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Blizzard Entertainment on Monday announced plans for the third annual BlizzCon gaming convention, which returns to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. on October 10 and 11, 2008.

The event is dedicated specifically to Blizzard Entertainment's games, including World of Warcraft, Warcraft strategy games, and StarCraft and Diablo franchises. Blizzard has long supported the Macintosh platform with simultaneous releases with its PC counterpart.

BlizzCon provides Blizzard game enthusiasts with hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard releases. The company has two products in the works that it's announced so far: Wrath of the Lich King, a new expansion pack for the eminently popular online role playing game World of Warcraft, and StarCraft II, a sequel to the strategy game set in outer space. Blizzard has not announced release dates for either product.

Also featured during the event are discussion panels featuring Blizzard's developers; competitive and casual tournaments; areas and activities focused on licensed Blizzard products, such as the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game; costume, character-sound alike contests, and a "machinima" contest -- digital movies created using Blizzard's game engine technology; commemorative merchandise; a silent auction; and other activities to be announced.

Tickets will go on sale in the next few weeks for US$100 per person. Details will be announced at the official BlizzCon Web site -- which was still pointing toward information about last year's event, as Macworld posted this article.