The Visual Effects Society has announced the winners of its 10th Annual VES Awards, which recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry in 23 categories of film, animation, television, commercials, special venues, and video games.

The Blizzard Cinematics team won the ‘Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Commercial or Video Game Trailer’ award for the Diablo III: The Black Soulstone video, which was presented to Nick Carpenter, VP of art & cinematic development; Jon Lanz, VFX supervisor; Chris Thunig, 2D art director; and Taka Yasuda, producer.

If you’ve yet to see the video, or want another look, here it is:

Congratulations, Blizzard Cinematics!

Blizzard Entertainment is proud to announce the 2012 Battle.net World Championship, a major global eSports event featuring some of the best pro-gaming competition in the world. Slated to take place in Asia toward the end of 2012, the Battle.net World Championship will host this year’s StarCraft II and World of Warcraft Arena World Championship tournaments. Blizzard gamers and eSports fans from around the world will be invited to attend and witness some of the most skilled pro players on the planet battle it out for cash and glory.



We’re excited to be showcasing Blizzard eSports on a truly global stage this year. We're also heavily focused on getting Diablo III, Mists of Pandaria, and Heart of the Swarm into players’ hands as soon as possible. In light of our jam-packed schedule, we’ve decided to hold the next BlizzCon in 2013.



More details about the 2012 Battle.net World Championship and BlizzCon 2013, including specific dates and locations, will be coming in the months ahead.

BlizzCon presents an incentive for real-life tailors and engineers to take up their needle and thread and their cardboard and spray paint, in order to fashion amazingly realistic recreations of their favorite Blizzard characters and creatures. After this year’s costume contest, we invited the winners to write articles on the art of costume-craft for us to share with the community. Here’s the third entry in the series, written by Justin, who won third place for his take on Deathwing.

Pain!…

Agony!…

My name is Justin Floyd, and I am Deathwing. Rather, I was Deathwing. This costume started at the insistence of my wife, who decided I would fit the character of the deranged former Earth Warder quite well, which I’m not sure is a compliment. Without her help, this costume would not have been possible (mainly because my artistic ability is confined to stick figures and shadow puppets).



Let me start off by saying that I have a deep fondness for the Blizzard community. I met my wife at BlizzCon 2005 and many guildies at other BlizzCons along the way, some of whom I consider close friends. I’ve played Blizzard games since Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness was released, and it is the community and storytelling that always brings me back. Getting to be a Warcraft character for a day was awesome and the support from fellow BlizzCon attendees was amazing.



We started planning and working on the costume in April and literally finished it an hour before I had to be backstage. Of course this means I missed a lot of the cosplay meet-ups, but considering some of the mishaps we had, we’re lucky we got it finished!

 

 

The costume was constructed from a variety of materials including green Styrofoam, papier mâché, paper clay, leather, Wonderflex (a thermoplastic -- just heat and bend!), fabric, and foam rubber mats (interlocking squares usually used for the garage or kids’ playrooms).

 

 

Styrofoam was carved and covered in paper clay for the shoulders and various spikes. Foam rubber mats were used for the bracers, boots, and chest. Leather was used in a variety of areas, including the chest and loincloth. The legplates and belt were created with Wonderflex, which is truly wonderful!

 

Question: How did I keep everything on?

Answer: Lots of Velcro.

 

 

Walking around in costume is harder than it looks. To start, I didn’t realize I needed a spotter until I walked straight into a fire hydrant and dented one of my boot spikes. This wasn’t a big deal, since we packed some extra black paint. While waiting for my wife to get the paint from our room, I was striking a few poses for several nice people who wanted a picture. Apparently, range of motion is very limited when you’re wearing two feet of badassery on your shoulders, and to my horror, I felt my pauldrons slipping off! I went to grab for one but it was too late and the other shoulder crashed to the sidewalk. A few of the foam/paper spikes broke off. We had to trek all the way back to the hotel room, glue everything back together, and march… well, waddle back to the Anaheim Convention Center.

 

After my initial walk across the stage during the costume contest, I was ready to exit the area and try my hand as a fuzzy, lovable Pandaren. Needless to say, I was completely dumbfounded when I was pulled aside and asked to “wait right here.” It was a little nerve-wracking going on stage a second time, but it made for a good YouTube video to show the family. All in all, I learned more about costume construction than I bargained for, but I also learned how fun it can be. I’ll never forget the experience -- and how could I, when I now have a huge mace that lights up hanging on my wall?



In case you were wondering, I did go to Disneyland.

Okay, maybe I didn’t go dressed as Deathwing, but I was able to treat my guild to an unforgettable day at the park after winning third place. Two of my guildies had never been to California, let alone Disneyland, so it was nice to be able to do something special for them after BlizzCon.



P.S. FOR THE ALLIANCE!

 

 

The costumes featured at the BlizzCon 2011 Costume Contest were absolutely spectacular, and it was incredibly difficult for our judges to narrow down all the stunning entries to just three winners. So, we gave 20 contestants who we weren’t able to recognize at BlizzCon a second chance at sartorial glory by offering the community a chance to vote on their favorites.

The voting was close, but the contest is now over. The winners were selected by tallying the votes we received as of November 18 from both NA and EU, and we’re ready to announce the results!

Please join us in congratulating our 10 winners, listed in order of placement:

1. Mary Booth, “Maiev Shadowsong” -- 2426 votes

2. Kathleen Elliott, “Sister Benedron” (Priest in Avatar set) -- 2311 votes

3. Lyz Brickley, “Mylune” -- 2292 votes

4. Jojo Chen, “Tyrael's Secret” -- 1828 votes

5. Tony Malcolm, “StarCraft II Marine” -- 1244 votes

6. Rebecca Hamilton, “Malis Vitterfolk, Shaman in Volcanic set” -- 824 votes

7. Christina Estrada, “Paladin in Regalia of Immolation” -- 727 votes

8. Joseph Grasso, “Paladin in Judgment set” -- 671 votes

9. Asher Augenstine, “Death Knight” -- 500 votes

10. Martha Robertson, “Gnome Spy in-a-mailbox” -- 382 votes

The top three costumes have earned their creators cash prizes of $1,000, $750, and $500. Fourth, fifth, and sixth place will each receive a SteelSeries prize package that includes 5H V2 Headphones, a 7G Keyboard, and an Ikari Optical Mouse. Runners-up beginning with seventh place will each earn a World of Warcraft virtual pet package that includes Lil' Ragnaros, Moonkin Hatchling, Lil' K.T., Pandaren Monk, and Lil' XT.

Congratulations again to all of our BlizzCon costume contestants. You all did fantastic work, and we thank you for sharing your creations with the community!

BlizzCon presents an incentive for real-life tailors and engineers to take up their needle and thread and their cardboard and spray paint, in order to fashion amazingly realistic recreations of their favorite Blizzard characters and creatures. After this year’s costume contest, we invited the winners to write articles on the art of costume-craft for us to share with the community. Here’s the second entry in the series, written by Avery, who won first place for her unique and creative take on the StarCraft II adjutant.

My name is Avery Faeth and I’m the creator of the StarCraft II Confederate adjutant costume from BlizzCon 2011. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to share my creative experience with other gamers and cosplayers. Compared to most in this community, I’m a relative newcomer. I’ve always had an interest in fashion and design, forsaking store-bought styles and Halloween costumes for something I had to make myself.

When I went to BlizzCon 2009, fueled by my enthusiasm for my recently level-capped troll shaman, I decided to undertake my first official cosplay and go as her. The next year, I raised the bar for my personal achievement and donned a Lady Deathwhisper costume.

I knew I could challenge myself more; and fresh off a sixteen-hour StarCraft II marathon, the idea for the adjutant was born. Anyone who’s played any iteration of a StarCraft terran campaign is familiar with the adjutant and its casual way of warning you of your impending doom, but it also lacks the notoriety and coverage that girls like Kerrigan and Nova have earned -- the perfect mix of obscurity and nostalgia for my tastes. Through the development of these costumes, I’ve established three cardinal rules for my cosplay –

• Trial and error. Have a back-up plan for every effect you want to incorporate into your costume. I’ve learned most of my costuming skills from messing up what I thought would be a fairly simple procedure. Think beyond the prescribed way of doing things. Allow room, time, and materials for your mistakes, so you don’t waste precious resources. And try not to let your setbacks get you down!
• Balance creativity and costume loyalty. There is room in every costume for thinking outside the box and adding your own personal touch; but bear in mind that the more liberties a costume takes, the more open it is to misinterpretation. I like my costumes to look like the character stepped from animation or fantasy into the real world -- more like a magic mirror than a screenshot. You also want to choose a character you know will be recognized, but not blend into the crowd.
• Plan and prepare. Research, recruit, and reach out! Most of the new techniques I learned and materials distributors I found were from simple searches or recommendations. Do a test run of your costume to allow for all contingencies. If at all possible, get a friend to help at the convention with emergency supplies, necessities, and general “handling.”

I spent a good amount of time simply brainstorming, sketching, and rehashing ideas on how to pull off the right look for the adjutant. Since the robotic effect is dependent on the illusion of an incomplete body, I decided to base all the individual pieces in black and attach the robotics to them, defining the body parts with an armor-like chassis and festooning the exposed areas with wires and circuitry to disguise my real limbs. The top is a spandex/lycra dance unitard and hood, decorated with a variety of materials including actual wires and cables from deconstructed computers and televisions, Rexlace (flat plastic tubing), and tubular crinoline (woven expandable tubing). The bottom is a modified hoop skirt with a flat front panel, made from theatrical backdrop fabric. The skirt is covered in what essentially amounts to junk -- phone faceplates, television monitors, telephone wires, and copious amounts of tubular crinoline and foam caulk saver.

For the adjutant’s “body,” I created my very first set of cosplay armor. I still have a lot to learn in this field, but I was able to roll with the mistakes I made on this set and work it into my design. The chest piece, shoulder pieces, abdomen piece, and hip- and rib-covers were made from a foam form and covered in Wonderflex, then gel-painted, gessoed, sanded, painted, and finally detailed. The plug on my back, labeled the “power pack,” is the leftover casing from a television/radio I scrapped for decorating the skirt. It is all secured with backpack strapping and buckles. To hide my arms, I created long, close-ended sleeves and covered them in similar wires-and-tubes designs. For the headpiece, I gutted a cheap pair of headphones, repainted them, and attached the wires and tubes to them.

The adjutant’s face presented one of the biggest challenges, since its anatomy is not strictly human. I knew that the mobile parts of the face would be easy enough, as the adjutant is basically a “girl in grey.” I created the effect of the extended, plate-like forehead by cutting and shaping a plastic mask and painting it to match the armor. I ran color tests on the makeup beforehand to ensure a match, and secured the mask with prosthetic glue to both my face and the headpiece. All of the lights in the costume were individually powered, a choice I knew would be inefficient and time-consuming but ultimately gave the look I wanted. I used fiber optic hair clips, individual magnetic LEDs, battery-powered EL wire, and re-appropriated hazard lights.

The original seed of an idea for this costume was planted on July 27, 2010, and the final touches were placed on October 20, 2011. Of course I managed to squeeze about 175 of the 200 hours I cumulated working on this costume into the last month before BlizzCon -- most costume success stories contain at least a touch of procrastination! My costumes have grown considerably from year to year; but every time I show up at BlizzCon and see all the other amazing costumes out there, I push myself to do bigger and better next time.

This costume took me from Google image searches to the cosplay community for counsel, from Home Depot (where I bought out weekly shipments of foam tubing) to a specialty fabric wholesaler (where I opened my first business account in the name of costuming). There’s nothing to compare to the feeling of seeing all the little pieces come together off your studio table, or living room floor, or dressform into a manifestation of something near and dear to you. Well, nothing like being in it.

I want to say thank you to fantastic community that Blizzard games have introduced me to. The gamers and con attendees who are just as enthusiastic about the stories and characters as I am make me feel confident and at home, even in a crazy costume and looking nothing like myself. I couldn't have completed this costume without the help of all the friendly and thoughtful people in the cosplay community, or without the support and encouragement of my friends and family. I hope to see all of you -- and the costumes you dream up -- at next year's BlizzCon!

 

BlizzCon presents an incentive for real-life tailors and engineers to take up their needle and thread and their cardboard and spray paint, in order to fashion amazingly realistic recreations of their favorite Blizzard characters and creatures. Once again, we've invited the winners to write an article on the art of costume-craft for us to share with the community. Here’s the first article in the series, written by Chris, who won second place for his stunning reproductions of paladin tier 2 armor and the sword Ashbringer:

My name is Chris White, and this is the story of how my BlizzCon costume came to be! So rise up, Blizzard gamers and Argent Crusaders! The hour of justice has come!

Paladin tier 2 armor, the Judgement set, has always been a favorite of mine since I first began playing World of Warcraft. The story of Ashbringer has always caught my interest as well. With the release of Wrath of the Lich King, and the further expansion of the Ashbringer’s story, it became a foregone conclusion which costume I had to make, and so the year and a half journey began.

My goal for this costume was to create a suit of armor that would accurately portray both the Tier 2 Judgement set and the Ashbringer. Additionally, I wanted to be able to walk across stage without the need of an escort or handlers. I also wanted the costume to allow me to move so naturally that I would look like I walked straight out of the game.

The most notable parts of my costume were made out of leather, styrene, sheet metal, and high density compressed foam. This was the most complicated and intricate costume that I have ever built, and the materials I chose were definitely not the easiest to work with, but I was determined to see the project through.

I designed the lower part of the costume in a way that would allow me to walk unrestricted. This part of the costume involved the use of many layers of both cloth and leather which would move with me when I walked, but when I stopped, all the layers would return to their natural positions.

My weapon, along with other parts of my armor, were constructed using high density compressed foam. This gave my Ashbringer strength, yet provided me with a material that was light and easy to wield. The sword and runes were carved in relief, and sanded and painted in a way that created a mirror finish, which gave it the shine and reflection of a real sword. According to lore, the original Ashbringer was made from an artifact that, with the power of Light, was transformed into a source of purity. So, to add personal significance to this weapon, I embedded within its center a possession that I feel represents the very essence of Light itself, and which would truly make this blade worthy of the name Ashbringer.

One of the most enjoyable parts of constructing this armor was the detailing. The symbols and markings on the ribbons and parchment on my armor were not random. They are actually paladin abilities taken straight from the spell book. Auras, blessings, seals, judgments, and much more, most of which have been transcribed to Latin.

My gauntlets were definitely one of the most time consuming parts of this costume, especially the fingers. I decide to go with sheet metal for these gloves so they would be more authentic. I quickly found out that each finger, and each segment of each finger, required individually crafted and tooled pieces of sheet metal. Each gauntlet consists of at least 50 unique pieces. Without this customization the illusion of armored plate gauntlets would have been diminished.  Overall, I was very satisfied with the end result, for not only did these gauntlets move and look accurate at any angle, but they also sounded like real chain mail and plate armor when I moved. Additionally, hand sewing each piece through heavy leather gloves definitely helped this paladin to master the virtue of patience!

My shoulders consisted mainly of styrene. To get styrene to hold its shape was very difficult, for it naturally resists any attempt to bend it, and depending on the thickness of styrene, torching it or heating it will only cause it to melt. Only with the iron fist of justice could I make these shoulders come out the way they did… that and a lot of cement glue.

The helm was also made of styrene and took on at least five different incarnations before I got it right. The first prototype was made of paper in order to get an idea of the shape and color that would be needed. After that it was a process of trial and error in determining what shape, material, and detailing was needed to portray the helm as accurately as possible. I also tried to capture the classic look of the Judgment helm in the way that the hood laid around it.

The tomes on the shoulders contain actual handwritten pages, with the most visible pages having quotes from the original Ashbringer, Alexandros Mograine, as well as quotes from the current Ashbringer, Tirion Fordring.

I started work on the costume in mid-2010 with the intention of wearing it at BlizzCon 2011, before I knew that I would even be able to acquire tickets to BlizzCon or get into the costume contest. Nonetheless I was determined! Overall the timing couldn't have been more perfect, because I was just finishing the final details on the last night before BlizzCon.

This was my first Warcraft costume and my first BlizzCon, and I have to say it was definitely an amazing experience. Blizzard did a great job with the costume contest both onstage and especially backstage, which made it a very enjoyable experience. The BlizzCon personnel backstage were like a well-oiled machine. One of the most notable things that happened backstage was that I was one of five people chosen for a special photo shoot with none other than Mike Morhaime. Getting to shake hands and talk with the person who is the president and CEO of Blizzard was definitely an honor, because although I built this costume, it couldn't have been done without the original in-game design that inspired it.

Words alone cannot describe the epic experience of the costume contest. Just before you're about to go on stage, you can feel the energy building, and as soon as you step out from backstage the adrenaline kicks in. Looking out over thousands of Blizzard gamers who simultaneously shout and cheer at your costume is absolutely amazing. The sheer epic-ness of the enthusiasm, energy, and noise from these thousands of individuals, all directed towards the stage, was enough to blow me away. It was truly an honor to just to participate in the costume contest and be seen on stage, let alone place second.

http://www.facebook.com/ShadowCosplay

Cosplaying has always been an enjoyable experience for me, but cosplaying at BlizzCon was definitely the best experience I’ve had so far. The community of individuals who make Blizzard-related costumes for BlizzCon has to be one of the most talented groups of individuals I've ever met. The amazing costumes they create never cease to surprise me, and it has been a pleasure to have made friends with so many of them. I look forward to seeing them and everyone else again next year. I know I will be returning to BlizzCon, for it calls out my name and beckons me to return to carry out the Light’s justice!

Thanks to everyone at BlizzCon, friends, and family for all your support, especially my father; without his support, inspiration, and motivation I could not have done this, and for that this paladin honors him.

“Im Meleth Le Ada”

Whether you attended BlizzCon 2011 in person or watched the show from home, we're giving you one more chance to pick up a last-minute souvenir. Beginning now through November 18 at 10 a.m. PT, BlizzCon 2011 ticket holders*, Virtual Ticket buyers, and DIRECTV viewers who ordered the BlizzCon 2011 Pay Per View event are able to purchase select BlizzCon 2011 store merchandise online (while supplies last).

To participate, simply log in to the online Blizzard Store using the Battle.net account associated with your BlizzCon ticket or Virtual Ticket. (DIRECTV viewers, use the Battle.net account on which you redeemed your BlizzCon Virtual Ticket code.) Then click the special "BlizzCon Sale" button in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen to begin filling out your set of epic BlizzCon gear.

Shop now!



*Please note: For those who attended BlizzCon in person, only the Battle.net account associated with the ticket purchased will have access to BlizzCon 2011 merchandise during this online sale. You can view this information in the ticket buyer’s Order History

We’ve added 110 new photos to our BlizzCon media gallery. Head to the gallery now to click through some fantastic fan- and professionally-captured shots of all the revelry and fun that BlizzCon 2011 had to offer!

Throughout BlizzCon, fan site representatives were out in force posting excellent follow-up Diablo III coverage. To catch up on what you may have missed, feast your eyes on these delectable informational morsels:



Diablo Fans

The Making of the Black Soulstone Cinematic - http://www.diablofans.com/news/946-diablo-iii-making-of-black-soulstone/

Diablo III Open Q&A - http://www.diablofans.com/news/945-diablo-iii-open-qa/

Diablo III Lore Panel - http://www.diablofans.com/news/944-diablo-iii-lore-panel/

BlizzCon 2011 Diablo III Gameplay & Auction House Panel - http://www.diablofans.com/news/943-blizzcon-diii-gameplay-auction-house-panel/

Diablo III Themed Costume Contest Entries - http://www.diablofans.com/news/942-blizzcon-2011-costume-contest/

 

D3DB

BlizzCon 2011 Coverage - http://d3db.com/article/read/blizzcon_2011

Diablo III Press Q&A at BlizzCon - http://d3db.com/article/read/blizzcon_2011_press_conference

 

d3sanc.com

Goodie Bag Contents - http://www.d3sanc.com/blizzard/blizzcon-2011-goodie-bag-contents/

Diablo Box Art + Collector’s Edition Revealed - http://www.d3sanc.com/diablo-3/blizzcon-2011-diablo-box-art-collectors-edition-revealed/

World of Warcraft Annual Pass - Get Diablo III Free! - http://www.d3sanc.com/diablo-3/world-of-warcraft-annual-pass-get-diablo-3-free/

Diablo III Press Kit Screenshots - http://www.d3sanc.com/diablo-3/blizzcon-diablo-3-press-kit-screenshots/

Interview With Russell Brower - http://www.d3sanc.com/diablo-3/blizzcon-interview-with-russell-brower/

 

diablo3x.com

BlizzCon 2011 Highlights - http://diablo3x.com/diablo-iii-blizzcon-2011-highlights/

Diablo III Collector’s Edition Preview - http://diablo3x.com/diablo-3/diablo-3-collectors-edition/

 

Force Strategy Gaming

Jay Wilson & David Adams Interview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk8M8xOnLdI

 

OMFGcata’s YouTube channel:

Real Money Auction House Press Interview - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZirE9nd8ILc

/r/Diablo on Reddit

/r/ Diablo at BlizzCon 2011 - http://www.reddit.com/r/Diablo/comments/ll9p3/rdiablo_at_blizzcon/

Owning a piece of Blizzard Entertainment history has never been this easy -- or felt this good. We’ve just made a new batch of retired server blades available for auction. Take a look at the list of recently opened auctions below. Net proceeds from each auction will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

For more details and to view the auction schedule of available realm blades, please visit our information page or go directly to the listings for North America to place your bid.

 

Want to know more? Read the FAQ here.

We’ve added 220 new photos to our BlizzCon 2011 media gallery, showcasing the opening and closing ceremonies and everything in between. You can head to the gallery now to click through some fantastic fan and professional-captured shots of the costume contests, developer panels, head-to-head competitive gaming, the closing concert, and more!



Enjoy this ground-floor look at BlizzCon 2011 -- our best and biggest BlizzCon yet!