Contrary to what the many fans who shook their heads in disbelief believed when the news of the two publisher's pending merger hit the press, the deal apparently wasn't spurred by Vivendi and Activision. In fact, Paul Sams of Blizzard Entertainment revealed that the merger was pretty much their decision as well - or at least, they chose the company they wished to merge with. Get the full story at...well, the full story!

Sometimes, you just want to dispense with the grind and cut right to the chase - PvP that is. That's precisely what Blizzard will allow you to do with the new format of the Global World of Warcraft Arena Tournament.

Curious? More details await in the full article, right after the jump.

If you thought you knew everything about Blizzard, think again. Methinks someone will have to update the company's Wikipedia page soon, for while Blizzard Entertainment's top dogs took to the stage at DICE 08, they revealed the company's history in a segment called "From Developer to Worldwide Publisher." And with the reminiscing came a little eye-opener: a list of games they've cancelled over the 17 years of their existence.

Here's an update on the DICE Summit 08: Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime and VPs Rob Pardo and Frank Pearce talk about how they were able to develop their company.

They also shared how they were able to achieve much success due to their operations without corporate interference. More information in the full article.

DICE Summit 08 had much to offer with the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and games such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, and The Orange Box came home as big winners, garnering four awards each.

Individual achievements by Mike Morhaime and Ken Kutaragi were also recognized by The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Details in the full article.

Just when you think World of Warcraft has reached its peak, Blizzard comes out and surprises everyone. The company has announced that the game now has over 10 million subscribers. In addition, they also gave word of how the population is split in the international scene.

Want to find out more about this? Head on over to the full article.

With World of Warcraft as a trophy, it wouldn't have been long before recognitions soon followed Vivendi's online multiplayer division, Blizzard Entertainment. And now that the MMORPG is the hottest game over PC, kudos goes to the man who pioneered it: Blizzard's head honcho, Mike Morhaime. In that respect, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) hopes to honor this achievement with a special treat.

More speakers have been added to the 2008 D.I.C.E. Summit's speaker roster. Joining the roster for next year's event are PaRappa the Rapper creator Masaya Matsuura, who is currently working on a new music title for the Nintendo Wii, and newly-appointed Entertainment Software Association president Michael D. Gallagher. More new speakers at the full article.

With the imminent merger of Blizzard and Activision, some people have expressed concern about how the Activision-Blizzard merger may affect Blizzard's longtime customers. Despite having released an Activision-Blizzard merger FAQ, Blizzard has taken the time to answer more questions related to the upcoming merger, this time courtesy of Blizzard president Mike Morhaime.

Find out what Mike Morhaime had to say after the jump!

Blizzard Entertainment just announced that a Russian version for their smash hit MMORPG, World of Warcraft, will be available by 2008. This marks the fifth official language version after English, French, German, and Spanish. Read more for full details and a remark from Blizzard president and co-founder Mike Morhaime.