South San Francisco, Calif., March 24, 2010 – Future US, the special-interest media company, today announced Marty Cortinas as the new Editor-in-Chief of World of Warcraft® Official Magazine, the magazine devoted to World of Warcraft®, Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).
The quarterly, advertising-free publication launched in December 2009, and Cortinas is currently guiding the creation of the second issue, which will be mailed to subscribers this spring. As Editor-in-Chief, Cortinas oversees the editorial aspects of the official magazine, including managing the content team, production and the global translation of the articles. In the forthcoming issues, he aims to continue to build upon the engaging, beautiful articles that highlight player perspectives and all the great things that people can do within World of Warcraft.
“I’m thrilled to be part of a magazine about a game I love, published with the highest quality standards in coordination with Blizzard Entertainment,” said Cortinas. “As a World of Warcraft player since launch, I am excited to be able to use my deep familiarity with the game to develop exclusive editorial content through the pages of the official magazine.”
“Marty brings with him a wealth of editorial experience and an inside player perspective that will positively impact the growth and evolution of World of Warcraft Official Magazine,” said Julian Rignall, Editorial Director. “After seeing his game achievements and knowing his reputation in the industry, we’re confident Marty is the best person to deliver the print content World of Warcraft players want.”
A respected editorial veteran and long-time gamer, Cortinas joins Future US from Wired.com, where he was the managing editor. In his 20-plus years in journalism, Cortinas has held key editorial positions at Ziff Davis, Peachpit Press, the Alameda Newspaper Group, the Modesto Bee and Mesa Tribune. Cortinas will be sharing advance details about World of Warcraft Official Magazine along with details about his and the editorial team’s game pursuits at http://twitter.com/wowthemagazine.
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About Future
Future plc is an international special-interest media group that is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK and US creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events for people who are passionate about their interests. We hold strong market positions in games, music, technology, action sports, film, automotive and crafts. Our biggest-selling magazines in the US include Official Xbox Magazine, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, Nintendo Power, PC Gamer, Guitar World, Maximum PC and Mac|Life, while our UK business publishes leading titles such as T3, Total Film, Digital Camera, Fast Car and Classic Rock. Our web sites include GamesRadar, BikeRadar, TechRadar, and MusicRadar. Future sells over 4 million magazines each month; we attract more than 11 million unique visitors to our websites; and we host 16 annual live events that attract hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts. In addition, Future exports, syndicates or licenses its publications to 90 countries internationally, making us the UK’s biggest exporter of monthly magazines.
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 Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), 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 eleven #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 players.
Media Contact
Heather Sorensen, Plugged In PR for Future US
503-841-0625
heather@pluggedinpr.com
Brigit Valencia, Plugged In PR for Future US
360-597-4516
brigit@pluggedinpr.com