Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today a series of European events for the upcoming launch of Wrath of the Lich King, the latest expansion to its highly acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft. At midnight on the 13th of November, 2008, key retailers will open their doors to players wanting to be the first to purchase and play the next installment in the World of Warcraft series.

In the UK, the launch event will take place at HMV in London at 150 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1DJ, with doors opening at 00:01 on the night of the 12th/13th. As well as being among the first to acquire the expansion, attendees will have an opportunity to meet with COO Paul Sams and associate producer Lee Sparks, who will be present to welcome players and sign their copies. Similar launch events will be held internationally in North America, Taipei, and Seoul. Full details on the specific locations and plans for each of these events can be found at www.wow-europe.com/midnight.

Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the standard edition of the game as well as the limited Collector’s Edition, which contains The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King hardback book; Frosty, an exclusive in-game frost wyrm pet; a behind-the-scenes DVD; the official soundtrack containing 21 tracks; an exclusive mouse pad displaying a map of the newly opened continent of Northrend; and two World of Warcraft Trading Card Game starter decks with two exclusive cards available only in the Collector’s Edition.

For those unable to attend the official launch events, hundreds of stores across Europe will open at midnight to celebrate the launch. Players should check with local retailers for their midnight opening plans.

In the US, Official launch events will be held in the following locations:

Best Buy
529 5th Ave.
New York, NY 10017
Phone : (212) 808-0309   

Fry’s Electronics
3370 E. La Palma Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: (714) 688-3000

GameStop
151 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA  94102
Phone: (415) 362-7601   

Gamestop
10000 Research Blvd.
Austin, TX 78755
Phone: (512) 346-6437

For more information on World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, visit the official website at www.wow-europe.com/wrath