A Frosty Villain Returns to Hearthstone® in March of the Lich King™, the Undeadly New Expansion Live Now

Introducing 145 all-new cards from wintry Northrend, including the new Manathirst keyword, and the new Undead minion type

The expansion also brings an 11^th playable class, the Death Knight, complete with 32 free core set class cards, 36 additional class cards, and an enhanced layer to deckbuilding

The Lich King returns! Live worldwide today is March of the Lich King^™, the latest expansion to Hearthstone^®, Blizzard Entertainment’s sensational digital card game. The ghastly villain has risen from his slumber and is leading his Undead army and the new Death Knight class in an all-out assault on the elven capital city of Silvermoon. The corpses are piling up, but the Blood Elves won’t go down without a fight!

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Hearthstone March of the Lich King Logo (Graphic: Business Wire)

“It isn’t often that a new class is brought into Hearthstone, so we’re especially excited to introduce the Death Knights to the game,” said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “One of the most popular villains in World of Warcraft^® returns to wreak havoc on the whimsical world of Hearthstone, shaking up the meta and adding new challenges for players who want to dive deeper into their deckbuilding.”

Upon completion of a short prologue, players will be armed with an all-new Death Knight class, unlocking 32 unique core cards to challenge the meta. All Death Knight heroes will be equipped with Ghoul Charge, a hero power which summons a 1/1 Ghoul with Charge that dies at the end of the turn. Plus, even your dead minions will be cause for celebration, as they play a pivotal role in powering up specific cards requiring Corpses. Death Knight is a powerful, flexible class, powered by three Runes: Blood, Frost, and Unholy. The player’s chosen devotion to those Runes will determine which cards they can put in their deck. Learn more about Rune deckbuilding in the Death Knight introduction article, and be sure to check out the Path of Arthas bundle ($24.99) for even more Death Knight class cards.

Assisting the Death Knights are a new minion type: Undead. Hundreds of minions from previous expansions have been updated retroactively with the Undead tag (with some minions even sporting dual types), and the Reborn keyword is returning as an evergreen mechanic.

Another element shaping gameplay meta is the juicy new keyword, Manathirst. The Blood Elves draw more power from the Sunwell the longer they hold off the Scourge advance. Cards with Manathirst get extra powerful once you reach a specified amount of mana, but you won’t need to spend that mana to power up the cards.

March of the Lich King™ is the third expansion for the Year of the Hydra. For more card info, game mechanics details, and fun extras, visit www.playhearthstone.com. For screenshots and other assets, visit http://blizzard.gamespress.com.

About Hearthstone

With more than 130 million players worldwide, Hearthstone is Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed, free-to-play digital card game designed for novice and veteran card-slingers alike. Players can choose from 11 powerful hero classes and customize their decks with minions, spells, and weapons based on the unique fantasy of the Warcraft^® universe. Featuring a variety of game modes ranging from epic head-to-head duels to story-driven Solo Adventures, Hearthstone offers a vibrant and rewarding experience stacked with strategy, personality, and fun. Hearthstone is available globally for Windows^® and Mac PCs; Windows, iOS, and Android tablets; and iOS, and Android mobile phones.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft^®, Overwatch^®, Diablo^®, and StarCraft^®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net^®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:

Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the availability, pricing, features, and functionality of Hearthstone^®, the March of the Lich King^™ expansion, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

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