Opening ceremony has now started. We will keep you updated.

Mike Morhaime is currently talking on stage. Talking about BlizzCon etc etc.

Currently showing highlights of last years BlizzCon and Wotlk launch.

Talking about new technology in WoW like phasing and faction change. StarCraft 2 will be released next year and new Battle.net platform. Now they are talking about WoW movie. Nothing new.

Talking about BlizzCon 2009 again. Talking about some collectable figures.

Chris Metzen taking the stage now. He is the senior vice president of Blizzard. Thanking fans and such.

Talking about what new they have been working on this year. Currently talking about killing Lich King and talking about what they have shown about Diablo 3. Going to unveil a new class now.

The Monk is now being introduced, new class in Diablo 3.

The monk reminds me of the sorceress, based on the trailer. Looks like it will also be a melee fighter and a caster. Hope we will get better info about it soon. Now they are showing gameplay of the monk. A lot of Aoe damage it seems and some sort of charge? Hard to make it out from the stream.

Talking about WoW now. Talking about rumors and such.

New trailer of WoW’s Next Expansion, Cataclysm has started.

Something about ancient evil. Looks like a dragon. Barrens split in half. Looks like apocalypse on Azeroth. Goblins have found new allies in the horde. Greymane wall has been destroyed. Worgens have joined the alliance. I guess we just saw a Tauren Paladin. Archeology new profession. New heroic classic instances like Deadmines. “Deathwing has returned.”

Flying mounts have been confirmed in Azeroth. Level cap is 85. We are probably going to get more and more info throughout the day.

Main website is now up: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/

Update: Ugh.. It would seem that when I was writing this, our database suddenly went haywire and some of the sentences started jumping all over this blog post.

Time for Saturday Video!

Let’s take a look at this Epic Trailer of Serious Sam HD for Xbox Live Arcade!

This reminds me of Quake. Looks cool.

Another news, MMO-Champion has supposedly gained some reliable info of World of Warcraft’s next expansion, called Cataclysm. We have opened up a discussion thread at our forums where you can share your opinions of this matter.

Xbox Live is going to get an update at August 11th!

No, it’s not going to be some random security update or so, it’s going to have loads of new things! This new update includes Games on Demand service in which allows you to pay for and download full Xbox 360 games!

That’s not all!

User Ratings – Rate any game content on Xbox LIVE. Also, sort by ratings to find games, demos, trailers, and more that have received top ratings.

Indie Games – Xbox LIVE Community Games has been renamed to Xbox LIVE Indie Games to better reflect the independent spirit of these games.

Account Management Enhancements – Show off how long you’ve been an Xbox LIVE Gold member with a stamp on your gamer card—and get a reminder when your subscription is about to run out.

UI Improvements – Enjoy an enhanced user interface, including streamlined navigation, new ways to sort your friends list, and a revamped achievement browser.

Xbox LIVE Parties – Invite your friends to an Xbox LIVE Party more easily than ever before, and automatically reconnect if you get disconnected from a party.

Netflix Updates – Bring your party to Netflix and watch a movie or TV show together. In addition, browse through new releases and other genre lists, and add the movies or shows to your instant queue from your console.

Sources: GameSpy

Comments from Mike
I wonder what kind of games we are going to get with that Games on Demand service? Are they just going to be some games that you find in those discount bins?

Few weeks ago, we posted an article in which it was speculated that StarCraft II would probably be delayed to the year 2010. And now unfortunately, it has been confirmed.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick first stated this at their earnings report. Shorty after Blizzard confirmed this by posting a topic at their Battle.Net forums.

Today we announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will not be ready for release by the end of 2009. Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game. The upgraded Battle.net is an integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be an essential part of all of our games moving forward. This extra development time will be critical to help us realize our vision for the service.

Our mission is to develop games that deliver an epic entertainment experience. As part of that commitment, we will always take as much time as needed to ensure that our games and services meet the expectations of our players and the standard for quality that we set for ourselves as developers. As we work to make Battle.net the premier online gaming destination, we’ll also continue to polish and refine StarCraft II, and we look forward to delivering a real-time strategy gaming experience worthy of the series’ legacy in the first half of 2010.

We will share more details about the beta, Battle.net, and StarCraft II’s launch in the future. Keep an eye on the official website at www.starcraft2.com for updates, and as always, thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support for StarCraft II and all of Blizzard Entertainment’s games.

Now you can release your rage!

Sources: World of Raids

Comments from Mike
I am disappointed, but Blizzard is well known for taking their time with their games as they want to achieve perfection. So I guess it was to be expected.