Diablo is going dark, Overwatch 2 is going PvE, World of Warcraft is going to the land of the dead and Heroes of the Storm is doing bugger all. Besides that, I have to say that Blizzcon - besides Jeff Kaplan's piece - was strange. It's usually filled with incredible energy and excitement, and the team are - more often than not - incredibly confident; not the case today.
The stage presenters were all incredibly nervous, which either suggests the PR disaster surrounding Hong Kong is weighing heavily on their minds, or they're unsure of the products they're presenting. My gut instinct tells me that the Diablo 4 announcement was to satisfy the fans, and based on the footage, it's clearly very early in development. Shadowlands for World of Warcraft looks much of the same, while Overwatch 2 is the only title that, seemingly, has had any time in the oven.
Although Blizzard deserve praise for its apology (J Allen took to the stage and got this out the air first) there's no mistaking it's looming large over the event. So, after all the hype and the controversy, what's gone off? Here's your TL:DR.
Diablo 4
- Gameplay trailer.
- Cinematic trailer.
- Official page.
- Amazing new opening cinematic.
- Truly dark and graphic setting.
- Hub style system, similar to Path of Exile.
- Druid makes a return as a playable class.
- Distinctly different artstyle.
- Falls somewhere between Diablo 1 and 2 in terms of playstyle.
- Some world events that have MMO aspects.
- Huge skill trees and character customisation.
World of Warcraft
- Sylvanas has snapped (cinematic trailer).
- Features overview.
- Official logo.
- Official pre-purchase page.
- Shadowlands revealed.
- Multiple new zones (Revendreath, Ardenweald, Maldraxxus, Bastion)
- Covenants (you can choose yours)
- Tower of the Damned (replayable, ever-changing dungeon).
- New raid and dungeons.
- Level's reduced to 50, with the cap of 60.
Overwatch 2
- Cinematic trailer "Zero Hour."
- Gameplay trailer.
- The Story So Far.
- Confirmation of cross-product play. OW1 and OW2 players share just about everything, and skins carry over.
- New PvP mode; Push.
- New Heroes (Echo and Soujourn).
- Existing Heroes have seen their looks change considerably.
- Major engine improvements (see gameplay trailer).
- Full PvE story campaign, with repeatable content.
- Tons of new customisation, Hero leveling, and Talent trees.
- Plenty of new maps (including the first in Canada!)
Heroes of the Storm
- Deathwing (already revealed before Blizzcon).
- All Heroes free over the next few months.
Hearthstone
- Battlegrounds trailer.
- Lots of new cards (no shit).
Starcraft II
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