BlizzCon 2026 kicked off in Anaheim, bringing major announcements spanning nearly every major Blizzard franchise, from a 30th-anniversary celebration for Diablo to a brand-new, non-RTS StarCraft shooter slated for 2030 and a major pivot for World of Warcraft.
StarCraft Returns as an Open-World Shooter
The StarCraft franchise is returning, though not in its traditional real-time strategy format. According to Blizzard, the new project carries the title StarCraft and is being led by Dan Hay, former executive producer and creative director of the Far Cry series. Set for a 2030 release, the game is built as an open-world shooter where players step into the boots of a standard Dominion marine fighting the encroaching Zerg swarm.
The opening ceremony debuted a cinematic trailer featuring a propaganda speech from Arcturus Mengsk, following an anonymous marine through training and deployment before ending on a bloodied suit of power armor cleaned and reissued to a fresh recruit. Blizzard has not yet confirmed camera perspectives, platform ecosystems, cooperative options, or whether a traditional single-player campaign will ship at launch.
Diablo Turns 30 With Nintendo Switch 2 and Diablo V Plans
Diablo is marking its third decade with a multi-pronged rollout. On September 15, Diablo IV: Age of Hatred Collection arrives on Nintendo Switch 2, bundling the base game, the Vessel of Hatred expansion, and Lord of Hatred. Simultaneously, Diablo IV launches its 15th season, titled Season of Hell’s Legacy, which resurrects Deckard Cain, classic legacy items like the Stone of Jordan and In-geom, and the return of the Prime Evils: Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal.
Looking further ahead, Blizzard confirmed that the Amazon class will return to Diablo IV in the first half of 2027, bringing her signature javelins from Skovos. Beyond the current generation, Blizzard revealed a cinematic teaser and logo for Diablo V, targeting a spring 2029 release window. Set roughly a century after the events of Diablo IV, the narrative assumes a baseline where Sanctuary has already fallen and evil has triumphed, leaving players to navigate a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy world.
World of Warcraft Forever Introduces Classic Plus
Headlining the Warcraft announcements is World of Warcraft: Forever, Blizzard’s official answer to long-standing community demands for a Classic Plus model. Rather than replacing modern Retail or existing Classic servers, Forever establishes a third parallel version of the game locked at a level 60 cap for the foreseeable future. The system relies on horizontal progression, introducing more than 1,000 new quests, nine dungeons, two raids, the Darkspear Islands battleground, and three new areas: Mount Hyjal, Riverglades, and Zephras Isle.
Simultaneously, modern World of Warcraft continues its Worldsoul Saga with patch 12.2, titled Eclipse, setting up a direct confrontation with Xal’atath. The saga will culminate in 2027 with the release of World of Warcraft: The Last Titan. Meanwhile, Warcraft III: Reforged received Forsaken Kingdom, its first new campaign since 2003’s The Frozen Throne, accompanied by a free 3.0 update featuring an overhauled graphics mode and support for selecting up to 24 units simultaneously.
Overwatch and Hearthstone Content Roadmaps
Overwatch is pressing forward with seasonal updates rather than a sequel. Season 5 launches on October 6, introducing Doctrine, a support hero utilizing shadow-based movement and healing drones, alongside a prison-themed map dubbed Watchpoint: Grímsvötn set in Iceland. System-level changes include reworks for Roadhog and a role shift for Sombra into the support category.
Hearthstone expands on October 20 with the Reign of the Black Empire expansion, introducing a new “Assemble” keyword that stitches card text together. The trading card game will also add the Monk class, represented by Chen Stormstout, in March 2027.
