Timeline of Blizzard Entertainment
从1991年创始起至尔湾新总部建成
From its 1991 beginnings to its new Irvine campus
1991：Allen Adham、Michael Morhaime和Frank Pearce 成立 Silicon & Synapse 游戏公司，为其他发行商开发游戏，知名游戏包括摇滚赛车[Rock 'n Roll Racing]，失落的维京人[The Lost Vikings]和Blackthorne。
1991: Allen Adham, Michael Morhaime and Frank Pearce start a game company called Silicon & Synapse. The company develops games for other publishing houses. Best known titles include Rock 'n Roll Racing. The Lost Vikings and Blackthorne.
1994年11月：Silicon & Synapse 改名为暴雪娱乐，并发行第一款魔兽游戏，魔兽争霸：兽人与人类，以DOS光盘和软盘为载体，售价45美元。该款游戏荣获1994年PC Gamer编辑选择奖和最佳即时战略游戏。
November 1994: Silicon & Synapse renames itself to Blizzard Entertainment and publishes its first Warcraft game, "Warcraft: Orcs & Humans," available as a DOS CD-ROM and floppy disk for $45. The game wins PC Gamer's Editors Choice award and best strategy game of 1994.
1995年12月：魔兽争霸2：黑暗之潮发行，并荣获PC Gamer年度游戏。该款游戏首周即售出5万份拷贝。
December 1995: "Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness" is released and wins Game of the Year award from PC Gamer. About 50,000 copies are sold in the first weekend.
1996年12月：动作角色扮演游戏暗黑破坏神和战网（早期的多人在线游戏形式之一）发行。前几个月间暗黑即售出50万份，半年内战网注册人数达到70万。
December 1996: Release of action-role-playing game "Diablo" and Battle.net, one of the early forms of multiplayer gaming online. A half-million copies of Diablo sell within the first few months. Within six months, Battle.net registers 700,000.
1998年3月：星际争霸发行，头三个月即售出100万份。
March 1998: "StarCraft" launches, selling 1 million copies in first three months.
2000年：暗黑破坏神2发行，前两周售出100万份，打破PC游戏最快销售记录。
2000: Diablo II is released, selling 1 million copies in first two weeks. It sets the record for the fastest-selling PC game ever.
2001年：暗黑破坏神资料片暗黑破坏神2：毁灭之王发行，第一个月售出100多万份。
2001: An expansion to the Diablo sequel, "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction," is released and sells more than one million copies in the first month.
2002年7月：魔兽争霸3：混乱之治发行，头三周内售出100多万份。
July 2002: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos released, selling more than one million copies in first three weeks.
2003年7月：魔兽争霸3资料片冰封王座发行，首月售出100万份。
July 2003: An expansion to Warcraft III, "The Frozen Throne" is released. One million copies sold within the first month.
2004年11月23日，魔兽世界发行。美国首日售出24万份，24小时内20万玩家创建帐号，月费15美元。
Nov. 23, 2004: "World of Warcraft" launches. In the US, 240,000 copies sold in first day, with 200,000 players creating online accounts within 24 hours, at $15 a month.
2006年5月9日：魔兽世界真人电影拍摄计划宣布，由出品过蝙蝠侠前传和斯巴达300勇士的传奇影业制作。
May 9, 2006: Plans are announced to develop a live-action "World of Warcraft" movie. Legendary Pictures, the studio behind Batman Begins and 300, will produce.
2007年1月：魔兽世界资料片燃烧的远征发行，首日售出240万份。
January 2007: An expansion pack to "World of Warcraft," called "The Burning Crusade," launches with 2.4 million copies sold in the first 24 hours.
2007年5月19日：星际争霸2宣布。
May 19, 2007: StarCraft II is announced.
2007年8月：魔兽世界资料片：巫妖王之怒宣布。
August 2007: World of Warcraft expansion pack, "Wrath of the Lich King" is announced.
2007年7月24日：魔兽世界注册玩家超过900万。
July 24, 2007: WoW subscribers surpass 9 million.
2007年11月：魔兽世界首部漫画发行。
November 2007: The first comic book series based on "World of Warcraft" is released.
2007年12月：Activision和暴雪母公司Vivendi合并计划宣布，合并后公司名称为Activision-Blizzard。
December 2007: Plans are announced for Activision (creator of "Guitar Hero") and Blizzard's parent company, France-based Vivendi, to merge as Activision-Blizzard.
2007年12月：暴雪总裁和共同创始人Mike Morhaime因“在扩展职业玩家以外的网络游戏玩家中所起的作用”成为美国互动艺术和科学学院名人堂第11位成员。
December 2007: Blizzard Entertainment CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime is honored as the 11th inductee in the Hall of Fame by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences for "his role in expanding the MMOG audience beyond the hardcore."
2008年1月22日：魔兽世界注册玩家超过1000万，其中欧洲200多万，北美250多万，亚洲约550万。
Jan. 22, 2008: WoW subscribers surpass 10 million – including more than 2 million in Europe, more than 2.5 million in North America and about 5.5 million in Asia.
2008年3月7日：暴雪被Think Services的Game Developer杂志评为世界第3大游戏开发商。
March 7, 2008: Blizzard Entertainment is ranked No. 3 game developer in the world by
Think Services' Game Developer magazine.
暴雪数字
BY THE NUMBERS
2,000：暴雪员工数量，其中1000名在尔湾。（暴雪）
2,000:people employed by Blizzard, with 1,000 in Irvine. (Blizzard)
12亿美元：暴雪2007年收入，比去年增长58%。（维望迪2007年收入数据）
$1.2 billion: Blizzard's 2007 revenues, 58 percent year-over-year growth). (Vivendi 2007 earnings)
每周17小时：2007年魔兽世界玩家游戏的平均时间，是玩的最多的电脑游戏。（尼尔森公司）
17 hours a week:average time World of Warcraft subscribers spent playing the game in 2007, the most of any computer game. (Nielsen Company)
No. 3：暴雪在游戏开发商50强名单上的排名。（Think Services的Game Developer杂志）
No. 3:Blizzard's rank on the top 50 game developers list. (Think Services' Game Developer magazine)
