Hearthstone® players from across Azeroth are packing into the Gurubashi Arena alongside rowdy crowds and eager troll contenders for today’s launch of Rastakhan’s Rumble,the newest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment’s smash-hit digital card game—which recently passed the 100-million-player mark*! Rastakhan’s Rumble thrusts players into a rough-and-tumble fight for glory with 135 new cards and a mojo-fueled arsenal of new mechanics.

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Fight for glory, honor, and a roaring crowd in Rastakhan's Rumble™, the newest expansion for Blizzar ...

Fight for glory, honor, and a roaring crowd in Rastakhan's Rumble™, the newest expansion for Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone®. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The trolls of Azeroth have gathered at the behest of their leader, King Rastakhan, for a once-per-generation, no-holds-barred throwdown. Nine teams have formed, led by some of the most fearsome fighters of trollkind—nine Legendary Troll Champions, each representing a Hearthstone class. Combatants will enjoy the blessings of their team’s Loa, ancient spirits venerated by the trolls that have manifested themselves as Legendary minions. Players looking to dive deeper into the magic of the trolls can call forth Spirits—unique class-specific minions that share impressive synergies with the Loa. Those more inclined to thrilling the crowd with sheer brutality can do so with Overkill cards—a new gameplay mechanic that rewards players with powerful effects when they deal excess damage.

“We’re excited to have Hearthstone players around the world step into the ring today to test their might in Rastakhan’s Rumble,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “The Gurubashi Arena has seen countless fights over the years, but nothing like what’s about to unfold—we can’t wait to see the fiercely creative decks players bring to the battlefield.”

Those hungry for glory are encouraged to spar with their fellow gladiators over the next two weeks, because on December 13, King Rastakhan will commence the Rumble Run—the action-packed single-player Hearthstone experience coming to Rastakhan’s Rumble. Players will enter the arena as Rikkar, an up-and-coming troll gladiator who casts his lot with one of the nine teams in the tournament, learning valuable fighting techniques and befriending hardy allies on his journey to earn the title of Azeroth’s mightiest troll. Further details about this mettle-testing new game mode will be announced soon.

Rastakhan’s Rumble is available now for Windows® and Mac® PCs; Windows, iPad, and Android™ tablets; and iPhone and Android phones. Card packs can be purchased individually or in discounted bundles from the in-game Shop for gold or real-world currency at the same pricing as all other Hearthstone card packs. Players now have the chance to win Rastakhan’s Rumble card packs as quest rewards or prizes in the Arena, and can also craft cards from the expansion by using Arcane Dust collected from disenchanting unwanted cards.

For a limited time, players who log in to Hearthstone will receive six free Rastakhan’s Rumble card packs, as well as three cards to kick-start new deck-building ideas: a random Legendary Loa minion and two copies of a rare Spirit minion from the same class as their Loa.

Sharpen your blade and visit RastakhansRumble.com to learn more about the expansion.

Assets available at: https://blizzard.gamespress.com/Hearthstone

About Hearthstone

With more than 100 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 nine 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, iPad, and Android™ tablets; and mobile phones.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-two #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®, is one of the largest online-gaming services in the world, with millions of active players.

*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

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 pricing, pre-purchase, release dates, features, and functionality of Rastakhan’s Rumble and the release dates, features, and functionality of Rumble Run, 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.