With the annual event right around the corner, it’s obviously time for tons of leaks and rumors to start emerging ahead of the event. Much like E3, Tokyo Game Show, or any major video game news event at this point, it seems very hard for things to stay a secret until the planned announcement. There have been some very interestingBlizzardrumors so far surrounding many of the company’s major franchises, so it seems like a good time to round each of them up and speculate about their likelihood.
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For fans who prefer some surprises during the big event, we recommend stopping here. Although everything that follows is still firmly in the rumor camp, some fans may feel like a few of these predictions and leaks are spoilers and will ruin the big moments during BlizzCon 2019.
Let’s start with the big one. Over the weekend a reliableOverwatchsource, who has correctly predicted character announcements in the past, emerged to share some details about howOverwatch 2will be announced this year at BlizzCon. When it comes to popular games as service titles likeOverwatch, it is always hard to predict if or when a sequel or new installment will ever arrive. The popular team-based shooter could easily continue just releasing new characters and events and still make money, but it sounds like the time for a true sequel may be arriving. If the title is announced at BlizzCon, it will be interesting to see if it is planned for a next-gen console launch. That would definitely be one convincing reason to leave the original behind and start a new era as thePS5 and Xbox Scarlett hit stores during holiday 2020.
Besides the aforementioned PvE elements, Metro says thatOverwatch 2is going to have a new leveling system that will impact how players can play their selected hero. An example given was that Tracer’s Pulse Bomb could be upgraded so that if she sticks an opponent with it, it will also stick any other units close to that target. This sounds like it would be hugely overpowered inOverwatch’scurrent PvP scene, so we would imagine that stuff like this would be relegated to the PvE side of the equation.
No New Overwatch Hero
The same source who revealed the details aboutOverwatch 2’sannouncement plans claims that the rumors surrounding the reveal of a hero names Echo are false. The source claims that all resources are currently being put intoOverwatch 2development and thatthe originalOverwatchis done adding new heroes. If this claim ends up being true, that means that Sigma will have been the finalOverwatchcharacter arriving in the game. It seems like Blizzard would’ve made a bigger deal about that milestone, but perhaps plans have changed in a hurry…
Last time theDiablofranchise made a major announcement, it left a lot of fans pretty unhappy.Diablo Immortalwasn’t the game that core fans were expecting(or asking for necessarily), so Blizzard is still working to win back the hearts of the hardcoreDiabloaudience. A promo image for an upcoming art book may have just accidentally spoiled a surprise Diablo 4 announcement. The promo image from the German magazine translates to “…with over 500 artworks fromDiablo, Diablo 2, Diablo 3,andDiablo 4.” This leak could be poorly translated and actually referring toDiablo Immortalinstead ofDiablo 4, but if it’s accurate, it seems like aDiablo 4announcement could be arriving just in time for BlizzCon.
This leaked image supports earlier rumors from Metro thatDiablo 4was going to be announced at BlizzCon 2019.
Diablo 2 Remaster
Metro’s predictions forDiabloannouncements didn’t end withDiablo 4though. The leaker suggests that they have information on aDiablo 2 Remasterannouncement, as well. There are no additional details or other sources to backup this rumor at this point. That said, Blizzard definitely is trying to get back on the good side of theDiablofanbase, so giving them two big games to be excited about seems like a realistic play and we know that the company is not opposed to Remastering its greatest hits from over the years.
Although theWarcraft 3 ReforgedBlizzCon 2018 announcement was met with a lot of excitement, the game has pretty much gone radio silent since this time last year. Adatamine ofWarcraft 3Reforgednow suggests that a beta and release date are right around the corner. If Blizzard is looking to give players something to play as they walk away from the event, opening up aWarcraft 3 Reforgedbeta would certainly get a lot of fans hyped.\
Although there are no leaks to support this rumor, the retailWoWexpansion formula is a little easy to predict at this point. Based on how announcements have gone in the past, it seems highly likely that Blizzard will reveal the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion title (and possibly an introduction cinematic) and that the expansion will then release in late summer 2020. Although the battle for Azeroth still rages on, the conflict is starting to shift towards the Old Gods, so the next expansion will likely have something to do with the Horde and Alliance coming together for that battle.
In terms of otherWoWnews, it also seems like about the right time forWoW Classic’steam to offer some more concrete dates on plans forPhase 2 and what comes next for the vanilla experience. Again, there are not leaks for this particular prediction, but based on how longWoW Classichas been out and the recent addition of Dire Maul, it seems like Phase 2 should be right around the corner.
Outside of established Blizz properties there doesn’t seem to be any additional rumors about a new IP or game. WhenOverwatchdropped three years ago, there had been lots of rumors and leaks before the official reveal. It would be exciting to see Blizzard give fans a new IP to look forward to, but at this point there’s no evidence pointing in that direction for this year.
Be sure to check back for more Blizzard rumors, news, and updates, in the coming days.
BlizzCon 2019is scheduled to take place November 1 through November 3.
