BlizzCon is entirely online this year, cheekily renamed BlizzConline, as developers from Blizzard Entertainment take to pre-recorded Zoom meetings and game footage to showcase upcoming Blizzard games like Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4. Blizzard also officially announced the much-rumored Diablo 2 remaster, Diablo 2: Resurrected.
Here’s all the big news from the first day of BlizzCon 2021:
Diablo 2: Resurrected
One of the most beloved and acclaimed PC games of all time is finally getting an HD remaster. Diablo 2: Resurrected upgrades the 2D sprites into 3D rendering with dynamic lighting and remade animations and spell effects, up to 4K resolution.
As with StarCraft Remastered, players can switch between the new graphics and the original with the press of a button. The original gameplay with all seven classes (including two from the expansion, Lord of Destruction) has been preserved.
Diablo 2: Resurrected is coming later this year on PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox, with cross-progression between platforms. No release date was given, but brave souls can sign up for the technical alpha test on PC at the official website.
Blizzard Arcade Collection
Before Blizzard was Blizzard, and before they made Warcraft, they made three really fun games across different genres. The Blizzard Arcade Collection combines puzzle-platformer The Lost Vikings, isometric racing game Rock N Roll Racing, and 2D platformer-shooter Blackthorn into a single compilation, out now for PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.
The games include their original versions, as well as Definitive Editions, which add enhanced gameplay, audio, and visuals. Both editions grant the ability to rewind up to 10 seconds and the ability to save anywhere. The PC version of the Blizzard Arcade Collection is part of the Celebration Collection, which includes in-game goodies for Blizzard’s modern games as part of their 30-year celebration.
Diablo 4
Blizzard announced Diablo 4 two years ago at BlizzCon 2019, but have been relatively quiet since then. This year they announced one of the classes, the Rogue, who technically hasn’t been seen since the original Diablo. The Rogue is quick and deadly, able to spring traps, poison enemies, and drag them into the shadow realm.
We don’t have a release date yet, but Blizzard previously confirmed that Diablo 4 won’t be coming out this year.
Overwatch 2
Like Diablo 4, Overwatch 2 was initially revealed at BlizzCon 2019. This year they gave us a deeper dive into the updates and changes the sequel will bring, including to PvP multiplayer, PvE missions, and individual heroes. We saw the new Rome map, redesigns for heroes like McCree and Pharah, weather effects like sandstorms, and skill trees for cooperative PvE. Unfortunately like Diablo 4, we also don’t yet have a release date for the highly anticipated sequel.
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic
In 2019 Blizzard released World of Warcraft Classic to satisfy fans of the original 2004-era MMO before the decades plus of updates and expansions. Burning Crusade was the first expansion for World of Warcraft, originally released in 2007, and now it’s coming to World of Warcraft Classic later this year, free for WoW subscribers.
Hearthstone: Forged in the Barrens
Forged in the Barrens is the newest expansion to the long-running digital card game, Hearthstone. The expansion adds 135 new cards with several new mechanics. Frenzy is a new keyword, triggering when the creature first takes damage. Forged also adds Spell Schools as a permanent new addition, adding new synergies and depth throughout all the cards in your collection.
