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Blizzard Worldwide Invitational: How Much Is Your Goody Bag Worth?
Posted by Kotaku US Edition at 1:00 PM on June 29, 2008
by Lesley Smith
If last year's BlizzCon is anything to go by, it won't be too long before the goodies (and the bag itself) given to attendees at this year's WWI start appearing in auction sites. Sad but true, some people will just put the swag straight on eBay in order to make a quick buck or two. But how much should all this swag set this back and is it worth the £55/€70 ticket or the even bigger sum you might end up paying via an auction site?
Fortunately, as Blizzard have a shop selling many of these exclusive goodies, we can tell you.
Blizzard's concept of a shop, however, is not something you'd recognise instantly; with one per floor they only stand out thanks to the humongous sign and the enormous, never diminishing queue. Rather than go in an browse, attendees can drool over items for sale which are handily displayed in several glass cabinets, they then fill in an order form, wait in the queue for what must seem like for ever, hand over fistfuls of Monopoly money (sorry, Euros) and depart with their goodies.
A glance at this form reveals very little by way of exclusive goodies, much of the goody bag can be purchased if you so inclined and, aside from a few event-specific items like posters and T shirts, many of the items - like the Trading Card Game - can be purchased from anywhere.
Take the huge mouse mat depicting the official event artwork, that's on sale for €20, the notebook is €13 for an Alliance or Horde version, rather than the actual exclusive Diablo version found in the bag. The signed Miniature is the only other proper exclusive as the game doesn't launch until later this year; how much you'd pay depends on how much you like Orcs. The bag itself isn't on sale and it's one item which is genuinely worth buying, a sturdy satchel emblazoned with the WWI logo which would probably set you back around €45 if it were to be sold. The TCG starter pack retails in the WWI shop for €15 but the really important item - the one which sends the price skyrocketing - is the Beta key and in-game pet.
A staple of such events the beta key is actively sought by many fans dying to get an early look at the next big game and expansion. Except Blizzard haven't even announced when and what owners of the card will be able to play. The pet on the other hand is equally as mysterious. Believed to be a penguin by some, the unnamed pet won't go live until later next week with the introduction of patch 2.4.2 and the lack of confirmation will either enhance the worth or send it plummeting.
While the WWI is not about the freebies given to attendees, it's clear from the interest in items as well as the number of people on the official forums obsessing over getting their hands on one that the goody bag is on a par with the announcements which come out of the event. Whether it is worth shelling out a small fortune for these 'exclusive goodies' remains to be seen.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
D3m0n1k_Ang3l
Posted 1:31 PM 29/6/08
@rlgnsto: That would actually be cool if instead of Cow's they had a Condor/Penguin (which ever it is) to fight, or some other kinda creature instead of Cow's, though i wouldnt mind seeing cow's with D3's graphics lol
D3m0n1k_Ang3l
D3m0n1k_Ang3l
Posted 1:30 PM 29/6/08
@Pezdispenser: Sounds a litle bit like InuYasha (its an anime incase you dont know) where a girl breaks the sacred jewel and demons that devour or insert a shard of it into them become stronger, and an evil demon called Naraku is set out to find them all and I guess destroy the world (or just become stronger lol) where as Inuyasha and the rest that are with him are against Naraku and want to get all the shards that way Naraku cant do what ever it is he wants to, and Inuyasha plans to use it to become a full fleged Demon (though I guess ill never find out if he really does, they stopped making the anime and i dont read books, including Manga [which the manga is still going on, they just decided to stop producing the anime, even in japan the anime isnt finished) but yeah lol you get the point :P
D3m0n1k_Ang3l
Kanoopy
Posted 1:29 PM 29/6/08
@SnakeCL: If I had known this it would of easily killed the suspense for the splash page.
Kanoopy
drunkentyger
Posted 1:25 PM 29/6/08
@rlgnsto: good theory.
drunkentyger
rlgnsto
Posted 1:19 PM 29/6/08
the purple penguins are the mobs that are hidden in Diablo 3 instead of the cows from D2!!!
You heard it here first!
rlgnsto
RandomHero48
Posted 1:17 PM 29/6/08
I wouldn't mind getting one of those goodie bags courtasy of Kotaku ''wink'' ''wink''
RandomHero48
SnakeCL
Posted 1:16 PM 29/6/08
The purple penguin isn't a penguin. Its a condor.
from wikipedia...
Blizzard North was originally an independent company. It was established in 1993 under the name Condor, founded by Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik. The company was purchased and renamed by Blizzard about six months before the release of their hit PC game, Diablo, in 1996. Diablo proved to be incredibly successful, and the still-more successful sequel Diablo II was released in 2000. An expansion pack followed the year after.
SnakeCL
waza
Posted 1:09 PM 29/6/08
@Kanoopy:
it's the third class to be unveiled
waza
Pezdispenser
Posted 1:09 PM 29/6/08
@Kanoopy:
The purple penguin is just a purple penguin I guess.
However, if I were to try and BS some sort of excuse, it would be something along these lines: After Diablo's soulstone was shattered, the little bits and pieces ending up scattering around the world. A purple penguin then proceeded to eat one of those pieces, and is now roaming the world, eating as many pieces as it can so that it can reform the soulstone in its stomach and resurrect the Lord of Terror.
Like I said, a load of BS.
Pezdispenser
waza
Posted 1:09 PM 29/6/08
anything has value on ebay
waza
kidgold
Posted 1:08 PM 29/6/08
I think its Diablo's new look in D3.
kidgold
suya123
Posted 1:06 PM 29/6/08
@Kanoopy: It's to screw with us. (at least thats how I see it)
suya123
Kanoopy
Posted 1:04 PM 29/6/08
This reminds me, what the heck is the purple penguin for?
Kanoopy
Snowdaddy
Posted 2:00 PM 29/6/08
@PsycheE: That sounds like a great idea. Until the mystery of the purple penguin is solved.
Snowdaddy
PsycheE
Posted 1:56 PM 29/6/08
I highly suggest that you use the attached picture for all future non-game related Blizzivision news.
PsycheE
justhesh
Posted 1:54 PM 29/6/08
@Kanoopy: They're also doing a Dark Crystal RTS.
justhesh
InsidiousTuna
Posted 1:48 PM 29/6/08
@d3ath_fly: ZOMG SPOILARZ
InsidiousTuna
d3ath_fly
Posted 1:43 PM 29/6/08
The Penguin is actually the secret to Lost Season 5!!!!!!
d3ath_fly
Terrorsaur.
Posted 3:10 PM 29/6/08
LOL
Am I the only one who doesnt see a damn penguin??
Terrorsaur.
RaptorShadow
Posted 2:44 PM 29/6/08
@justhesh: Don't screw with me like that, damnit.
RaptorShadow
WolvenAncestor
Posted 2:05 PM 29/6/08
My guess for the purple penguin is it may be the WoW unannounced in-game pet. Instead of it being a penguin though, I think it's a baby arakkoa.
WolvenAncestor
sarcasmOD
Posted 1:11 PM 29/6/08
@Kanoopy: maybe its how blizzard views its fanboys?
sarcasmOD
ClementXVII
Posted 5:23 PM 29/6/08
Linux client at launch(TM)?
ClementXVII
duckmouth
Posted 5:21 PM 29/6/08
It's funny- when she said 'monopoly money', I assumed she mean Dollars! Last I heard the Euro is pretty damn strong.
duckmouth
Mattz
Posted 6:13 PM 29/6/08
Penguin seems to be the new Murky pet for this event. Presumeably it's a new Artic-themed Arrakoa man/bird thing suited for Northrend.I always wished they'd let those little pets confer a small bonus on you when you had them out. If only because my tiny Lord of Terror really does require an resistance to fear mechanics buff for myself ¬¬
Mattz
krizoitz
Posted 6:32 PM 29/6/08
@duckmouth: I think it was a reference to the look, not the value.
krizoitz
Pombar
Posted 7:20 PM 29/6/08
Euros, Dollars, Monopoly money. There's not much to choose between these non-sterling currencies.
Pombar
IanC
Posted 8:23 PM 29/6/08
Think you mean patch 2.4.3. Which im waiting for so i can actually afford a mount.....
IanC
Ashurahori
Posted 8:54 PM 29/6/08
Funny how Monopoly money is so much more valuable than regular dollars nowadays. =D
Ashurahori
UnklDee
Posted 8:32 PM 29/6/08
@duckmouth: Quite, that was my assumption. The Euro has been pretty stable the last few years, which is a lot more than one can say for the dollar.
UnklDee
thewisestfool
Posted 9:29 PM 29/6/08
Wow didn't know people were still attending WW1.
thewisestfool
Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.
Posted 10:04 PM 29/6/08
@D3m0n1k_Ang3l: From what I hear, the creator of InuYasha is allergic to endings.
Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.
Shimmergeek
Posted 11:02 PM 29/6/08
*sigh*
2.4.3, not 2.4.2.
Second big mistake in the WWI coverage.
Shimmergeek
MeanMF
Posted 10:53 PM 29/6/08
The purple penguin got that way by eating too many red herrings.
MeanMF
Northernsky
Posted 11:34 PM 29/6/08
@Ashurahori: Monopoly money has always been worth more than regular monies, comparatively.
I can buy Park Lane for £400? Like... the entire street?
Northernsky
Bichatse
Posted 11:26 PM 29/6/08
@duckmouth: I think the "monopoly money" term USians use usually refers to the way that - like the money in Monopoly - Euros and Sterling and pretty much every other currency on the face of the planet except US dollars has a different colour for different note denominations.
But then, I heard the US had started doing that recently, too... now they just have to get over the idea of making them all the same size and we'll have to stop making fun of their notes. ;-)
Bichatse
quen
Posted 12:56 AM 30/6/08
@Shimmergeek: OMG! I can see everybody is outraged by the 'big' mistake of a single decimal digit there! Let's all boycott Kotaku ASAP.
quen
voxez
Posted 12:55 AM 30/6/08
I believe the penguin was a sorta of honor for one of blizzards former employees who passed away or something he might have just been of the head artist cant remember where i saw it but the same penguin is in one of their personal websites ill have to fine it again.
voxez
NiceMissMayonnaise
Posted 4:54 AM 1/7/08
@ClementXVII: Someone asked that at one of the panels, about WoW specifically, but the response was one of general 'meh' at Linux, they even said the original builds of World of Warcraft had a Linux client for test purposes, but they just didn't have the resources or inclination to support it.
NiceMissMayonnaise
maraxusofk
Posted 3:19 PM 1/7/08
iono if i shelled out 100 usd for a convention ticket and recieved goods from aforementioned convention that can cover the cost of it, i would sell it.
maraxusofk