IRVINE, California – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Thirty years ago, a newly formed game studio made up of a handful of software developers decided to create the types of games they themselves loved to play. Among his first creations were The Lost Vikings®, Rock N Roll Racing®, and Blackthorne®–each receiving critical acclaim and reflecting the first design principles of the company that would soon become Blizzard Entertainment. Today, Blizzard is proud to announce the Blizzard® Arcade Collection, a digital set of your original hits, updated and now available for Windows® PC, Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One (also PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X | S via backward compatibility).
On the Windows PC, the Blizzard Arcade Collection is included as part of The Celebration Collection, a commemorative pack of in-game items for Blizzard games that launched earlier this month to mark the company’s 30th anniversary. (Players who have already made this purchase will automatically receive the Blizzard Arcade Collection.) A version of this package is also coming to consoles today as The Blizzard® 30 Years Commemoration Collection.
“The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne ultimately, it enabled us to continue to create Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, so we think that Blizzard Arcade Collection it would be a fun and appropriate way to look back on our roots as a company, ”said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “Many Blizzard players around the world fondly remember their era with these games and often ask us to bring them back to modern platforms, so we are excited not to do this with this release alone., but to increase the experience with new features and functionality available for the first time in each game. ”
The games on Blizzard Arcade Collection come on your Original Editions and also updated Definitive Editions (details below), with each version featuring custom key mapping and the ability to rewind up to 10 seconds. The original editions of The Lost Vikings and Blackthorne also includes “Watch mode,” which allows players to watch the game unfold and take control at any time. The ability to save progress anywhere is also included in all versions of each game, with the exception of the Ultimate Edition of Rock N Roll Racing. A series of bonus materials complete the Blizzard Arcade Collection, including game art, development resources, unused content, knowledge, interviews, and more.
Nostalgia, Refined
Each entry in the Blizzard Arcade Collection shows the focus on fun, personality and details at the heart of all Blizzard games. The games are all challenging, offering an initial view of what would evolve into Blizzard’s signature approach to satisfying gameplay, colorful design and ironic humor.
At the The Lost Vikings, players take on the roles of Erik the Fast, Olaf the Robust, and Baelog the Ferocious, three intrepid Vikings who must use their skills cooperatively to solve hundreds of puzzles, defeat their enemies and navigate a treacherous journey back home. The definitive edition of The Lost Vikings brings together the best aspects of the different original console versions of the game, combining the superior audio and visual experience of the first release with the extra stages and cutscenes, and support for up to three players in local co-op, which were added in a subsequent version .
Featuring a series of trapped race tracks and an epic rock and metal soundtrack, Rock N Roll Racing puts players behind the wheel in an exaggerated demolition racing experience. Players choose from a selection of drivers with different talents and make their choice from a set of customizable cars – each equipped with an upgradeable arsenal designed to help them overcome and literally destroy the competition. The Definitive Edition adds environmental effects, such as snow and rain, and allows up to four players, compared to two in the Original Edition, to compete in local multiplayer. It also increases the track count to 384 variations, supports 16: 9 resolution and adds real recordings of songs from the game’s classic soundtrack – as well as new songs and new narration clips from “Loudmouth Larry” for players to rip the tracks.
Blackthorne focuses on the story of Kyle “Blackthorne” Vlaros, a lethal commando equipped with brute force, animal cunning, a mysterious past – and an increasingly powerful shotgun. As the eponymous main character, players must fight to claim their destiny, dodging and pushing their way through a futuristic 2D alien world invaded by mutant monsters and hordes of goblins, in a fierce effort to free their people. The definitive edition of the game includes an additional area to explore – previously available only in the 32-bit version of Blackthorne-as well as a “fog of war” map that unfolds as players explore each level.
The Definitive Editions also bring The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne for a broader global audience than ever before, providing the unprecedented opportunity for players from around the world to play these fundamental Blizzard experiences in Italian, Korean, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Russian and simplified and traditional Chinese, in addition the French, German, Japanese and European Spanish versions that were previously available.
Now available on Battle.net® and digital console stores
The Windows PC version of Blizzard Arcade Collection is available exclusively on Battle.net as part of The Celebration Collection (standalone purchase not available). On consoles, the Blizzard Arcade Collection can be found on the Nintendo eShop, the PlayStation®Store and Xbox Store as part of Blizzard’s 30th anniversary collection, or as an independent purchase (SRP $ 19.99).*
To learn more about the Blizzard Arcade Collection, visit https://news.blizzard.com/blizzard. For artwork and other assets, visit https://blizzard.gamespress.com.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits, including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, a Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises and multi-franchises Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the most critically acclaimed games in the industry. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-three # 1 games† and several Game of the Year awards. The company’s online gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
* In Korea, Blizzard Arcade Collection it is only available for Windows PC. In Japan, the Blizzard collection of 30 years of celebration is only available for Nintendo Switch
† Sales and / or downloads based on internal company records and reports from major distributors