On Thursday, August 19, this year’s gamescom will open its doors to the public! If you stop by our booth, located in hall 6, B21 and B31, you can get your hands on Diablo III and the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm beta. Also at our booth, you can watch an exciting StarCraft II showmatch, spectate World of Warcraft live raids and participate in our various contests -- such as the StarCraft II Challenge Mission contest or the World of Warcraft Dance contest -- to win fantastic prizes. Check out our Activities page for more details. We look forward to seeing you at gamescom!

You can now add even more functionality to the award-winning Sound Blaster World of Warcraft Headset with the new Tap Chat foot pedal accessory. By mapping your push-to-talk key or favorite macro to this foot control pedal, you can keep your hands totally free to control the game. As a bonus, the Tap Chat pedal will also come with an exclusive set of World of Warcraft logo lenses to further customize the look of your headset. The Tap Chat is available now, exclusively at the Blizzard Online Store and the Creative Labs Online Store.

Today at the gamescom trade fair in Cologne, Germany, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled a brand-new gameplay feature for its highly-anticipated action role-playing game, Diablo® III. Even in single-player mode, the heroes of Sanctuary won't have to face the hordes of the Burning Hells alone, as a persistent caravan follows them on their perilous quest. The caravan provides access to a group of unique support characters including a blacksmith, a mystic, and a jeweler, each of which offer exclusive gameplay benefits that will aid players in their epic struggle. And these aren't just static NPCs -- each artisan has his or her own story and quest line, and they gradually grow in skill and learn new recipes over the course of the game as players take advantage of their services. The utility provided by these characters adds another layer of customization and depth to the Diablo III gameplay experience.

More information regarding the caravan feature and Diablo III in general can be found in our press kit on the Blizzard.com Press Kits page.

Today we feature some of Panangrim's artwork with a piece entitled: Let The Lock Handle All! Watch in awe as this powerful undead warlock weaves his shadowy magic against the demons surrounding him.

We're always looking for new fan art and if you're an artist, you can submit your work to us here. We update the Gallery regularly and encourage you to check regularly to see what new and talented submissions are on display.

We’re excited to reveal the Collector’s Edition and Standard Edition Boxes for Cataclysm. In addition to showing the box art for the first time, we’re also ready to reveal the contents of the Cataclysm Collector’s Edition—an exclusive art book, behind-the-scenes DVD, in-game pet, and more.

For pictures and a complete list of the contents, check out the Collector’s Edition website.

Read the press release here.

The BlizzCon 2010 Fan Art, Original Song, and Movie contests have begun! To enter, simply submit your original Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo-themed work before September 27. We have over $25,000 worth of prizes to give away between these and our Dance and Costume contests on Friday night at BlizzCon, and winning entries will be showcased live at this year's show.

Head over to the Fan Art, Original Song, and Movie contest pages to see the submission requirements, read the official rules, and check out the prizes. Information and online sign-ups for the BlizzCon 2010 Dance and Costume contests will be coming soon, so keep an eye on BlizzCon.com for details.

Bust a move at gamescom and you could win some great prizes! To sign up for our World of Warcraft Dance Contest, head over to this webform and you could be selected as one of the contestants. Impress our judges — including Jay Wilson and Tom Chilton — with your best rendition of a World of Warcraft dance, and you could win epic prizes including graphic cards from Nvidia and a spectral tiger from Cryptozoic. You will also have the opportunity to sign up for this contest directly at gamescom by visiting our booth, located at hall 6, B21 and B31 and asking for the Dance Contest sign up. The Contest will start at the Blizzard booth at 1 p.m. CEST on August 20th so make sure you are there a little earlier to join in!

To get more information about the event, visit our gamescom page.

You've conquered the single-player campaign and climbed the multiplayer ladder -- but do you have what it takes to be a StarCraft II custom map designer? In our first-ever StarCraft II Custom Map Contest, we're challenging you to craft the most fun, creative, and polished custom map that the galaxy's ever seen.

If you think you've got the skills and the imagination, fire up the StarCraft II Editor that came with your copy of the game and get started. The Editor is a powerful, robust, and complete development tool, and it's everything you'll need to build your creation. Keep in mind that we're looking for originality, innovation, and fun, so whether you want to make the next DotA, craft a mini-RPG, or concoct a third-person shooter, let your imagination run wild.

Interested? Then head on over to the contest page to find out more about the prizes and read the official rules.

Today we feature some of Nevyan's artwork with a piece entitled: Ithildin, Fire Mage! Stare carefully into her eyes and you will see the fire burning deep within this pretty mage.

We're always looking for new fan art and if you're an artist, you can submit your work to us here. We update the Gallery regularly and encourage you to check regularly to see what new and talented submissions are on display.

The 2010 European Warcraft Invitational has come to an end. We saw many thrilling games and high-speed action. In Warcraft III, Grubby, the King of Orcs, once more showed his exceptional play-style in the final against Happy, winning 2-to-1 and 2-to-0. In the World of Warcraft Arena, *aAa* held on to their outstanding performance throughout the tournament. They emerged victorious over LightZ CaMerA ActioN, winning 3-to-1 in the final and becoming the undefeated Regional Champions.

We want to thank all of the participating players who made this event so exciting. We would also like to thank all of the visitors who joined us at the Media Centre in Cologne to cheer for their favorite players. It was a lot of fun and we hope to see you again next year! We will be updating our photo gallery with pictures from this year’s event in the coming days. Keep an eye on our 2010 European Warcraft Invitational website for more updates.