StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Ships July 27

Activision Blizzard has officially announced today the release date of the most expected RTS game in over a decade.  StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty hits game shops simultaneously in several countries worldwide on July 27, 2010.The first episode of a trilogy, Wings of Liberty, embarks fans into a galactic warfare between three races: the Terran, Protoss and Zerg. Its single player campaign expands the Starcraft universe, four years after the Brood War.Jim Raynor and his rebels will take mercenary jobs to increase their credits by retrieving Xel’Naga artifacts and relics from several fringe worlds occupied by the Tal’darim protoss. However, these missions will put the Terran rebels in conflict with the Zerg who also seek the relics.The single player contains a mini-campaign where gamers play as Zeratul, to unveil the mysteries of the Xel’Naga he has unearthed since the events held in the Starcraft: The Dark Templar trilogy novel written by Christie Golden. IRVINE, Calif., May 03, 2010 — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that its highly anticipated real-time strategy game, StarCraft(R) II: Wings of Liberty(TM), will arrive in stores throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau starting on July 27, 2010. Players will also be able to purchase StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty directly from Blizzard Entertainment shortly after the retail launch.

“We’ve been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe for many years, and we’re excited that the time for that is almost here,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Thanks to our beta testers, we’re making great progress on the final stages of development, and we’ll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft II and the new Battle.net(R) in just a few months.”

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 will once again center 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 will be 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.

The solo campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will continue the epic saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War(R). The story line chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players will be able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge-mode mini-games will also be included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies.

For more information on StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, visit the official website at www.starcraft2.com. Further details about the game, including the alternative pricing options previously mentioned for certain regions, will be announced in the coming weeks. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available — visit www.blizzard.com/jobs for more information and to learn how to apply.