...

Blizzard has released yet another new Warcraft III map, this time called "DragonBlight"... Map info: "Those who have braved the chill wind speak of a graveyard called Dragonblight. Treasure is rumored to lie beneath draconian bones, but vigilant dragons watch this sacred ground for foolhardy graverobbers." This is a medium map and the suggested no. of players is or 3v3. It is based on the "Northrend" tileset. Go download it here!

Blizzard keeps its users on a tight rope as over 300 accounts have been banned so far. "We have recently verified that certain individuals were using third party "bot" programs to automate their characters in World of Warcraft. A bot is used to play an account non-stop, allowing its user to accumulate money, items, and experience without actually requiring the user to be physically present to play the game. The use of bots is a violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use and is absolutely prohibited. Therefore, the accounts identified as having used bots have been banned."

World of Warcraft is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of Warcraft heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory.