World of Warcraft at Ten Ton Hammer

Got It...Got It...Got It...Need It...Got It...

Are MMORPGs and TCGs (Trading Card Games) such an obvious fit for players, or just a way to piggyback on a successful IP for some fat profit? Both, actually, and the Upper Deck's World of Warcraft TCG retains the look and feel of the MMOG, offering in-game loot tie-ins long before Legends of Norrath came along. Ten Ton Hammer spoke with Upper Deck's Claudine Riccanor and David Baumgartner at BlizzCON 2007 about the popular TCG that is heading towards the release of it's third set, and their cross-promotional plans with Blizzard in the wake of the expansion announcement.

Upon registering at BlizzCON and ravening through our prize  sacks like the schwag-averse disciplined press types we aren't, we were surprised to find a World of Warcraft TCG starter set with everything needed for half a game (your buddy will need a starter set too). With a retail value of $11.99 x 8,000 attendees, it's pretty obvious that Upper Deck believes in the MMORPG-TCG connection too. Intrigued by SOE's just-announced plans for the Legends of Norrath online TCG, we determined to see how Blizzard is exploring it's TCG options and what plans Upper Deck has in place for it's ever-expanding game. Later on Day Two, we caught up with Upper Deck's Claudine Riccanor and Game Designer David Baumgartner for a quick demo and some questions.

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