For most developers, hosting a convention dedicated solely to the company's wares would be considered audacious at best. Of course, when that developer is Blizzard Entertainment, and every game touched turns to gold--irrespective of how long that alchemical process takes--one massive event per region is hardly enough.

　　With BlizzCon and the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational occupying North America and Asian markets respectively last year, the Irvine, California-based superdeveloper is pitching camp in Europe for the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational convention and tournament. The first-of-its-kind Blizzard event for Europe is slated to run June 28-29 at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Centre in Paris, France. Tickets are priced at €70 (about $110), and go on sale Thursday, March 20 on the developer's official Web site for the event.

　　In addition to invite-only tournaments in which professional gamers will vie for $100,000, the 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational will host a number of casual tournaments, cosplay contests, live musical performances, and developer meet and greets. Attendees will also receive a swag bag that contains an exclusive WOW in-game pet as well as "a beta key for an upcoming Blizzard Entertainment game."

　　At last year's events, Blizzard's devout were first enraptured by the long-awaited reveal of Starcraft II in Seoul and then sent into a bona fide tizzy on the debut of World of Warcraft's next expansion--Wrath of the Lich King--in Anaheim. This year, speculation is rife over whether Blizzard will use the event to unveil its new, original massively multiplayer online game. There's also speculation, fueled by several job postings on the developer's Web site, that the next installment in the infernal Diablo franchise could debut.