by It feels strange to say given how beloved and steeped in nostalgia the studios games are, but Ive always found Blizzards games hard to get into.
Despite many doomed trial characters spread across the mid-2000s, I never managed to catch up to World Of Warcraft (WoW). In the Day[9] Daily era I made an earnest effort to get good at StarCraft 2, but quickly realised I was out of my depth online as esports boomed.
Annoyed that I couldnt find my way into this community, I went out of my way to buy Diablo III on launch day in 2012, after hearing people rave about the series for years prior. And like most early adopters, I was thoroughly disappointed.
I say all this to illustrate that I have no skin in the game when it comes to Blizzcon, the California studios annual event where they drip-feed details about their current and future projects to an audience that has been nurtured over decades.
The 2020 edition of the show was cancelled due to COVID, but a virtual version called BlizzConline came and went this past Friday. If you missed the big reveals, I couldnt blame you. A good chunk of it was focused on the past and it didnt seem too interested in looking very far into the future.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
One of the major announcements was that players will be able to experience WoWs The Burning Crusade expansion precisely as it was back in 2007, through the magic of WoW Classics old school servers.
If youre unfamiliar, WoW Classic is a separate, quality-of-lifeless version of WoW that recreates the feel of the game as it was back in the good old days, without the iteration. Its a fascinating, incredibly popular simulacra that speaks to Blizzards prevailing business model of keeping its most devoted fans happy.
Knowing this, it really wouldnt shock me if Blizzard kept going with this absurd trial, reviving every WoW expansion in the Classic style to appease its players. By the time the studio gets around to the latest 2020 expansion Shadowlands, I bet players will be begging to play a pristine version of that too, when the OG 2004 veterans are all geriatric.
Diablo II. Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
Elsewhere, we finally received confirmation of the inevitable: Blizzard is remastering Diablo II. Its called Diablo II: Resurrected and its coming in 2021. Theres my proper inroad to the community, I think. Ive heard nothing but good things about this game that was before my time particularly in relation to its successor. As you can imagine, Im all for wiping the slate clean, and who doesnt love a game where you can click a button to flip between the old graphics and the new?
However, I think the problem Blizzard is running into here is that it cant sniff its own farts forever. Im sure Diablo II: Resurrected and The Burning Crusade Classic will be received well by the older fans who demanded them, but at some point, the nostalgia tap will run dry.
With a new generation of gamers on the way who may not have the same zealous devotion for Warcraft, the studio needs to build a bright future with some fresh new ideas. So what have they got in store?
Diablo IV looks like a gigantic bloody open-world apology, which will hopefully go down a treat when it reaches its release date, and restore some faith in the franchise. As for new ideas though, Im not all that convinced. Beyond the inclusion of PVP, the gameplay looks like its still clearly clinging to nostalgia, in a genre with some fresh competition like Grinding Gear GamesPath Of Exile. Im hoping Blizzard will do more than just make another Diablo game here theyre in a position to take the ARPG genre forward in a meaningful way as one of its legacy leaders.
Easily the most hip and modern game in the studios roster is Overwatch, which (surprise, surprise) is getting a numbered sequel in Overwatch 2. Weve no idea when its coming, but Blizzard did provide a glimpse into what theyve been working on, and out of everything, this does sound most promising.
Overwatch 2. Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
As well as doing the conventional work of refining the winning multiplayer formula, theyre considering some bold changes for the game, like introducing passives and warping the idea of a tank in PVP. Yet its the co-operative, player vs enemy component that is most exciting, I think. This is new ground for Blizzard, and Overwatchs best feature has always been its vibrant characters.
By bringing in a proper campaign and letting players develop skill trees and forge meaningful bonds with specific heroes, they could break new ground in a genre that isnt getting a lot of love lately. Theres a massive opportunity here to adopt the millions of players (myself included) who dont have any serious competitive interest in Overwatch, but still enjoy its mechanical brilliance.
I have a lot of friends who swear by the game, so if this co-op mode sticks the landing, Ill certainly be hopping on to drag them away from their payload rage. Hell, the no-stress proving ground theyre teasing sounds like the perfect place to catch the competitive multiplayer bug too, by methodically learning your way around a particular character instead of getting ganked every few minutes before you get the chance to understand your abilities
While the lack of timeline for Overwatch 2s release makes it hard to get hyped, it was seriously refreshing to see Blizzard break away from a winning formula and try something new. The second game could have just been a straight-up sequel that doesnt dare rock the boat, but this seems like a really great compromise that has something for new casual users as well as competitive veterans. Striking that balance feels like the obvious design philosophy for Blizzard going forward, as the studio navigates an aging fan base and new generations who see Diablo and think Machine Gun Kelly.
