Skip to main content

Proud mother Blizzard is ‘incubating’ several new gaming projects

Blizzard
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Blizzard Entertainment is currently working away on a number of new game prototypes built around entirely new properties. Describing them as currently “incubating,” at the company, Blizzard hasn’t confirmed whether all or any will eventually see the light of day, but did state that none are based on existing properties like Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch.

This week saw Blizzard reveal its earnings for the past quarter and along with confirming that it had as many as 400 million active players across its and Activision titles over the past three months, it also detailed some new games it had in the works. Company co-founder Mike Morhaime talked about them in vague terms during a discussion of the earnings report, though he did state that most staff remained focused on existing franchises (via Gamespot).

Recommended Videos

However, that’s not to say that star talent isn’t working on anything new. Morhaime reminded those listening in to the call that fellow Blizzard co-founder, Allen Adham, had come back to the Blizzard fold last year in order to head up teams working on the incubating projects.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Describing the intellectual property pipeline at Blizzard as better than ever, Morhaime said that the company was also looking into alternative platforms like mobile for future developments.

“We now have multiple dedicated incubation teams that are being led by some of our most experienced game designers at Blizzard,” Morhaime said. “I should say that creating new, Blizzard-quality games on any platform will take time. And as we’ve shown in the past, we’re not going to release any games that we don’t feel live up to our expectations or those of our players.”

These won’t be niche ideas though. Much like Blizzard’s other large franchises, it will be looking to capture big audiences with new projects, with Morhaime saying that not only would new developments have wide appeal, but that they would be projects the developers were passionate about.

This is an ethos that we’ve seen play out with Blizzard in the past. Its expected successor MMO to World of Warcraft, Titan, was canceled after many years in development when Blizzard felt it wasn’t up to the standard of the company’s other games.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…
Xbox Game Pass gets its first Activision Blizzard game very soon
xbox game pass march games diablo 4 iv

Microsoft unveiled the batch of titles coming to its gaming subscription service throughout the back half of March. Quite a few awesome titles are making their way to the service, but by far, the most notable addition is Diablo IV, the first Activision Blizzard game being made available on Xbox Game Pass.

Diablo IV was released in June 2023, just a few months before Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It's the latest entry in a long-running isometric RPG series, and it retains the same engaging dungeon design, deep progression systems, and captivating loot loop that makes games in this franchise special. People have been wondering when Activision Blizzard games would arrive on Xbox Game Pass in the months since the acquisition process was completed, and Diablo IV was finally confirmed to be coming to the service on March 28 last month.

Read more
Every key detail from Xbox’s business update: new console, multiplatform games, and more
Xbox's logo used during the Extended Games Showcase

Microsoft just released the latest episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, and it contained lots of crucial details on the future of Xbox. Microsoft addressed everything from how many games it will make multiplatform to the arrival of Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass to future Xbox hardware.

If you don't want to listen to the full 23-minute podcast and want more details than what's shared in the Xbox Wire post about the discussion, here's a quick rundown of the biggest points made during the episode.
Four Xbox games are going multiplatform
To kick things off, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, addressed the multiplatform Xbox game rumors. "We made the decision that we’re going to take four games to the other consoles. Just four games, not a change to our kind of fundamental exclusive strategy,” he said. “We’re making these decisions for some specific reasons. We make every decision with the long-term health of Xbox in mind, and long-term health of Xbox means a growing platform, our games performing, building the best platform for creators, reaching as many players as we can."

Read more
Xbox lays off 1,900 developers, cancels Blizzard’s survival game
A hunter crouches before footprints in Blizzard concept art.

Concept art from a now-cancelled Blizzard survival game. Blizzard Entertainment

Microsoft is laying off around 8% of its Gaming Workforce, affecting game developers across Xbox, ZeniMax Media, and the newly acquired Activision Blizzard.

Read more