Blizzard Entertainment, the developer and publisher of entertainment software best known for games like World of Warcraft, has launched Blizzard Publishing. The book division will focus on developing and releasing new Blizzard publications and reissuing out-of-print titles in the company's Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo settings, both directly and through ongoing global partnerships. Publishers Group West will distribute Blizzard Publishing titles.
The new venture "will help maintain the lore and legacy of the company's earliest novels and manga while also providing a variety of new ways for people to engage with Blizzard's rich worlds and characters," according to the company. Several upcoming releases will be available in multiple formats, including print, audiobook and e-book.
Lydia Bottegoni, senior v-p of story and franchise development at Blizzard Entertainment, said the "creation of Blizzard Publishing gives us new opportunities to celebrate the art and stories of our games with Blizzard gamers as well as fantasy and sci-fi fans around the world."
The first titles published under the Blizzard Publishing imprint include two sets of previously released novels and manga: Blizzard Legends (Warcraft: The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb, Warcraft: Lord of the Clans by Christie Golden and World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde by Christie Golden); and Blizzard Manga (Warcraft Legends: Volume One and Warcraft Legends: Volume Two). Future releases in the Blizzard Legends and Blizzard Manga series will include titles across multiple Blizzard franchises.
Blizzard Publishing has also developed a new title, the World of Warcraft Adult Coloring Book, and is planning to release a series of full-color coffee-table art books, starting with Art of Hearthstone and Cinematic Art of StarCraft in 2017.