Activision Blizzard
Like many events in 2020, BlizzCon has been canceled due to Pandemic of the covid19. This year, Blizzard publisher will take its fan event and game show to digital with BlizzConline. The two-day program will reveal new content for the company’s popular franchises and allow fans to hear more directly from the developers making the games.
BlizzConline starts Friday and will focus on Blizzard franchises, including Diablo, Overwatch and World of Warcraft. The event will also serve as a celebration of the developer’s 30th anniversary.
Here’s what you need to know about the show and what can be revealed.
When does BlizzConline start?
The show’s opening ceremony begins on Friday, February 19, at 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT. It is in this first hour that Blizzard will reveal its biggest ads. The rest of the two-day event will feature panels focusing on the different Blizzard franchises: Diablo, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone and Starcraft.
BlizzCon programming is available on the program’s website.
Where can I watch BlizzConline?
In previous years, fans needed a virtual ticket to watch the event stream. Fortunately, as there is no face-to-face convention, Blizzard has made the entire event free to attend. The live broadcast will be available on the Blizzard YouTube channel and on the BlizzCon website.
What is being revealed at BlizzConline?
Blizzard has not yet announced which games it will feature during the event, but there have been some leaks on social networks suggesting what can be shown.
Diablo: The big reveal for the show could be the launch of a remake of Diablo 2 dubbed Diablo II Resurrected. The dungeon crawler remains incredibly popular years after its launch in 2000 and is a favorite of fans of the franchise. There are few details about what may be different in the remake’s report, along with a likely graphical update.
As for the next game in the franchise, Diablo 4, the developer has already shown part of the game and has been conducting an alpha test since it was announced in BlizzCon 2019. This year, expect more details about the game’s classes and perhaps a release date.
Diablo Immortal is the franchise’s mobile game, which has also undergone a public test. Blizzard will likely reveal the release date of Immortal during the show.
World of Warcraft: Since World of Warcraft’s last expansion, Shadowlands, launched in October, Blizzard is unlikely to have another expansion to show. There will be a major content update revealed called Chains in Domination, according to a leak reported by WoWHead on Thursday. Players will have more dungeons, equipment and a new raid ahead.
On the other hand, WoW Classic – a recreation of the MMORPG around 2006 – will receive a “new” expansion. Burning Crusade was launched in 2007, and will bring the same content to WoW Classic. This includes the Blood Elf and Draenei races, the area called Outland and more content according to the leaked information.
Overwatch 2: The sequel to the popular Overwatch was also announced at the latest BlizzCon. Observers should expect Blizzard to show more about the game, but don’t expect a release date.
Hearthstone: As with every show, new information about the future expansion of the collectible card game will be shown.