blizzcon-2008
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BlizzCon tickets are sold out. Like, totally, for realz
Just stop hitting F5 because it's not going to make a difference now: BlizzCon tickets are sold out. Done, finished, finito, cashed. As thousands tried to grab one of the $100 tickets, the BlizzCon site buckled under the hordes of people, Orcs, Night Elves and Gnomes, but it's all over now.Blizzard says that the event will be broadcast on DirecTV, but if you just have to be there, we're sure tickets will soon be available on eBay and other fine second-hand websites. It might be time for Actilizzard to start thinking about holding this thing at the Los Angeles Convention Center (or someplace a little bigger than the Anaheim Convention Center), for the sake of all those sad Pandarens who couldn't get tickets.
Last remaning BlizzCon tickets go on sale at 8:00 p.m. PDT tonight
If you want to go to BlizzCon in October, you have one last window to buy your tickets: 8:00 p.m. PDT tonight. That's 11:00 p.m. Eastern, and 10:00 p.m. Central. This news comes from an announcement on the main page of the WoW website. The announcement further tells us that all the available tickets were sold out within minutes of the Blizzard Store coming on-line this afternoon.Considering there will be a third hall open this year, we believe around 12,000 tickets have been made available (this number has also been reportedly confirmed by phone sales reps), which is 50% more than the 8,000 that were sold last year. The World Wide Invitational that took place in June also sold out very quickly.In the case of the WWI, additional tickets were made available after the primary batch had sold out. However, and this is important, there is no indication Blizzard will do this again.We'll update with any further information when we have it.
BlizzCon tickets listed as sold out [UPDATED]
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/BlizzCon_tickets_reported_sold_out'; Most of those who wanted to buy a BlizzCon ticket have just been through two horribly rocky days marked by constant refreshing, stylesheet errors, and the dreaded Fail Murloc. For better or worse, it looks like that wait is at an end, as the multiple sources are reporting that BlizzCon Tickets are sold out. This is probably something Blizzard's going to see some backlash on one way or another. Whether it was poor planning, poor servers, an expected deluge of customers, or a combination of all 3 and more, the experience of trying to buy a BlizzCon ticket for most has been anywhere from 12-36 hours of pure agony marked by small 5-20 minutes windows where handfuls of lucky customers made off with the precious tickets. Of course, all hope may not be lost for those who failed to capture a ticket, as this may simply be yet another CSS error. In addition, Blizzard did sell the Worldwide Invitational tickets in waves as well. They may need to do the same for Blizzcon here, if only to give a fair shake to everyone who could never get past the CSS errors and the cold unforgiving face of the Murloc. EDIT: A commenter on the official BlizzCon forums says that a Blizzard phone rep told him they are not sold out. EDIT 2: The ticket page appears to be working again and not showing the tickets as Sold Out. The Fail Murlocs and XML errors continue apace, however. Edit 3: The saga continues. as of 4:40 PST EDT, some sources are reporting the dreaded sold out notice again -- or are having the ticket mysteriously disappear from their cart once they make it to checkout. Edit 4: Nethaera has just posted to say that most BlizzCon tickets are now sold out. However, they will be selling a small reserve starting tonight at 8 PM PDT.
BlizzCon ticket fiasco sparks fan-created game
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/BlizzCon_ticket_fiasco_sparks_fanmade_game'; If you've been one of the many frustrated players attempting to purchase BlizzCon tickets online since yesterday, then you'll really get a kick out of BlizzCon 08, a mini-game created by Belneiros of Moon Guard (or Toneslice of Exodar). It's extremely simple to learn how to play, and follows a classic arcade pattern. The premise is that, as a Failbot aka Blizzard employee, you arrive at work only to learn that (gasp) Blizzard forgot that the BlizzCon tickets are going on sale that day! In order to save face, you're going to have to start shooting as many down as possible. After all, there's no superior diversionary tactic. Armed with your gun, you must do everything possible to prevent the sale of BlizzCon tickets. The more customers that get tickets, the closer you are to death. It's actually a fun little pass-time that doesn't use much processing power at all. It's a quick play, and its inspiration came from the same refreshing, Failoc ordeal that we've all had to endure. If you sift through our live coverage yesterday, you'll notice that Belneiros wasn't the only bored player that got creative!Stay tuned to our live blog today for news on ticket sales and our luck (or lack thereof) with acquiring some of the elusive tickets.
What we're expecting from BlizzCon
As we announced earlier, BlizzCon tickets are on sale. Sort of. Kind of. If you can fight past the store servers. I know I've been getting nothing but the fail murloc pretty much all day. Still, I and the rest of WoW Insider's crack live team will be there come hell or high water, and we'll bring you the news you need to know. In the meantime, we're stuck here refreshing the Blizzard Store. To pass the time, we did a bit of speculation about what we might see in Anaheim on October 10th and 11th. Here's what we decided: What we're sure to see The Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic: Though we still have no solid announcement, Blizzard's already stated that they want to get Wrath out before 2008 is up. Considering that, they must have the opening cinematic pretty close to done. I would be surprised if we don't see it open the opening ceremony, to be completely honest. I'm expecting Arthas and/or a "rebel" Human Death Knight to feature prominently, as well as our first cinematic Gnome shot.
BlizzCon tickets go up, Blizzard.com comes down
Blizzard.com briefly crumpled under the weight of its epic-sized fan base this morning, as visitors stormed the site eager to secure passage to BlizzCon 2008. Tickets went on sale exclusively through the new Blizzard Store today, but we've yet to receive confirmation of anyone making a successful purchase.Posting on the WoW Forums, Blizzard urged frustrated clickers to ease off the panic button -- "Billing and Account Services and the In-Game Support Department will be unable to provide assistance" -- and dropped this vague reassurance: "Our Web Administrators are working as quickly as possible to remedy the issue, but I'm afraid there is no ETA at this time." While both Blizzard.com and the store have since reappeared, users attempting to purchase BlizzCon tickets are still slapped with the "Failoc" (pictured above) upon credit card authentication. We'll keep you posted.Update [1:33 pm ET]: Blizzard writes, "This is top priority right now, and we are still actively looking into this issue. I can tell you that we have confirmed that no tickets have been purchased at this time, so no one should fear that they are going to be sold out while they are refreshing."Update: Check WOW Insider for the latest updates.
[Updated] Blizzcon tickets now on sale, maybe
We've been keeping a watchful eye on the Blizzcon site this morning, as we knew that tickets for the event were set to go on sale today. Even with the hefty $100 pricetag, these golden tickets of Blizzard fun are expected to sell out extremely quickly. However, if you're in the market for a Blizzcon ticket, we have some mixed news for you. While it does appear that the tickets are showing up on the Blizzcon site, and they are allowing you to add up to 5 per cart -- we've not heard of a single purchase that has gone through as yet. It would appear that while Blizzard has done a great job of balancing the load on many of the World of Warcraft servers, the Blizzard store is not handling the zerg rush of thousands of Blizzard fans hitting it all at once very well. So if you're hoping to land Blizzcon tickets, we suggest you grab a drink and settle in for some quality time with the fail murloc and your F5 key. We'll be right there with you.[Update 11:13 AM EST] - Aredek on the WoW forums says that their Webfolk are looking into the problems with ordering. In the meantime, we've learned that the fail murloc enjoys mrglrgrrrlgl, long walks by the mggrgrlllrgrm, and enjoys playing gllllrmgrl when not hanging out in our web browsers.[Update 6:03 PM EST] - While registration was open briefly this afternoon, most people have been unable to purchase tickets due to the heavy traffic on the Blizzcon site. Server fall down go boom. As of now, the site appears to be back in a maintenance phase. From what we have heard, the tickets are not sold out currently.[Update 7:40 PM EST] The Blizzcon site is back online, however with it returns Failoc, the dreaded murloc of fail. Of course, that's when we're not seeing errors due to the server being overloaded.[Update 12:10 AM EST] Finally managed to get an order through and confirmed. Looks like some of the WoW Insider crew have also been able to get tickets, but others are still getting Failoc'd. Good luck, everyone![Update 12:45 AM EST] According to Eyonix on the Blizzard forums, they are pulling down ticket ordering for the night:We are continuing our work on bringing the website back up, however, we have decided that we do not want to make everyone wait until the early hours of the morning, hoping at a chance to purchase tickets. Thus, we will not bring up the website until after the beginning of business day tomorrow, Tuesday, August 12. We want to assure everyone that a great majority of tickets are still available for purchase. If you've been waiting up to purchase a ticket, looks like it's time to head for bedfordshire and try again in the morning.
BlizzCon 2008 website launched
With BlizzCon a little more than two months away, Blizzard is gearing up for the event with the recent launch of the new BlizzCon 2008 website. From this site, fans will be able to find new information on this year's panels, contests and tournaments. Plus, there's the new feature from DIRECTV where those not attending the event will have the chance to watch it live for the first time ever. DIRECTV is offering a special promotion for new subscribers to get the event for free, by following a special link.This site's launch comes only days before the tickets go on sale for this Anaheim, CA event, which should help in hotel and travel accommodation planning. Be sure to check the site often for more details to come. One of Azeroth's millions of citizens? Check out our ongoing coverage of the World of Warcraft, and be sure to touch base with our sister site WoW Insider for all your Lich King needs!
Blizzcon 2008 tickets to go on sale August 11th
According to a new press release, tickets for Blizzcon 2008 will be available for purchase at the event's official website on August 11th. You might not need to buy them, though, because the press release also announced that at least 8 hours of the event will stream live to DirectTV customers pay-per-view style. Prices for the DirectTV route haven't been released yet, but folks who want to actually attend the convention in Anaheim, CA must pay $100 per head. That's probably a fair price if you're a hardcore Blizzard fan who wants to get hands-on time with upcoming games. And then there are the dance competitions! The event will occur on October 10th and 11th.
BlizzCon tickets on sale August 11
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Blizzcon_ticket_sale_date_announced'; Blizzard announced today that tickets for BlizzCon 2008 will go on sale Monday, August 11. Tickets will be priced at $100 a pop (as if Blizzard and co. weren't already deep enough in our pockets) and be available directly from blizzcon.com. The third semi-regular gathering of elves, trolls and spacemen will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in -- where else? -- Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11. For those unwilling to venture forth, DirecTV will be broadcasting a pay per view version right to your dome in "crystal-clear HD" (scientifically proven to be better than real life). As a bonus, new DirecTV subscribers will get the televised BlizzCon access for free. While no one knows for sure just what blessings Blizzard will bestow upon its faithful at BlizzCon, you can bet on seeing more of the Wrath expansion for World of Warcraft, along with some new details about Starcraft II and Diablo 3. If you plan to make the pilgrimage out to Anaheim, buy your tickets early -- there's not exactly room for everyone. [Via WOW Insider]
Blizzcon ticket sale date announced
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Blizzcon_ticket_sale_date_announced'; Blizzard announced today that Monday, August 11 will be the on-sale date for BlizzCon 2008 tickets. If it's anything like the Worldwide Invitational and previous BlizzCons, tickets should sell out very quickly. The ticket are priced at $100 each. And don't forget to factor in airfare, hotel and food when planning for the October 10 & 11th event in Anaheim, CA.Not much Wrath information was announced at the WWI last month and we may see more at this year's BlizzCon, but with the beta in full swing and Blizzard close to launching Wrath, there may not be too many surprises left to announce at the event. We'll possibly see some kind of opening cinematic and probably talk of what new content is planned shortly after launch.Still, there will be much to see and do at BlizzCon as we expect their usual blend of contests, hands-on demo stations, dev panels, goodie bags, tournaments and probably some big announcements for Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3. One thing BlizzCon won't have is livestreaming over the net. For those who can't make it, DirectTV will be livestreaming the convention as a pay per view event.
BlizzCon tickets still not on sale
With the Worldwide Invitational fast fading into memory, everyone's thoughts are starting to turn in earnest to the upcoming BlizzCon 2008, happening October 10th and 11th in Anaheim. One of the number one questions: Where can I get tickets? So far, Netheara can only tell us that they'll let us know, but there's no ETA as of yet. Still, if we're looking at last year's BlizzCon, Blizzard actually has another month before they need to put tickets out to keep pace. In 2007, BlizzCon was held during the first week of August, and tickets went on sale June 12th. That means there was a little under 2 months between the time the first tickets went on sale and the time the event happened. If they follow the same basic timeline this year, we can expect tickets sometime in mid-August. Then again, tickets for the Worldwide Invitational Paris went on sale on March 20th, around 3 months before the Invitational itself. In that case, Blizzard would need to start selling tickets within the next few days to keep pace. In that case, perhaps it's a bit futile to try to predict the exact date that we can expect BlizzCon ticket sales. Either way, keep your browser tuned here, we'll be sure to let you know the minute tickets are available.
Worldwide Invitational 2008 contest signups begin
The date of the World Wide Invitational in Paris creeps ever closer and closer. Of course, the biggest thing we're looking forward to is all the new WotLK information courtesy of the playable WotLK demos and Developer panels, but the contests should be pretty fun too. If you're planning to enter one of them, the signups are beginning. Submissions for the fan art and machinima contests are being accepted via web form from now until June 17th, so that leaves you a little under one more week to finalize your submission. As for the dance and costume contests, registration will be open from June 16th to June 20th. Remember, some of the contests are only open to certain European countries, so check the rules to make sure you're eligible -- and remember, if you're not, you may be eligible for the contests at Blizzcon 2008 instead. Good luck with your entries, and we'll see you in Paris!
Blizzard announces BlizzCon 2008!
Ah, BlizzCon 2007! So many fond memories! We had the Wrath of the Lich King announcement, developers answering all of our questions, the latest on the World of Warcraft movie, and (of course) L70ETC! While there doesn't seem to be anything yet on Blizzard's website announcing a BlizzCon 2008, Buisiness Wire has a press release announcing BlizzCon 2008 taking place on October 10th and 11th in good old Anaheim California. We've contacted Blizzard to confirm, but in the meantime we're clearing out calendar and making travel arrangements. We hope to see all of you at BlizzCon!EDIT: Official announcement released.%Gallery-5496%%Gallery-5527%
