Blizzard Entertainment today announced the tickets for Blizzcon 2011 will go on sale in two batches, on Saturday, May 21st at 10 a.m. Pacific time and Wednesday May 25th at 7 p.m. Pacific time. In addition, tickets for an exclusive pre-Blizzcon dinner to benefit Children’s Hospital of Orange Count will go on sale on Saturday May 28th.
Blizzcon 2011 once again returns to the Anaheim Convention Center on October 21 and 22. Gamers who are unable to make the trek can enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of their own home by ordering a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, which offers comprehensive live coverage of the event streaming online and also on DIRECTV in the United States. Virtual tickets are priced at $39.99 USD (pricing may vary by region)
“We love being able to meet directly with our players, and since BlizzCon is one of the rare opportunities we get to do that, we always pack as much information and entertainment as we can into the show,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This year will be no different — whether you’re with us in Anaheim or joining from home, be prepared for two days of Blizzard gaming and good times with the most passionate community in the world.”.
Tickets to the convention will be priced at $175 USD each and will be available for purchase from the official BlizzCon website (www.blizzcon.com).
Tickets to the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner, which include admission to BlizzCon, will be priced at $500 USD each, with proceeds going to Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Taking place the evening of Thursday, October 20, this exclusive event offers guests an opportunity to rub elbows and trade war stories with Blizzard game developers and other employees before the show. Approximately 200 tickets to the benefit dinner will be available for purchase beginning Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m. Pacific time.
The Virtual Ticket grants access to comprehensive live HD coverage from the show floor on each day of the convention, including exclusive interviews, demos, and more. Virtual Ticket coverage will be available to viewers globally as a multichannel Internet stream and also via Pay-per-View on DIRECTV in the United States. DIRECTV customers who order the televised event will receive the multichannel Internet stream at no extra charge, allowing them to watch in the format of their choice. Those who order the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket will also receive this year’s BlizzCon-exclusive World of Warcraft and StarCraft II in-game items (availability may vary by region), to be revealed at a later date. Limited streaming coverage of the BlizzCon opening ceremony and certain BlizzCon tournaments will be available via the Internet for free.
Do the tickets really need to be $175? Blizzard seems to be in a position to offer very cheap tickets, seeing as how …well… they’re Blizzard. The $40 digital tickets are just outlandish; must they monetize everything!?
BAH!
edit: The only way I could justify shelling out $175 is for a guaranteed Diablo 3 beta key ;)