an expansion for Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness out to Cyberlore Studios. Following a milestone check-in, Blizzard deemed the project's execution subpar and cancelled their contract with Cyberlore, finishing the expansion pack themselves and releasing it in 1996. This experience led the company to prefer in-house development for future expansion packs. Beyond the Dark Portal was included alongside the base game in the console release Warcraft II: The Dark Saga, published by Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1997. Blizzard's future titles all featured their online service Battle.net, used for multiplayer game hosting and matchmaking, which quickly became a large part of their success as their games grew online communities. As a result, they re-released Warcraft II in 1999, in a package that included the Beyond the Dark Portal expansion called Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition. Reception Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal released to positive reviews from critics. Awarding the expansion a 9.2 out of 10, GameSpot's Ron Dulin summarized "Fans of Warcraft II are split along two fronts: there are the single-players and then there are the multi-players. But whichever side of the fence you lean toward, this is a must-have." In its 146th issue, Computer Gaming World called the game "a must-buy for any Warcraft II fan." While pointing out the amount of content as not enough to satisfy, citing the lack of new units in particular, GameRevolution concluded that "On the whole, this is a good expansion set." All Game Guide awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a worthwhile expansion to an incredible game." Paul Pettengale reviewed Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal for Arcane magazine, rating it an 8 out of 10 overall. Pettengale comments that "this is a bargain which all Warcraft ll owners should snap up." Sequel In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos it is learned that Ner'zhul was intercepted by agents of the Burning Legion and transformed into the Lich King. In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne it is learned that parts of Draenor survived and are now called Outland. Remnants of the Alliance expedition appear in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. The black dragon Deathwing, who first appears in Beyond the Dark Portal as an ally of the orc Horde, later returns as the central antagonist of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. References External links Official site (archived) 1996 video games Blizzard games Video games