South Park will commence the second half of its tenth season by lampooning the world's biggest MMO, World of Warcraft. In episode 1008, entitled Make Love, Not Warcraft, "the boys dedicate their lives to defeating a mad gamer and saving the World of Warcraft."A video clip of the episode showed up Saturday on YouTube, showing the boys' respective avatars. South Park Studios then released a video via their website showing the Blizzard associates discussing the fate of their ever-popular title.
"Yes, it won't be long before everyone gets frustrated and stops playing. This very well could lead to the end of the world ... of Warcraft."
This is not the first time World of Warcraft has been the focus of parody (see: World of ColberCraft), nor is it the first time South Park has featured gaming as the focus of their episode. In the Emmy-winning episode Best Friends Forever, Kenny's skills at the PSP cause Heaven to enlist him as troop leader in a battle against Hell's forces. The episode, rumored to have been made within the span of three days, is a satire regarding the Terry Schiavo controversy. Schiavo reportedly died hours after the episode aired.
Make Love, Not Warcraft will premiere this week. Video clips posted after the break.
[Update 1: Blizzard / Comedy Central has used this opportunity to announce the episode via a press release. While they're at it, why not mention World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion, Burning Crusade? Promotional letter after the break.]
The press release:
SOUTH PARK CELEBRATES 10 GROUNDBREAKING SEASONS!!!
THE BOYS IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE WORLD OF WARCRAFT® AS SOUTH PARK
JOINS FORCES WITH BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT®
TO KICK-OFF ALL NEW EPISODES ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4
AT 10:00 P.M.* ON COMEDY CENTRAL
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The Emmy Award-Winning Series Premieres 7 New Episodes
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NEW YORK, October 2, 2006 -- There's trouble in the online gaming world when the actions of a renegade player threaten to destroy Blizzard Entertainment®'s award-winning game World of Warcraft®. The future of the game lies in the hands of Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny when all new episodes in the tenth season of the widely-acclaimed series, "South Park," premiere Wednesday, October 4 at 10:00 p.m. on COMEDY CENTRAL.
In this episode, the boys come into contact with a gamer who doesn't play by the rules. Even the creative people behind World of Warcraft don't know how to stop the renegade. They are forced to put all of their hope into the hands of the kids of South Park. The boys dedicate their lives to defeating the mad gamer and saving the game for all.
"We were excited to hear that the creators of 'South Park' were interested in featuring World of Warcraft in the opening of their new season, and we really enjoyed collaborating with them to make this happen," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're looking forward to sharing the experience with our employees and our players as well when the season debuts this week."
World of Warcraft is the world's most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game, with millions of players worldwide. In World of Warcraft, players assume the roles of legendary heroes as they develop friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory. The game's upcoming expansion pack, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, is due out by the end of this year. Learn more about World of Warcraft at the game's official website: www.worldofwarcraft.com.
Launched in 1997, "South Park," now in its tenth season, remains the highest-rated series on COMEDY CENTRAL. "South Park" repeats Wednesdays at 12:30 a.m., Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. and 12:30 a.m., Fridays at 12:00 a.m., Saturdays at 3:00 a.m. and Sundays at 11:30 p.m.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are co-creators and executive producers of the Emmy award-winning "South Park" with Anne Garefino as executive producer.
About Blizzard Entertainment
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft and the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo series, Blizzard Entertainment (www.blizzard.com), a division of Vivendi Games, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service, Battle.net®, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.
About COMEDY CENTRAL
COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 88 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com.
[Via WOW Insider; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
