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Table of Contents
Blizzard Entertainment
Formation
On February 8, 1991, the firm was formed as Silicon & Synapse. 1)
3 Graduates
It was created by three University of California, Los Angeles graduates: Michael Morhaime, Frank Pearce, and Allen Adham. 2)
Beginning
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)
Davidson & Associates
After being bought by distributor Davidson & Associates in 1994, the business was renamed Chaos Studios, Inc., and subsequently Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. 4)
First Games
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. 5)
Earnings
Micro-transactions generate an additional $1.66 billion in revenue for the firm each year. 6)
Activision
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. 7)
BlizzCon
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. 8)
Purchase History
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). 9)