BlizzCon 2019 recap: Diablo 4, Overwatch 2 and other big announcements
BlizzCon 2019 delivered some exciting new game announcements, including Diablo 4, Overwatch 2 and more. Check out the highlights below!
Leaks ahead of BlizzCon 2019 spoiled some of the big game reveals, but that didn’t take away from the excitement of a new Diablo game, an Overwatch sequel, a new Hearthstone game mode and a new expansion for World of Warcraft.
In case you weren’t around for the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2019, we’ve got a full recap of all of the exciting game announcements and surprise reveals.
Diablo 4
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been seven years since the initial launch of Diablo 3. But it has been, and now it’s finally time for a new installment in Blizzard’s fan-favorite action-RPG franchise.
Diablo 4 was officially announced with two new trailers: a dark, gory cinematic and an action-packed gameplay trailer.
The intense cinematic sets the tone for what appears to be a grim storyline in Diablo 4, which confirms the return of Lilith as one of the game’s main villains. Diablo 4 is set years after the events of Diablo 3 as players return to the bleak world of Sanctuary in hope of restoring hope by vanquishing the evil.
While Blizzard very easily could’ve left us on edge with the cinematic, the developer also shared a gameplay trailer that confirmed the first three character classes: the Barbarian, the Sorceress and the Druid.
The trailer gives us a glimpse of the power they wield: the Barbarian, with unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat as well as the power to carry and switch between multiple weapons depending on the attack; the Sorceress, with command of magical elements including ice, electricity and fire; and the Druid, a savage shapeshifter who can transform between werewolf, werebear and human while wielding the power of nature.
All three of these characters look absolutely amazing in the trailer, which showcases their abilities throughout the vast world of Sanctuary, which Blizzard confirmed will be a contiguous, seamless landmass. Additionally, Blizzard also said it will be a shared world, meaning groups of players can possibly encounter other groups of players on their journey and team up to take on bigger challenges, or possibly slaughter one another in PvP combat.
Diablo 4 will stick to its RPG roots, offering customizable talent trees and skills, legendary and set items, runes and rune word combinations, personalized mounts and more.
Diablo 4 is said to be in development for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but no release date was announced. I imagine that with the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation on the horizon, it will also come to those systems as well.