BlizzCon returned last weekend after a three-year absence, with Blizzard announcing a host of new games across its major franchises. Thousands of fans gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center for the first BlizzCon since 2023, and the opening ceremony showcased a mix of nostalgia and new beginnings, as the company celebrates 35 years of game-making and Overwatch’s tenth anniversary.
World of Warcraft: Forever announced
Among the biggest reveals was World of Warcraft: Forever, a vanilla-era version of the MMO that expands the original game with three new zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, and two raids, plus a new playable Skyborne race. The beta begins September 17, with the full game arriving November 4.
Lead software engineer Nora Mills and lead classic designer Tim Jones spoke about the new offering. Mills said: ‘I feel like World Of Warcraft has such a huge legacy and so much history, but this is a perfect time for someone new to come in and join the journey. You’re starting from scratch, from level one, and creating your own character. You have a choice of different races and classes, and you can really dive into the fantasy of the world.’ She added that ‘there are also all these other people exploring the world alongside you. They might talk to you, help you, or you might become friends. I think that’s one of the things that makes World Of Warcraft so magical.’
Jones said: ‘World Of Warcraft was the game that, a little over 20 years ago, changed the world. It was the MMO that broke through and became a global sensation. What we’re offering now is essentially a fresh start – an experience that harkens back to that original adventure, but refreshes it and builds something new as though we were back 20 years ago. It’s for players who want to live in this space forever.’ He also noted that this is the first time World of Warcraft will be playable with a controller, which is ‘particularly exciting with handheld gaming becoming such an important and growing market’.
Starcraft and Diablo return
Warcraft 3: Reforged is receiving a major update, including a graphics overhaul and World Editor improvements, alongside a new story campaign called The Forsaken Kingdom, set around the fall of Lordaeron and the creation of the Undercity. This marks new story content for the game more than two decades after its original launch.
Starcraft received perhaps the biggest reaction from the crowd, with the announcement of a new open-world shooter set in the Koprulu Sector, due in spring 2030. Meanwhile, Diablo 5 was announced for spring 2029, beginning from a premise where Diablo has won and Sanctuary has fallen. Diablo 4 will not receive new expansions but will celebrate its anniversary with the Season of Hell’s Legacy, bringing back Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal. An animated Diablo series is also in development for Netflix.
Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm
Overwatch is celebrating its tenth anniversary with new heroes, reworks, and experimentation, including a new vampire-inspired support hero named Doctrine. Hearthstone’s next expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, takes players into ancient Azeroth with the Old Gods, introducing the Assemble keyword and adding the Monk as a new playable class in March 2027.
Heroes of the Storm, long-neglected by Blizzard, is getting a new hero: Xal’atath, arriving September 28. The announcement was welcomed by fans who have stuck with the game through periods of scarce new content.
Cosplayers remained a major spectacle of the event, with attendees dressed as characters from across Blizzard’s universes. Blizzard’s developers, including Holly Longdale and Ion Hazzikostas, took the stage to present a large number of announcements. While some risks were evident, such as Starcraft as an open-world shooter and the wait for Diablo 5, the enthusiasm of the thousands of attendees was difficult to argue with. BlizzCon is back, and Blizzard has clearly decided it has a lot of catching up to do.
