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Topics this week:

• Star Wars Day – May the Fourth (be with you)
• IGN/UGO merger
• More on Sony’s continuing saga, which continues to be a mess, with SOE also down and the time estimate going up as well as a possible weekend attack on the horizon
• AT&T adds data caps to its broadband services
• Blizzard raises $800,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation…but that’s only half! What?

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That number is only 50 percent of the total sales for the pet during November and December last year, so I’ve gotta say it — that’s a lot of Moonkin. At least they’re adorable!

Blizzard celebrated the donation on April 29, World Wish Day, by fulfilling the wishes of two fans and inviting them to Blizzard headquarters in Irvine, Calif. The two boys got an inside look at the development of World of Warcraft.

“We’ve had a long relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and are proud to help contribute to the great work they do for children,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re also proud of the spirit and generosity of our players – their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this donation possible.”

A Blizzard World Wish Day video is below.

(And yes, the picture is my Baby Boomkin. I love him!)

Yesterday, Blizzard made the presentation during a special ceremony at the company’s headquarters in Irvine, California. They also invited 15 wish children (who are also gaming enthusiasts) and their families to enjoy an exclusive learning experience with the game’s development team.

“This donation…reflects the spirit and generosity of our players – their enthusiasm for World of Warcraft and for supporting a good cause made this possible,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America serves children with life-threatening medical conditions in the United States and its territories. The Make-A-Wish Foundation International grants the wishes of children outside the United States in 35 countries.

This shouldn’t surprise me, but it does. the Pandaren Monk vanity pet that Blizzard just announced is now sold out. Part of the proceeds for the Monk went to Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The items were never introduced as limited, so WoW.com feels it must be an inventory error. Meaning that Blizzard should have this fixed soon and more people can spend $10 on a virtual vanity pet.

Blizzard is trying out the world of microtransactions, but like most things they work on, they aren’t doing it small. On the WoW.com forums, Nethaera posted details about the brand new Pet Store for World of Warcraft.

The Pet Store gives players a place to purchase with real money, in-game pets. The store has launched with two pets, Pandaren Monk and Lil K.T. the Littlest Lich.

Microtransactions have typically been used in free-to-play MMOs and are low cost items that assist in gameplay experience. Blizzard has been talking about possible microtransactions for awhile, but at $10 for each pet, that’s hardly micro.

On the plus side, half of the proceeds from every Pandaren Monk pet will go towards Make-A-Wish Foundation. Just be careful to note that money from the other pet does not.

Here are the details on the Pets and FAQ on the Pet Store
Enter the Pandaren Monk, ( http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000763 ) a martial-arts expert who’s here to help celebrate the upcoming fifth anniversary of World of Warcraft. He may be cute, but he’s proof that even the softest of critters can overcome the hardest of circumstances. For every Pandaren Monk that finds its way to a player’s side between now and the end of the year (December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PDT), we’ll donate 50 percent of the $10 purchasing price to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in an effort to brew up a little hope, strength, and joy in a child’s life.

Lil’ K.T., the Littlest Lich

Lil’ K.T. is a miniature lich who bears a striking resemblance to the legendary lord of Naxxramas, Kel’Thuzad. But don’t let his diminutive stature fool you: Lil’ K.T. has a diabolical laugh and wields true power at his bony fingertips, randomly wreaking icy havoc on critters who dare to cross his path. You can now buy this new pet for $10 on the Blizzard Store. (http://us.blizzard.com/store/ )

Pet Store FAQ
Why are you introducing this service?

The Pet Store provides a new way for players to obtain unique companion pets outside of the game, which is something that has been requested by many players who enjoy World of Warcraft’s non-combat companions.

Will more companions be available for purchase in the future?

We plan to add more pets to the Pet Store in the near future. Keep an eye on the official World of Warcraft website and the online Blizzard Store for details.

Where can I go to purchase these pets?

You can purchase these in-game companions by visiting this link or heading to the online Blizzard Store, where you’ll find the Pet Store pets under the Collectibles tab.

Will I be able to acquire these Pet Store pets by questing, through holidays, on in-game vendors, or by any other in-game methods?

No. Pets purchasable through the Pet Store will not be obtainable through quests or other in-game means — they’re only available through the online Blizzard Store.

How do I redeem a Pet Store pet once it’s been purchased from the Blizzard Store?

After you purchase the pet, you’ll receive a code that can then be redeemed on any World of Warcraft account via Battle.net Account Management. You don’t need to redeem the code on the same Battle.net account that made the initial purchase – feel free to send the code to a friend as a gift.

Will these pets count toward pet-related achievements?

These Pet Store pets will count toward the total number of pets a character has for achievements like Plethora of Pets or Lil’ Game Hunter.

Will these pets help me in combat?

No, these pets are strictly cosmetic. They have some fun animations and sound effects, but they will not help you in PvP or PvE.

What characters will receive the Pet Store pet that I purchase?

Once you redeem your code on an individual World of Warcraft account, every character on the account will receive the pet in their in-game mailbox (including any characters you create in the future). If you wish to purchase the pet for multiple different World of Warcraft accounts merged with the same Battle.net account, you will need to buy a separate pet for each World of Warcraft account individually.

**Please Note** If a character transfers off of the account where the pet is bound the pet will be lost.**

How long will these Pet Store pets be available?

We do not currently have any plans to remove these pets from the Pet Store. The Blizzard Store purchasing page will provide information on any changes to availability.

In what regions are these pets available?

The Pet Store pets are available only to players on realms located in North America, Europe, and Korea. A Battle.net account is required in order to redeem the pet.

Charity Pet

What charity will I be supporting when I purchase the Pandaren Monk pet?

Donations from every sale of the Pandaren Monk pet through December 31, 2009, will be given to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. To find out more about this charity, please visit www.wish.org.

How much of every Pandaren Monk pet sale will go to charity?

For each Pandaren Monk sale, we’ll donate 50% of the $10 purchase price to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information on this charity, visit www.wish.org.

How long will you be making this donation?

We will continue to make a donation for each Pandaren Monk pet purchased until December 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Will the pet still be available for purchase after the donation period is over?

Yes, you will still be able to purchase the pet after December 31, and we do not currently have any plans to remove this pet from the Pet Store. The Blizzard Store purchasing page will provide information on any changes to availability.

Does this mean you’ll be introducing more services like this in the future? Will you be introducing the ability to buy epic weapons/etc. in the future, for example?

As with the pets, mounts, and other items players can obtain through Loot cards from the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, Pet Store pets are purely cosmetic and just for fun. Like other paid services we offer, such as Paid Name Changes, Race Changes, and Character Re-Customizations, the Pet Store service is entirely optional and intended to provide players another means to enjoy World of Warcraft in a way that isn’t detrimental to the game and that doesn’t detract from the gameplay experience for players who choose not to use the service.

Mighty Muggs auction

Star Wars fans and fans of Might Muggs have a unique chance to give to a good cause with The Empire Muggs Back. Lucasfilm asked artists, comic book creators, toy designers, and celebrity fans to get out their markers, paint brushes and glue guns (wonder if anyone used the bedazzler) to transform blank Might Muggs into custom art. The art is centered around their favorite characters, creatures, ships and scenes from “Star Wars”.

Some examples of the artists are: “The Clone Wars” director Dave Filoni, “Fanboys” director Kyle Newman, actress Jaime King, Go-Go’s guitarist Jane Wiedlin, model makers from “Robot Chicken,” graffiti artist Urban Medium, and tattoo artist Karen Roze.

All art pieces not only look good on your shelf but benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The auction ends on August 14, 2009. You can see all the pieces at here. These pieces are all awesome especially the Robot Chicken ones. But prepare to spend money the cheapest is at $70 and I saw one currently going for $700! It’s one of a kind toy for charity, so totally worth it if you have the extra money!

Jay loves to draw, so the Texas Film Commission gave her art classes at a local college, drawing equipment and the ability to have a studio in her home.

At Funimation, Jay and her family received a grand tour of the studios. She met the crew working on One Piece and even met Colleen Clinkenbeard who was working on a voice over.

[source funimation]