Blizzcon 2019 Predictions

After an episode of speculation from HS Walk to Work about what Blizzcon could announce for Hearthstone, I thought it might be fun to do a short impromptu post about what I think could be announced at Blizzcon 2019.

The lead-up to Blizzcon

After the disaster that was Blizzcon 2018, Blizzard really needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat this year. The announcement of Diablo Immortal alienated their dedicated PC fans, and the fans were very vocal about their displeasure.

To add fuel to fire, the recent Blitzchung scandal further enraged the community. And not only the community, but the entire world. For those not aware of the incident, Blitzchung voiced his support for the Hong Kong protests, and thereafter was banned by Blizzard from the Grand Masters. His earnings were revoked and he was not allowed to compete in competitive Hearthstone for a year. Even the casters were fired. People were fuming. Later the punishment was lessened significantly by J. Allen Brack, but the reputational damage was done.

All and all, it seemed that a dark shadow was looming over Blizzcon 2019.

Yet there seems to be a lot of hype. People are excited and it appears that Blizzard has prepared some big surprises this year. But what will they be? The recently released schedule shows 6 mystery slots, hinting at some big announcements. Below are my predictions of what this year’s Blizzcon might hold in store for us.

Diablo

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. I think at this stage an announcement regarding Diablo 4 is all but certain. Mostly, I would think, as a way to right the perceived wrongs of last year.

There are also lots of rumors about a Diablo 2 remaster. This has me more excited than Diablo 4. I loved Diablo 2, and a remaster would be awesome.

Finally, Diablo Immortal would hopefully be released as a way to keep us busy whilst we wait for Diablo 4. There has been rumors that Diablo Immortal would be released on 25 October, but I can’t see Blizzard releasing the game a week before Blizzcon.

Overwatch

There has been a lot of speculation that Overwatch 2 would be announced this year. I struggle to believe that Blizzard would announce Overwatch 2. The Overwatch community is still alive and well, and the game is still very popular. Along with this, the recent port of the game to the Nintendo Switch also makes it unlikely that a completely new Overwatch would be announced.

I would rather think that a major expansion and/or single player content would be announced along with some new characters.

Hearthstone

Here is where my big conspiracy theory comes in. I think the Year of the Dragon story-line points towards a Cataclysmic event in Heartstone. I believe that this could be used to rebuild Hearthstone completely.

The client is becoming outdated, and it seems that it currently restricts development a lot. The destruction of the current world of Heartstone can be used as the basis to launch Hearthstone 2.0. Could we then finally get a tournament mode? Could the Classic set finally be rotated? Time will tell.

So in short I think, or rather hope that, along with the standard expansion announcement, there are big changes coming to Heathrstone. As I mentioned in my Rise of Shadows review, Hearthstone is in dire need of a shakeup. The last year was phenomenal in terms of events and expansions, but we need to see some new modes.

World of Warcraft

I have never really played World of Warcraft, so I don’t think I am equipped to speculate here. There should be an announcement for the next expansion, but I don’t think anything more than that. With World of Warcraft Classic being such a big hit, I think Blizzard would ride that wave a bit more before a new big announcement.

Warcraft

Last year Warcraft 3: Reforged was announced, and surely it will be released at Blizzcon. This is also one of the releases that I really look forward to. I am a big Warcraft fan and would love to play a proper RTS game again.

Then there were also whispers of Warcraft 4. That would be AWESOME. Unlikely, but awesome.

Starcraft

I don’t think there would be any major announcement for Starcraft. The Starcraft themed FPS was canceled earlier this year, so on that basis I can’t see anything big coming from the Starcraft franchise.

Heroes of the Storm

Again, having never really played the game, I don’t think I can make an informed guess here. We know Deathwing will be added as a character, and who knows, maybe they will announce the return of Heroes of the Storm eSports.

New Games?

We may see some new Blizzard IP being launched this year. In fact, I am quite sure that we will see something completely new. My guess would be a cross-platform game. Maybe they may jump on the auto battler bandwagon. Blizzard definitely has a rich and diverse enough universe to be able to easily pull off a great auto battler to rival Team Fight Tactics and Dota Underlords.

Final thoughts

So I may have lied a bit when I said this would be a short post. But only once I started typing did I realize how much there actually is to talk about.

Personally I am most excited for Diablo Immortal. Don’t hate me, but I think a mobile port of Diablo could be great. I am also really looking forward to Warcraft 3: Reforged. I miss RTS, and Warcraft is one of my all-time favorite RTS titles.

Despite the bad press that Blizzard has had leading up to Blizzcon, I am sure that they have worked extremely hard to make up for last year. For Blizzard this has to be a great Blizzcon. They can’t afford another disaster, and they know it. I leave you with my favorite quite from Blizzcon 2018:

“Do you guys not have phones?”

Wyatt Cheng, Blizzcon 2018