August 27^th, 2004 (12:00am) - Blizzard Entertainment today announced plans to collaborate with FilePlanet on Blizzard’s upcoming World of Warcraft stress test beta. This 7-day test will help Blizzard optimize World of Warcraft to deliver the best online-gaming experience possible when it launches later this year. Gamers in North America will have the opportunity to become one of over 100,000 people chosen to participate in the stress test and try out World of Warcraft before its release.

Sign-ups for the World of Warcraft stress test beta are scheduled to take place exclusively on the FilePlanet Web site (www.FilePlanet.com). Additional information regarding the start date of the sign-ups and the start of the stress test beta will be released on the FilePlanet Web site in the days ahead. Anyone in North America can apply—one submission per person—and selected testers will be notified by FilePlanet and receive further instructions after completing the sign-up process.

“We’re pleased to be working closely with FilePlanet to conduct this stress test for World of Warcraft,” stated Paul Sams, senior vice president of business operations at Blizzard Entertainment. “They have extensive experience delivering files to tens of thousands of people daily, and they share Blizzard’s high standards for quality and information security.”

The World of Warcraft stress test beta is designed to tax the game’s server infrastructure, allowing Blizzard to evaluate the account-creation process and server performance under heavy loads. Stress-test participants will be able to play the same content that is currently being tested by World of Warcraft’s closed-beta testers, but the stress test beta will take place on separate servers in order to avoid unbalancing the closed beta test. Blizzard will also be conducting an open beta test, in which everyone is free to participate, in the months ahead.

World of Warcraft is Blizzard Entertainment’s highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the award-winning Warcraft universe. Players assume the roles of legendary heroes as they explore the game’s diverse cities and wilds, revisiting famous battlefields and questing through vast expanses of uncharted territory. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, thousands of players will be able to interact online within the same persistent world, forming friendships, forging alliances, and competing with enemies for power and glory.