Blizzard (Link)
CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRADING CARD GAME LICENSE
Wrathgate booster set for tabletop game based on Blizzard Entertainment's award-winning World of Warcraft series slated for May release, followed by Class Decks in June
Irvine, California (March 24, 2010) Cryptozoic Entertainment is pleased to announce that they have signed a long-term licensing agreement with Blizzard Entertainment. The multi-year arrangement grants Cryptozoic the right to produce the trading card game (TCG) based on Blizzard Entertainment's hugely popular World of Warcraft® massively multiplayer online role-playing game series.
This is an exciting time for us and for players of the trading card game, said John Nee, Cryptozoic Entertainments CEO. Our first priority will be to maintain the current programs that the community has come to expect and then build from there. The game itself is fantastic, and will not change. The community can rest assured that we are committed to providing them with the high quality product and organized play that they deserve, worldwide.
It's important to us and to our players that every entertainment experience set in a Blizzard Entertainment game universe matches the standards we've established with our games, said Paul Sams, Chief Operating Officer of Blizzard Entertainment. We're proud of the quality and accessible gameplay that the World of Warcraft TCG has offered to date, and we're confident that Cryptozoic is the best team to help us continue that tradition.
Cryptozoic will continue to expand the World of Warcraft TCG for years to come. Players will soon have a slew of exciting new cards to test their skills and defeat their opponents with at the upcoming Continental Championships in June and the World Championship in August. The first product release from Cryptozoic will be the Wrathgate boosters in May followed by the Class Decks in June.
Having been fully involved with the development of the World of Warcraft TCG from day one, I've always been passionate about taking it into the future, said Cory Jones, Cryptozoics President and Chief Creative Officer, and formerly Blizzard Entertainment's lead business and development liaison for the TCG. I'm pleased to say that the players have a lot to look forward to as we continue developing and evolving the game to match the action and spirit of World of Warcraft.
To start, players can get the latest news on the World of Warcraft TCG at www.cryptozoic.com. Then in just a few weeks a brand new website for the TCG itself will launch. Cryptozoic promises ongoing updates on everything from organized play to product releases as well as a regular dose of strategy articles and spoilers as they get closer to their initial product launch.
Somehow I missed this last week, apologies!
The license for World of Warcraft: The Card Game has gone to Cryptozoic. Who is Cryptozoic you ask? It seems as if the company was founded for the express purpose of producing WoW TCG. One of the co-founders was Blizzard employee Cory Jones, leading us to believe that after the difficulties with Upper Deck it would be easier to have the production done by one of their own.
Blizzard has assured players that this transition will be seamless and the release of their new Wrathgate and Icecrown packs will not be affected. Hopefully the production quality at Cryptozoic will uphold the high standards set by Upper Deck in the past.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our World of Warcraft Game Page.
