"Diablo 4", "Overwatch 2" and more unveiled at Blizzcon
Blizzard is firing on all cylinders at the Blizzcon in-house exhibition. Not only was the eagerly awaited "Diablo 4" finally unveiled, but "Overwatch" also got a successor. And that was by no means all.
After the uproar over "Hearthstone" players being banned for their pro-Hong Kong comments who were banned during livestreams and the outcry over the mobile game "Diablo Immortal" at Blizzcon a year ago, the cult developer studio had a lot to make up for. This was followed right at the beginning by a short, half-hearted apology from President J. Allen Brack. However, he never once mentioned the Hong Kong incident by name. Blizzard probably wanted to get to the main course as quickly as possible. Because that was already served next.
"Diablo 4"
First came a dark and bloody cinematic trailer, which was intended to make it unmistakably clear that "Diablo 4" is going back to its roots. This was also confirmed by the subsequent gameplay trailer, which introduced the first three characters. Barbarian, mage and druid butchered their way through a clearly dark "Diablo". The druid can transform into a bear or werewolf. Riding will now also be possible. This indicates that the world is likely to become more open. There will also be PvP zones.
The action style of "Diablo 3" has been retained, but the design is more reminiscent of parts 1 and 2. The new villain, or rather the villainess, was also introduced. Lilith, mother of Nephalem, is more or less a female Diablo.
A short demo can be played on site, but there is no release date yet.
"Overwatch 2"
With another colossal trailer, Blizzard has officially unveiled the previously leaked "Overwatch 2". It will place a strong focus on story missions that are spread around the globe and show many of the familiar characters in more detail.
You will now be able to level up your characters and change their abilities. There will also be co-op missions, which should offer plenty of replay value.
Multiplayer remains an essential part of "Overwatch 2". There is also a new PvP mode called Push. As the name suggests, a giant robot will push crates through the level. Reminiscent of the existing Escort mode.
All heroes will receive a new design and there will of course also be new characters. The only one introduced so far is Sojourn, but many more are still to come.
Players of the first part can also rejoice. Blizzard promises that they will also receive all the new heroes and will be able to play all the new maps. On top of that, all skins etc. that you have unlocked will be transferred to "Overwatch 2". That's called service.
"World of Warcraft Shadowlands"
The new expansion for "World of Warcraft" will reunite the warring factions that were still at loggerheads in "Battle for Azeroth" and pit them against the Void Lords. Shadowlands is the new game world, which is supposed to represent an alternative dimension. Several new zones were shown in the gameplay trailer. There are also new instances and raids, of course.
"Hearthstone" with new sets and mode
The successful card game is also getting a new expansion. It is called "Descent of Dragons" and will unsurprisingly contain many dragon cards. A new mechanic is also being added with "Invoke". The new hero card Galakrond can be strengthened and transformed into new deadly forms.
Battle Grounds is a new eight-player mode. However, the mode has nothing to do with "PUBG" or the like, but is based on auto battlers such as "Auto Chess". It also follows the elimination principle until there is only one player left at the end. The expansion will be released on 10 December.
Being the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.