StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm finally gets a release date

StarCraft II players have been waiting a long time for Blizzard to announce a release date for the game's first expansion, Heart of the Swarm, and it seems the big day has finally arrived. Earlier today, Battle.net was showing a release date of March 12, 2013 for Heart of the Swarm, a date that Blizzard later confirmed. So, only five more months and you can finally get your hands on Heart of the Swarm. Exciting, no?

On its own, Heart of the Swarm will cost $39.99 and will be available physically at brick and mortar stores as well as digitally over on Battle.net. If you're new to the world of StarCraft II, you'll be able to pre-order a bundle that packs Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm together for $60. Players who pre-order this bundle (pre-orders open up today, by the way) will have immediate access to their copy of Wings of Liberty.

There are also a couple collector's editions for Heart of the Swarm. The first is the Digital Deluxe Edition, which as you may have guessed is only available digitally. This comes with Heart of the Swarm (naturally), a Torrasque skin for Zerg Ultralisks, special StarCraft II portraits and decals for your Battle.net account, a Baneling companion pet for World of Warcraft, and finally, wearable bladewings and a banner sigil for use in Diablo III.

The physical Heart of the Swarm Collector's Edition features all of the digital goodies found in the Digital Deluxe Edition, along with a behind-the-scenes DVD/Blu-Ray, a copy of the Heart of the Swarm soundtrack, the compulsory art book, and a Zerg Rush mouse pad. The Digital Deluxe Edition will cost $59.99, while the full blow Collector's Edition will set you back $79.99. Are you ready for some more StarCraft II action?