In the midst of yesterday's launch of the StarCraft II beta, Blizzard Entertainment also announced a news item of a very different kind. The publisher announced they were donating a whopping $1.1 million to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The donation was made based on sales of a special World of Warcraft in-game pet, the Pandaren Monk, that was sold to subscribers of the MMO during November and December. Blizzard donated 50 percent of the sales of the pet to the organization.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children who currently have life-threatening illnesses. This week, Blizzard granted the wishes of 15 children who were interested in game development by arranging a meeting with the World of Warcraft development team at their offices.