DC Comics has announced plans to license and distribute collectibles under a new brand name, DC Unlimited.  The first project announced for DC Unlimited, a four-figure assortment of 5'-8' figures and two 10'-12' deluxe figures from Blizzard Entertainment's wildly popular World of Warcraft online game, demonstrates that DC Unlimited, unlike DC Direct, is going outside the DC Comics universe to license hot pop culture properties.  Also unlike DC Direct's focus on the direct market, DC Unlimited plans to distribute its wares to 'all retail markets, including mass market and specialty channels.'

With a stated purpose of creating collectibles 'based on the world's greatest pop culture characters' DC Unlimited could do a lot worse than choosing World of Warcraft, given the more than 7.5 million online game subscribers worldwide.  Prototypes of the DC Unlimited WoW figures were displayed at the U.K. Toy Fair (and in the pages of Toy Fare), and although these are all preliminary sculpts, they appear to be highly detailed, impressive figures. 

The first series of DC Unlimited WoW figures includes four smaller (5 to 8 inches high) characters, a Blood Elf Rogue, Orc Shaman, Undead Warlock, and Dwarf Warrior; and two 12-inch deluxe characters, a Draenei Paladin and Illidan Stormrage.  All six of these figures are scheduled to hit comic book, pop culture, mass market, specialty and toy stores in Fall 2007.

DC Unlimited's WoW figures won't be the only licensed WoW toys on the market.  SOTA Toys announced the first series of WoW figures back in 2004 and Toycom/Yamato U.S.A. is currently distributing its second series of WoW Action Figures (along with resin sculptures and miniature figures).