IGN.com reports that Activision Blizzard, publisher of hit games such as Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Starcraft, has canceled its membership in the Entertainment Software Association, and won't be part of ESA's E3 event this year.

May 2, 2008 - Updated: Activision Blizzard has canceled its membership in the Entertainment Software Association and will not be participating in the trade group's official E3 event in Los Angeles this year.

The publishing giant will not have a presence on the E3 show floor and will hold its own off-site press event on the first night of the conference instead.

"After careful consideration, Activision has decided not to renew its ESA membership for business reasons and will not be participating in any official E3 activities," Activision told IGN in a written statement. "We appreciate the work that the ESA has done over the years in promoting the interactive entertainment industry with state and federal governments and wish the ESA best of luck with the show."

Blizzard's job page is listing a position for a Lead 3D Level Designer.  Included in the description is this!

The team behind Diablo I and II is looking for a skilled lead 3D level designer with experience building levels using Maya or other similar 3D level building tools. The ideal candidate has experience creating levels in a senior or lead role on a shipped game. We would also like for this candidate to have excellent analytical understanding of competitive online play with various Blizzard Entertainment games and mods (real-time strategy, World of Warcraft, Defense of the Ancients, etc.).

The lead level designer needs to be able to create fun and interesting environments that look and play great while managing and mentoring a team of additional level designers. Skills in scripting or general 3D modeling/texturing are preferred.

Wonder what the teams from previous Diablo games may be working on?!  Blizzard hasn't said anything yet, and is likely to remain closemouthed regardless of speculation, so we'll just have to keep wondering!

If you'll be in or around Paris this June and want a chance to play the Lich King expansion, then you have got to check out this year's Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational.

The fourth Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational is coming to Europe! The event will be held at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center, Paris, France, over the 28th and 29th of June 2008. Open to gamers from around the world, the Worldwide Invitational will feature a wide variety of activities, including:

• Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
• Artist and developer signings
• Professional eSport tournaments and casual tournaments for attendees
• Hands-on play with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and StarCraft II
• Merchandise and other products based on the Blizzard Entertainment game universes
• Silent auction
• Musical performances
• And more...

Tickets have not yet gone on sale, but when they do, we'll let you know.