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Blizzard Entertainment
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<p>Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American <a href="/facts/Video_game_developer/6gbHyvDu">video game developer</a> and <a href="/facts/Video_game_publisher/VIhF1r4J">publisher</a> based in <a href="/facts/Irvine%2c_California/Sa2RCCIU">Irvine, California</a>, and a subsidiary of <a href="/facts/Activision_Blizzard/gPnVvNtk">Activision Blizzard</a>. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the highly influential <a href="/facts/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game/s6NMD8fC">massively multiplayer online role-playing game</a> <i><a href="/facts/World_of_Warcraft/GnBM9XmK">World of Warcraft</a></i> (2004) as well as the multi million-selling video game franchises <i><a href="/facts/Diablo_(series)/uxlqcCCd">Diablo</a>,</i> <i><a href="/facts/StarCraft/xkQlTnGP">StarCraft</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Overwatch/DL4YwMWr">Overwatch</a></i>. The company also operates <a href="/facts/Battle.net/cP90Lg3e">Battle.net</a>, an <a href="/facts/Online_game/UH6ItLnW">online gaming</a> service. </p><p>Founded as Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three graduates of the <a href="/facts/University_of_California%2c_Los_Angeles/KwPz7AK1">University of California, Los Angeles</a>: <a href="/facts/Michael_Morhaime/0Hl3NK6Q">Michael Morhaime</a>, <a href="/facts/Allen_Adham/aK5GGcN7">Allen Adham</a>, and Frank Pearce the company began development of their own software in 1993, with games like <i><a href="/facts/Rock_n%2527_Roll_Racing/LYokH9p9">Rock n' Roll Racing</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/The_Lost_Vikings/4yVvm6P3">The Lost Vikings</a></i>, and changed its name to Chaos Studios, Inc. the same year, then to Blizzard Entertainment after being acquired by distributor <a href="/facts/Davidson_%2526_Associates/sfPoYnjq">Davidson & Associates</a> in 1994; that year, the company released <i><a href="/facts/Warcraft%3a_Orcs_%2526_Humans/KTybseLS">Warcraft: Orcs & Humans</a></i>, which would receive numerous sequels and led to the highly popular <i>World of Warcraft</i>. By the end of the decade, Blizzard also found success with the action role-playing game <i><a href="/facts/Diablo_(video_game)/t74fmH62">Diablo</a></i> (1997) and strategy game <i><a href="/facts/StarCraft_(video_game)/FGYVpmR9">StarCraft</a></i> (1998). The company became part of <a href="/facts/Vivendi_Games/FjFUd8LA">Vivendi Games</a> in 1998, which would then merge with <a href="/facts/Activision/NmDDD1wW">Activision</a> in 2008, culminating in the inclusion of the Blizzard brand name in the title of the resulting holding company; Activision Blizzard became completely independent from Vivendi in 2013. <a href="/facts/Microsoft/nGIDDXdx">Microsoft</a> <a href="/facts/Acquisition_of_Activision_Blizzard_by_Microsoft/8E0hu3ar">acquired</a> Activision Blizzard in 2023, maintaining that the company will continue to operate as a separate business, while part of the larger <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Gaming/zp3BGyF9">Microsoft Gaming</a> division; Blizzard Entertainment retains its function as the publisher of games developed by their studios. </p><p>Since 2005, Blizzard Entertainment has hosted annual <a href="/facts/Gaming_convention/X1JCqroz">gaming conventions</a> for fans to meet and to promote their games, called <a href="/facts/BlizzCon/nTe14P3k">BlizzCon</a>, as well as a number of global events outside the United States. In the 2010s and 2020s, Blizzard has continued development of expansion packs for <i>World of Warcraft</i> (the most recent being 2024's <i><a href="/facts/World_of_Warcraft%3a_The_War_Within/LrEz6nqn">The War Within</a></i>), while also releasing <i><a href="/facts/StarCraft%3a_Remastered/a9GYMwB4">StarCraft: Remastered</a></i> (2017), <i><a href="/facts/Diablo_III/WrTLoMdw">Diablo III</a></i> (2012) and <i><a href="/facts/Diablo_IV/Ut0y9QAb">Diablo IV</a></i> (2023), as well as new material most notably the <a href="/facts/Online_multiplayer/8CC60Nwj">online multiplayer</a> games <i><a href="/facts/Hearthstone/Kgf88AQb">Hearthstone</a></i>, a <a href="/facts/Collectible_card_game/BTlNNrUB">collectible card game</a>; <i><a href="/facts/Heroes_of_the_Storm/WDHfRMtq">Heroes of the Storm</a></i>, a battle arena game; and <i><a href="/facts/Overwatch_(video_game)/KjfuwewL">Overwatch</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Overwatch_2/KjfuwewL">Overwatch 2</a></i>, which are <a href="/facts/First-person_shooter/LQQX6yAw">first-person</a> shooters. Since 2018, the company's reputation has suffered from a series of poorly received games, controversies involving players and staff, and allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct against leading Blizzard employees. </p>