Blizzard Entertainment: April Fools’ 2008

Blizzard Entertainment is doing some heavy fooling around this year, having proclaimed that World of Warcraft is coming to consoles (the Atari 2600!), a new Bard class is being added with Wrath of the Lich King, a new Diablo Loot Piñata is being introduced, and StarCraft II is getting a Tauren Marine unit. Behold the console press release:

WORLD OF WARCRAFT COMING TO CONSOLES WITH MOLTEN COREâ„¢

Irvine, Calif. — April 1, 2008 — Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announces its long-awaited return to console gaming with World of Warcraft: The Molten Coreâ„¢, a spinoff of the 40-person raid dungeon from its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft®. World of Warcraft: The Molten Core will allow players to experience the excitement of the hit raid dungeon in a completely new format, with new challenges and new rewards.

“Blizzard got its start in console gaming, and we’ve always been excited about returning to this arena,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Additionally, we’ve wanted to reintroduce the 40-player raid dungeon experience for some time. With World of Warcraft: The Molten Core, we’re able to do both.”

World of Warcraft: The Molten Core will include single-player and multiplayer versions, fully loaded with nine different shapes (and possibly colors) representing the current World of Warcraft character classes. A future expansion will introduce a tenth shape, representing the death knight hero class. Blizzard also plans to include a full-featured voice-chat system, as well as a fully customizable user interface that allows players to personalize their joystick button with several different functions. A free attunement cartridge rounds out the offering, providing instant access to the complete World of Warcraft: The Molten Core entertainment experience.

Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: The Molten Core Collector’s Edition, also announced today, will include tinted cellophane TV overlays, further increasing the array of colors available to players. Additional Collector’s Edition features, as well as details on the upcoming World of Warcraft: The Molten Core beta test, will be revealed closer to release. World of Warcraft: The Molten Core will initially be available for the Atari 2600 platform, with plans for additional console systems to be announced in the near future.

For more information on World of Warcraft: The Molten Core, please visit Blizzard Entertainment’s official website at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/moltencore.

Those screenshots and accompanying trailer are hilarious.