On February 8, 1991, the firm was formed as Silicon & Synapse. 1)
It was created by three University of California, Los Angeles graduates: Michael Morhaime, Frank Pearce, and Allen Adham. 2)
Initially focusing on game conversions for other studios, the firm began developing their own software in 1993 with titles such as Rock n' Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings. 3)
Blizzard soon followed with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. Blizzard also developed numerous other video games, including Warcraft sequels, the Diablo series, the StarCraft series, and the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, which was released in 2004. 4)
Micro-transactions generate an additional $1.66 billion in revenue for the firm each year. 5)
Activision amalgamated with Vivendi Games on July 9, 2008, resulting in the inclusion of the Blizzard brand name in the title of the new holding company. 6)
Blizzard Entertainment hosts conferences for fans to meet and promote their games, such the BlizzCon in California and the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in nations such as South Korea and France. 7)
They were purchased by distributor Davidson & Associates in early 1994 for $6.75 million ($10.9 million today). That same year, the business temporarily went under the moniker Chaos Studios before deciding on Blizzard Entertainment (after it was discovered that another company with the Chaos name already existed). 8)
Blizzard bought Condor Games in 1996, which was working on the game Diablo for Blizzard at the time. Condor was renamed Blizzard North and has since created the games Diablo, Diablo II, and Lord of Destruction. San Mateo, California, was the location of Blizzard North. Redwood City, California, was the birthplace of the firm. 9)
World of Warcraft is the fourth game to be produced in the fictional Warcraft realm, which was initially presented in 1994 with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. 10)
World of Warcraft is still the most-subscribed MMORPG in the world, and it holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG in terms of subscribers. 11)
World of Warcraft was predicted to have 62 percent of the MMORPG subscription market in April 2008. 12)
Blizzard had 4,700 workers in 2012, with operations in 11 locations, including Austin, Texas, and nations across the world. 13)
Blizzard and deadlines do not mix. Their company motto is “it's done when it's done”. 14)
The firm is valued at $18.9 billion USD. 15)
DotA-Allstars, LLC, operated by previous contributors to the game's predecessor, Defense of the Ancients, submitted an opposition application in August 2010 shortly after Valve Corporation filed their trademark for “Dota” to secure the franchise rights for Dota 2. In 2011, Blizzard Entertainment purchased DotA All-Stars, LLC. 16)