14 DAY TRIAL // Blizzard is one of the most popular game developers out there, having managed to create for itself a massive fan base. The big number of fans were attracted to the titles made by the company because of their intriguing gameplay, top-notch graphics and solid multiplayer options due to the Battle.Net online service.
Among the blockbuster franchises are StarCraft, Diablo or WarCraft, but the most recent and by far the most successful is the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) World of Warcraft, which, after over four years since its official launch and after two official expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, has over 11,5 million monthly subscribers.
For those of you who don't know, Blizzard recently changed its headquarters and, to commemorate the event, all employees received a miniature statue that depicted an orc riding on top of a wolf. Now, in order to give the building its own personality, the company received from WETA, the special effects team behind The Lord of the Rings franchise, a 12-foot-tall statue of the same kind.
The big landmark can now be found at the company's new headquarters in Irvine, California, and it has already stirred up a bit of controversy, especially among WoW players, who are angry that an orc was depicted instead of another character, like one from the Alliance faction of the game.
This is just another testimony to the popularity of the game and how much success it has brought the company. After all, you don't see Electronic Arts create a Madden or Need For Speed statue, so Blizzard is still the only one who can afford such a luxury. If things are still going strong for the company after the release of StarCraft II and Diablo III, then maybe we will see some more statues appear around the office building.