Blizzard's lenghty presentation of StarCraft II at the Worldwide Invitational event in Korea last month was probably the best publicity they could generate for BlizzCon 2007 - their next fan gathering, to be held on US soil between August 3-4 (in Anaheim, California). Even at $100 per ticket, the show became sold-out in just three days after tickets went on sale earlier this month. And perhaps they would've sold faster still, had Blizzard confirmed sooner that StarCraft II would be playable at BlizzCon 2007. Indeed! As announced on the event's official website, attendants will already be able to play the first public multiplayer demo of StarCraft II:

"Visitors to BlizzCon 2007 will be treated to the first-ever public hands-on with StarCraft II. Demo stations will be set up at the convention, and attendees can sample the new units and gameplay elements for themselves in multiplayer battles. We're excited to offer this exclusive opportunity to our players, and look forward to seeing you at BlizzCon."

And apparently there's still hope for a few more fans to attend this year's BlizzCon, thanks to some fansites who are still holding contests for extra tickets. You can find the links on Blue's News, if you're feeling lucky. I, for one, am just feeling curious as to what other surprises might Blizzard have in store for the event...

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)