by Tiffany Bechdel on Oct 16, 2015
The BlizzCon 2015 two-day schedule is live...for the second time this week. In what we can only attribute to an accident, the schedule as released preemptively earlier in the week, only to be pulled down within minutes. Now the lineup is live again and we have our first idea of what we can expect from this years convention.
While the schedule doesn't tell us overly much, we can walk away with some interesting theories about what this BlizzCon 2015 has in store for us. We combed over the schedule and compiled a list of 5 observations that we made from our first glimpse of the official lineup. Read onward, some of our theories may surprise you.
Typically BlizzCon is where Blizzard makes all their big announcements like new expansions or new games. These announcements normally take place during the opening ceremonies, with a cozy time slot left over to discuss this exciting news further. This is, arguably, the most exciting moment at the event.
However, this excitement will likely be missing at BlizzCon 2015. Looking at the schedule reveals two things; the usual time slot to discuss such announcements is conspicuously missing and the rest of the program allows little room to add extra panels to the mix. While developers could still surprise us, it seems that this year BlizzCon will focus on promoting its current and already announced upcoming games, rather than heading into any new territory.
The Warcraft movie will be firmly entrenched at BlizzCon 2015, or so it seems. A theater area has been designated on level 3 of the convention center and it is probably safe to assume that, just like last year, it will be used to promote the movie. Whether there will be a trailer, a small clip from the movie, or some other kind of cinematic happening here remains to be seen.
However, movie fans shouldn't get overly excited. While the theater will probably be used for the Warcraft movie, it won't get much attention otherwise. Glancing over the lineup reveals that a panel dedicated to the movie is missing this year, which could be good or bad news, depending on what side of the fence you are on.
Fans of Diablo are likely going to leave this BlizzCon extremely disappointed. Despite spanning two days, BlizzCon will feature only 1 solitary Diablo panel. Thrown in between World of Warcraft and Starcraft content, it seems almost like an afterthought. Entitled Blood and Treasure – New Content and Features for Reaper of Souls, this hour long panel leaves little room for anything major in the Diablo world.
To further dampen the spirits of Diablo fans, there are no Diablo demo stations currently shown at the convention. This further confirms that despite the panels claims at showing us new content and features, little to no content will actually be revealed. It looks like the rumored D3 content that was supposed to be coming our way won't be anytime soon.
While many won't notice its passing, the World of Warcraft Live Raid event is missing from this year's BlizzCon schedule. Taking place between top Horde and Alliance teams, the Live Raid was a great time to watch the very best of the best put their skills to the test. So, what does the absence of the Live Raid mean?
It is hard to determine exactly what, if any, meaning is behind the choice to leave it out of the schedule. Perhaps the WoW Live Raid wasn't overly popular or raiding teams ere unavailable to make the show. The more likely scenario is that with the Overwatch hype at an all time high, some panels were going to have to be eliminated. The WoW Live Raid was probably a prime target to become a casualty of Blizzard's new baby.
Will the Live Raid return next year? That is equally difficult to determine. If there is room and the public outcry is great, there is a good chance we will see some top quality raiding next year. With that being said, the WoW Live Raid may be a thing of the past, never to be seen again at a BlizzCon.
If you glanced over the lineup of panels quickly, you may have missed one entitled: The Art and Craft of Cosplay. While this may not seem like a big deal to you, it really is, especially for the cosplay community. While panels featuring this type of thing are common at BlizzCon, they typically take place on a smaller stage. In fact, these panels are often only available to fans who actually attend the event. They are almost never recorded for those with Virtual Tickets. To say the least, making it on a main stage and being listed along side other major panels is a pretty big deal. We look forward to seeing how this newly escalated panel turns out.
That wraps up some of the more interesting observations we made from the recently released BlizzCon 2015 schedule. With just under a month to go till BlizzCon, we can hardly wait to see if our theories pan out and what Blizzard actually has in store for us on the convention floor.