BlizzCon 2010, Blizzard Entertainment’s (http://www.blizzard.com) two-day gaming festival celebrating the Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo game universes and their global player communities, begins on Friday, Oct. 22, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

Attendees of the sold-out show will be able to play the latest versions of Blizzard Entertainment games, as well as speak with developers in discussion panels, witness live top-tier tournament competition, participate in a wide range of activities, and meet with fellow gamers and friends.

Jay Mohr has returned to act as master of ceremonies for the community contests taking place on Friday, including the popular dance and costume competitions, and the show will close on Saturday evening with a concert byTenacious D — otherwise known as Jack Black and Kyle Gass.

Anyone unable to attend BlizzCon can still purchase a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, featuring more than 50 hours of live HD coverage as well, as the exclusive BlizzCon 2010 World of Warcraft in-game pet and StarCraft II in-game items. This package is available globally via Internet stream and also through DIRECTV satellite television service in the U.S. (a free Internet stream included with DIRECTV Pay Per View event purchases). Limited streaming coverage of the BlizzCon opening ceremony and certain BlizzCon tournaments will be available via the Internet for free.