At the BlizzCon opening ceremony held on September 12, Blizzard Entertainment shocked the gaming community by confirming the development of Diablo 5 alongside a brand-new tactical shooter set in the Starcraft universe and a vanilla-focused MMORPG expansion titled World of Warcraft Forever, according to multiple reports from outlets like iDNES.cz.
The Return of Sanctuary: Diablo 5 and Netflix Adaptation
Sanctuary is set to fall in 2029, and players will fight to take it back in Diablo 5, as revealed during a dark, hazy main hall teaser at the BlizzCon opening ceremony reported by iDNES.cz. Coming for the series’ 30th anniversary, the development team stated that the title will explore what players must become to save a world that has already fallen. This announcement arrives remarkably fast, given that past entries spent roughly a decade in development and the Mephisto storyline just wrapped up.
In the interim, Blizzard has plenty lined up for contemporary players. Diablo 4 will launch its next major content drop next year, introducing the Amazon class via a class pack that grants access to the Skovos isles, as reported by iDNES.cz. Furthermore, Blizzard CEO Johanna Faries announced that an animated Diablo series is heading to Netflix, expanding the dark fantasy franchise into episodic television.
Starcraft Rises From the Ashes as a Shooter
Starcraft is officially back. Ending a decade-long drought since the Nova Covert Ops campaign pack for Starcraft 2, Blizzard confirmed a brand-new shooter set within the iconic sci-fi universe, simply titled Starcraft. According to iDNES.cz’s reporting from the packed convention hall, the initial teaser showed the rise and sudden fall of an elite soldier. Fans will have to wait quite a while, however, as the project is slated for a 2030 launch—fully two decades after Starcraft 2 debuted.
World of Warcraft Forever and Modern Expansion Roadmaps
The long-rumored “Classic plus” experience is officially materializing under the moniker World of Warcraft Forever. iDNES.cz notes that the project will funnel fresh content to players while preserving the core feel and level cap of vanilla WoW. The update introduces three new zones, overhauls several existing ones, packs 1,000 new quests, adds nine new dungeons, two new raids, and brings in a new Skyborne race. Beta testing opens rapidly on September 17, with a full launch scheduled for November 4.
Meanwhile, modern World of Warcraft continues pressing forward. The current expansion, Midnight, is entering its next story phase with a dramatic cinematic reveal. Blizzard also dropped an initial teaser for the subsequent expansion, The Last Titan, which will officially cap off the expansive Worldsoul trilogy that kicked off with 2024’s The War Within.
Remasters and Hero Shooter Updates
Classic strategy fans received a double dose of attention. Blizzard announced a 3.0 update for Warcraft 3: Reforged alongside a brand-new Forsaken Kingdom campaign launching immediately on opening day, according to iDNES.cz reporting. Over in Overwatch, the hero shooter is rolling out significant reworks for Roadhog and Sombra, while prepping the vampire-inspired support hero Doctrine for a season 5 debut next month, alongside a brand-new escort map located in an Icelandic prison.
