IP E-Games forges exclusive licensing deal

MANILA, Philippines - IP E-Game Ventures Inc. has inked a license and distribution agreement with Blizzard Entertainment International, the developer of blockbuster computer games Starcraft and Diablo.

Established in 1994, Blizzard is the premier developer and publisher of entertainment software, garnering several consecutive Game of the Year awards. It is a division of Cooperatie Activision Blizzard International U.A. based in the Netherlands.

In its disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday, E-Games said it was granted the exclusive right to market, sell and distribute Blizzard’s boxed license products in the Philippines.

Blizzard’s track record of back-to-back number one selling games spans more than a decade. Its online game service, Battle.net, is one of the largest in the world with millions of active users.

Blizzard’s most recent game release was World of Warcraft: Cataclysm(tm), the third expansion set to the company’s bestselling and award-winning subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. Cataclysm was released on Dec. 7, 2010 and sold more than 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time.

Initially launched on Nov. 23, 2004, World of Warcraft has achieved unprecedented popularity on a global scale with millions of subscribers worldwide.

Extending the reach of its game universe even further, Blizzard is collaborating with Legendary Pictures, the studio behind the feature films Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Superman Returns and 300, on a live-action Warcraft movie, which will be directed by Sam Raimi.

Headed by businessman Enrique Gonzalez, E-Games is the leading online games publisher in the Philippines and holds top MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) titles such as RAN Online, Cabal Online and Presidential Award recipient Korean game Granado Espada. Other games include high-fantasy MMORPG Runes of Magic and Korean adventure games such as Dragonica and Nostale Online.