REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ed Fries, former vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, has partnered with gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment®, developer and publisher of World of Warcraft®, the industry-leading, massively multiplayer online role-playing game that hosts more than 9 million subscribers, and launched his latest endeavor, FigurePrints™, a premium service that allows World of Warcraft players to create 3D statues of the individual characters they play in the game.
“For the first time, we are taking this new technology and using it to bring objects out of a virtual world and into the real world through 3D printing,” said Fries. “We are turning the actual characters that gamers play into something that is tangible and physical, no longer just online, and frankly we just think that is really cool.”
By partnering with Blizzard Entertainment, Fries is able to give World of Warcraft players the ability to bring their characters to life via the FigurePrints™ website, www.figureprints.com. The service will be available to the public today, December 11, and will cost $99.95 per figure.
“Some day these 3D printing machines will be in everyone’s home,” said Fries. “But up until now they were only accessible to a few people in large companies. FigurePrints™ gives everyone access to this technology for the first time. Eventually, this will have application far outside the gaming arena.”
Some of the first to take advantage of this exciting new technology are owners of the recently announced Dell XPS™ M1730 World of Warcraft® Edition notebook. Each system includes a “golden ticket” for the printing of a World of WarCraft® character at no charge.
About FigurePrints™
FigurePrints™, www.figureprints.com, is officially “launching” today, December 11, with this innovative 3D printing process available only to World of WarCraft® gamers. CEO and Founder Ed Fries is best known for his time at Microsoft Game Studios where under his leadership, Microsoft Games produced more than 100 innovative and influential games for both the Xbox and Windows platforms. Among the most notable: Halo, Age of Empires, Flight Simulator, Combat Flight Simulator, Rise of Nations, Zoo Tycoon, Mech Assault, Crimson Skies and Project Gotham Racing.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes ten #1-selling games and multiple 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 users.
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