New expansion follows Kerrigan through vengeance-fueled campaign, adds deadly new multiplayer units, and introduces several new features for players of all skill levels<\/i><\/p>\n
IRVINE, Calif.\u2014March 12, 2013\u2014<\/b>Hail to the Queen of Blades! Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today set off a global zerg invasion with the launch of StarCraft\u00ae<\/sup> II: Heart of the Swarm\u2122<\/sup><\/i>, the next chapter in the epic saga of StarCraft\u00ae<\/sup> II.<\/i> Kerrigan has arrived, and with the help of her brood, she aims to take down Arcturus Mengsk once and for all.<\/p>\n Players can now purchase Heart of the Swarm<\/i> in retail stores throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Russia, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as digitally via the game’s official website (www.StarCraft2.com<\/a>). Release plans for mainland China will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n \u201cHeart of the Swarm <\/i>enhances every aspect of StarCraft II,<\/i>\u201d <\/i>said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. \u201cIn addition to Kerrigan\u2019s campaign and the new multiplayer units and maps, we think players will really enjoy the new online elements and new features that make StarCraft II<\/i> more fun and easier to learn than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n Standard, Collector\u2019s, and Digital Deluxe Editions<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm <\/i>is now available at retailers nationwide on DVD-ROM for Windows\u00ae<\/sup> XP\/Windows Vista\u00ae<\/sup>\/Windows\u00ae<\/sup> 7\/Windows\u00ae<\/sup> 8 and Macintosh\u00ae<\/sup> (suggested retail price $49.95 AUD). The expansion can also be purchased directly from Blizzard at www.StarCraft2.com<\/a> for $44.95 AUD. In addition, Blizzard is offering a retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition of Heart of the Swarm<\/i> loaded with digital and physical bonus items, available at select retail stores for a suggested retail price of $89.95 AUD.<\/p>\n Players also have the option to purchase a Digital Deluxe version of the expansion, which includes all of the digital items from the Collector’s Edition, directly from Blizzard via www.StarCraft2.com<\/a> for $64.95 AUD. Anyone who purchases the standard edition digitally or at retail can upgrade to the Digital Deluxe version at any time (for as long as the standalone Digital Deluxe version remains available) for an additional $20 AUD.<\/p>\n The Digital Deluxe version of Heart of the Swarm<\/em> includes a full digital copy of the expansion along with the following in-game bonus items:<\/p>\n The retail-exclusive Collector\u2019s Edition of Heart of the Swarm<\/em> includes the full version of the game on DVD-ROM and contains the following exclusive bonus items, in addition to the content from the Digital Deluxe version:<\/p>\n Heart of the Swarm Game Features<\/b><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n Heart of the Swarm<\/em> picks up the story where StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty\u00ae<\/sup> <\/em><\/i>left off, focusing on Kerrigan’s quest to reunite the Swarm and exact revenge on Arcturus Mengsk. Over the course of 20 campaign missions<\/strong>, players will follow Kerrigan as she sweeps across the galaxy, incorporating a variety<\/p>\n of distinctive zerg species into her brood. Kerrigan will grow in strength from mission to mission, and players will be able to customize her with powerful new abilities<\/strong>, as well as evolve various zerg strains<\/strong> into fearsome new subspecies to suit their play style.<\/p>\n New weapons of war also debut in Heart of the Swarm<\/em>‘s multiplayer, including new units such as Terran Hellbats, Zerg Swarm Hosts, and Protoss Tempests, while certain existing units from Wings of Liberty<\/em> will be updated with new capabilities. In addition, several new features will enhance the game experience, including group and clan systems<\/strong>; training and versus-A.I. modes<\/b>, to help new players transition from the campaign into multiplayer; unranked matchmaking<\/strong>; Global Play, <\/strong>enabling players to battle others in different regions around the world; additional stat tracking<\/strong>;<\/b> user interface improvements;<\/strong> an enhanced physics system,<\/strong> for more visceral-looking battles; \u201cWatch With Others\u201d and \u201cTake Command,\u201d<\/strong><\/b> to watch replays with friends as well as jump in and assume control at any point; a leveling system<\/strong> that gives Heart of the Swarm<\/em> players a new way to earn customization options for their online profiles; and much more.<\/p>\n To celebrate the arrival of Heart of the Swarm<\/i> and follow the global zerg infestation, Blizzard cohosted a special day-long launch broadcast with noted eSports personality and commentator Sean “Day[9]” Plott, in conjunction with Twitch.tv. Players who missed out on the live broadcast can travel back in time by watching archived video of the event at www.Twitch.tv\/StarCraft<\/a>.<\/p>\n Learn more about StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm <\/i>at www.StarCraft2.com<\/a>. With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently open\u2014visit http:\/\/jobs.blizzard.com<\/a> for more information and to learn how to apply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New expansion follows Kerrigan through vengeance-fueled campaign, adds deadly new multiplayer units, and introduces several new features for players of all skill levels IRVINE, Calif.\u2014March 12, 2013\u2014Hail to the Queen of Blades! Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today set off a global zerg invasion with the launch of StarCraft\u00ae II: Heart of the Swarm\u2122, the next chapter<\/p>\n\n
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