BlizzCon 2009: With the Wings of Liberty beta test expected this year, Blizzard discusses the background story behind its popular sci-fi RTS; Battlestar Galactica star to lend voice to game.

ANAHEIM, California--BlizzCon 2009 has thus far been an eventful one for fans of Blizzard Entertainment. The biggest announcement thus far pertains to Blizzard's massively popular massively multiplayer online role-playing World of Warcraft, with the game maker announcing the game's third full expansion Cataclysm. As part of the opening ceremony, Blizzard also unveiled the monk class as the fourth that will be playable in its action role-playing game Diablo III.

The zerg are back.

Starcraft II fans haven't been left out in the cold either. Blizzard has confirmed that the sci-fi real-time strategy's eagerly anticipated beta-test period is expected to begin before the end of the year. Earlier this month, Blizzard said that the first installment in the Starcraft II trilogy, Wings of Liberty, is now expected to launch during the first half of 2010 alongside a revamped Battle.net, which executive VP of game design Rob Pardo discussed in detail during a panel yesterday.

With so much attention already paid to Starcraft II's lauded multiplayer component, the company has also begun to pull back the curtain on the game's single-player campaign. As previously announced, Wings of Liberty will largely follow the travails of the human faction, focusing primarily on the travails of Terran marine Jim Raynor, who has gone rogue and must grapple with human Emperor Mengsk from the first game as well as his ongoing conflict with one-time love interest and Zerg hive queen Kerrigan.

To delve deeper into the game, Blizzard now holds forth to discuss Starcraft II lore, as well as maybe just maybe reveal a few surprise for the upcoming game.

[2:28] It's day two of BlizzCon and convention attendees are beginning to show signs of being overloaded by the avalanche of Blizzard's wares.

[2:29] But the turnout for the Starcraft II lore panel appears to be substantial. With five minutes before the session begins, the masses have already taken their seats, filling up easily a hundred rows in front of the BlizzCon main stage.

[2:29] With a melodramatic rock tune wailing over the stage's towering main speakers, the crowd emits a hum and bustle...a marked contrast from the raw enthusiasm seen during the opening ceremony yesterday.

[2:29] Just a few more minutes before the panel is expected to begin, and not a single A/V guy in sight. The stage is heavily stocked with Mountain Dew, though.

[2:30] And we've got an A/V dude sighting! He appears to be fiddling with one of the laptops set up on the stage.