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Blizzard's virtual BlizzCon will be free to watch
Last year's all-access virtual ticket cost $50.
World Of Warcraft's 'Shadowlands' expansion arrives on November 23rd
You can check out a pre-launch event on November 10th.
Blizzard releases an 'Overwatch' soundtrack that covers all 21 maps
An in-game skin challenge gets underway tomorrow too.
Overwatch League tries to boost interest with May Madness tournament
Teams will battle in two regional tournaments for prize money and bonus wins towards their season records.
The entire Overwatch League regular season will be online-only
The Overwatch League has canceled all of its live events for the remainder of the 2020 regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Matches will take place in an entirely online format until August at the very least.
'Overwatch' will test weekly hero bans in competitive matches
Many Overwatch players have been hoping for some time that Blizzard would bring in a hero ban system to keep the game from stagnating. The likes of Rainbow Six: Siege, Dota 2 and League of Legends allow players to vote for characters the opposing team can't use in a given match, but Blizzard isn't quite taking that approach with Overwatch. It'll trial a system called Hero Pools, in which a few characters will be disabled in competitive matches each week.
Blizzard unveils 'Overwatch 2' at BlizzCon
Following a leak about the game earlier this week, Blizzard officially revealed Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon, including an early look at gameplay. You can expect four-player story missions (a permanent version of the current event missions) and hero missions that take place in familiar and new locales as Blizzard expands the franchise's lore. Until now, much of the storytelling has played out in cinematic videos and comics. The story missions include an item system that allow you to pick up and deploy gear like healing packs, grenades and shields.
Nintendo confirms 'Overwatch' is coming to Switch October 15th
Nintendo has confirmed one of the biggest rumors in gaming over the last week or so is true: Overwatch will be available on Switch this fall. It revealed the news in its latest Direct, after a couple of leaks and a Kotaku report indicated Blizzard's FPS was making its way to the console. You'll be able to start pushing payloads on Switch October 15th.
'Overwatch' is reportedly coming to Nintendo Switch in October
It seems there's some truth to talk about Blizzard bringing Overwatch to Nintendo Switch over three years after the game's debut elsewhere. The rumor mill started churning in earnest when a listing for an Overwatch-themed Switch case popped up on Amazon last week. Meanwhile, a retail leak that's been doing the rounds hinted the team-based shooter is coming to the console October 18th in Europe.
Overwatch League's latest big change is great for viewers
Picture this: FIFA decides to bring in a rule that changes how every team, from World Cup squads to US Youth Soccer National League orgs, plays. They're forced to field two strikers, four midfielders and four defenders at all times, even though many top teams prefer to have more midfielders supporting one main attacker.
The next 'Overwatch' hero is yet another evil scientist
Blizzard waited a little longer than fans expected, but it has at last revealed the identity of Overwatch's 31st playable character. Following a couple of mathematical-oriented teasers over the weekend, the developer confirmed rumors and leaks that Sigma is joining the ranks.
'Warcraft' and 'Warcraft 2' are now available on GOG.com
Blizzard just re-released Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft 2 through online gaming marketplace GOG.com. First released in the mid-nineties, the pair of real-time strategy games are now available for the first time digitally. In the first game, players return to the original Azeroth and must raise an army of humans or orcs to fight their enemies. The second Warcraft game, Tides of Darkness, takes place on the high seas, and sees humans and orcs joining forces with elves, trolls, dwarves, and other creatures.
'Overwatch' healer Baptiste debuts on March 19th
Baptiste, the Haitian combat medic who grew up an orphan, will make his Overwatch debut next week. The game announced on Twitter that Baptiste would be coming out on March 19th. Last month, we learned some details about Baptiste in a revealing trailer and letter, and he's been playable on the game's public test server ever since.
The original ‘Diablo’ is now available on GOG.com
The original 1996 Diablo is now available for the first time digitally on GOG.com. Fans of Blizzard's classic RPG can choose between two modes; an old-school version with 20 FPS, SVGA graphics and Battle.net multiplayer support, or a more modern version with out-of-the-box Windows 10 compatibility, bug fixes and high-resolution support. Windows users can go to GOG.com and download the re-release for $9.99; there's no need to download the Blizzard app. Unfortunately, Mac users are left in the dust: The company told Engadget that this release is Windows-only and didn't say if it would create a Mac-friendly version of Diablo in the future.
Overwatch League will air on live TV in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
The new season of Overwatch League (OWL) will be broadcast live on pay TV channel ESports1 in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland starting February 14th. The newly-announced deal between Blizzard and German broadcaster Sport1 -- which recently launched ESports1 as a dedicated eSports channel -- spans two years and also hands it the rights to the Overwatch World Cup and digital card game Hearthstone.
Blizzard announces player discipline tracker for Overwatch League
The upcoming 2019 season of the Overwatch League will include a new wrinkle designed to help keep track of penalties handed down to players for bad behavior. Blizzard announced the launch of a discipline tracker that will list all infractions committed by Overwatch League gamers and any punishment enacted against them. Seven players have already been penalized according to the tracker, even though league play isn't scheduled to start until February 14th, 2019.
Blizzard CEO and president Mike Morhaime steps down
Mike Morhaime has been a part of Blizzard since it was founded in 1991 as Silicon & Synapse, Inc., and now he's stepping down from his role as president and CEO. Former executive producer and senior VP for World of Warcraft J. Allen Brack will take over as president, while Ray Gresko (Overwatch, Diablo III) will step in as chief development officer, while co-founder and former WoW lead designer Allen Adham will join the executive leadership team. In a statement, Morhaime said "After many years of working with some of the industry's most talented people to create games and worlds for you to play in, I've decided it's time for someone else to lead Blizzard Entertainment. I will now serve as an advisor to the company I so love and admire...I truly believe that this amazing community has the potential to be a shining light to the rest of the industry by setting a positive example of inclusivity, tolerance, and acceptance toward others. In the words of one of Blizzard's core values: remember to always play nice; play fair. "
Blizzard bans third-party 'Overwatch' stats apps
Blizzard has declared that players are not allowed to use certain third-party Overwatch stat-tracking apps. The company said running software such as Visor and Pursuit while playing the game violates the End User License Agreement, and those who continue to use those tools could face permanent bans.
New 'Overwatch' map spotlights D.Va and the MEKA Squad
No one in gaming does CGI cinematics quite like Blizzard. The latest Overwatch short focuses on D.Va and the weight of her feeling like she's the only person who can fight against Omnic. Without giving too much away, the results are heartwarming and a little bit explosive. More than that, there are some overt themes about it being okay to ask for help (like when you're moving the payload) present as well. There might even be a few teases about what's next for the Korean esports star if you look close enough.
'Diablo III' arrives on the Nintendo Switch this fall
After Blizzard dropped an ominous Diablo hint on Twitter back in May, the franchise's community manager revealed in a video last week that multiple projects are in the works. One of those revelations was supposed to be unveiled tomorrow, but leaked info broke the news early: Diablo III is indeed coming to Switch and will include all currently-released content along with some Nintendo-themed extras. Best of all, it's got local offline co-op.
