From hurdles to Mankrik’s wife, here are the best bits from the WoW Classic AMA
With only six days to go before launch, the World of Warcraft Classic team took to Reddit to answer player's burning questions. Here's what they had to say on everything from holiday events to Mankrik's wife.
Overwatch Role Queue system will change the metagame, for better or worse
Blizzard is attempting to make Overwatch matches "fair and fun" with the Role Queue system, which forces teams to be made up of two Damage heroes, two Tank heroes, and two Support heroes. The feature's sudden entry into the Overwatch League will shake up the metagame, as it will kill the GOATS strategy.
Blizzard teases Overwatch hero 31, but name and image may have already leaked
Blizzard teased hero 31 of Overwatch through a faux Developer Update that featured a wormhole and several complex equations. While a Redditor speculated on the skills of the new character, his name and image may have already been leaked by Mexico's official team in the Overwatch World Cup.
Blizzard will save players from Overwatch cheaters by shutting down matches
Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan said in the latest developer update that matches in the multiplayer shooter will abruptly end as soon as the game detects a cheater. The feature, to be powered by an improved anti-cheat system, will not result in lost Skill Rating for the honest players in the match.
Blizzard suffers another blow with exit of global esports director Kim Phan
Blizzard suffered another blow with the departure of global esports director Kim Phan, who was with the company for 13 years. Her exit follows the move of the Overwatch League's founding commissioner Nate Nanzer last month to Epic Games, highlighting the struggles of the company's esports initiatives.
Blizzard reportedly axes another StarCraft shooter for Diablo 4, Overwatch 2
Blizzard was reportedly working on a first-person shooter set in the StarCraft universe that was based on the Overwatch engine. The studio, however, has canceled the project after two years in development, moving the members of its team to others working on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2.
Blizzard esports teams for Call of Duty, Overwatch reportedly low on morale
The esports teams of Blizzard, particularly those working on Call of Duty and Overwatch, are reportedly low on morale under the leadership of Pete Vlastelica. Staff are said to be "miserable" due to management's vision for the company's esports initiatives, which are more in line with televised sports.
World of Warcraft Classic beta testers confusing old-school features for bugs
Blizzard released a "not a bug" list for World of Warcraft Classic, as beta testers apparently kept sending in reports for features that were working as intended. The list includes the large hitboxes of Taurens and the "Your skill in Protection increased to 15" message that appears upon leveling up.
Blizzard has ‘large ambitions’ for Overwatch, hints at possible spinoff
Blizzard President J. Allen Brack said that the developer has large ambitions for the Overwatch universe. The development team will be splitting time between the existing game and other work, which may be referring to a spin-off for the massively popular, hero-based multiplayer shooter.
Blizzard says Overwatch endorsement system helped slash toxicity by 40 percent
Blizzard said that toxicity in Overwatch is down 40 percent, thanks largely to the addition of two social features to the game last year. One of these features is the endorsement system, which allows players to reward teammates and opponents who show good behavior during a match.
Hearthstone: Rise of Shadows shines the spotlight on Warcraft villains
Rise of Shadows, the next expansion for Hearthstone, will shine the spotlight on villains that have previously appeared in Blizzard's digital card game. The set will kick off the Year of the Dragon with 135 new cards and two mechanics, and will start first-ever year-long storyline for Hearthstone.
Overwatch League teams will host home games starting in 2020
Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer revealed plans for the teams to start hosting games in their home cities next year. The teams will play half of their games at home and the other half visiting other teams, in an arrangement that will resemble the schedules of traditional sports leagues.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth: Everything you need to know
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is the latest expansion for the now 14-year-old MMORPG made by Blizzard Entertainment. It goes back to the roots of the Alliance vs. Horde conflict. Here's everything you need to know including new features, races, and launch date.
Diablo 3’s ‘Season of Grandeur’ is a minor update to a game that deserves better
'Diablo 3' season 16, the 'Season of Grandeur,' is live. It attempts to shake up the stale meta-game with a minor tweak, but it falls far short of what fans of the franchise want. Better games like 'Path of Exile' are eating Blizzard's lunch.
Tribute to Marvel legend Stan Lee added as Easter egg to ‘World of Warcraft’
A tribute character based on Stan Lee has been found in World of Warcraft's public test realm. The character, named Stanley, resembles the comic book legend and even utters his signature phrase. The Marvel Comics creator died at the age of 95 in November after making cameos in more than 20 films.
Overwatch Contenders’ ‘Ellie’ controversy sets back women in esports
Ellie, a female pro player who quit from Overwatch Contenders team Second Wind after being harassed due to her anonymity, turned out to be a male pro player who goes by the name Punisher. The alleged social experiment looked to make a point about women in esports, but it ended up damaging the cause.
Nerf Rival ‘Overwatch’ blasters offer form over function
We got to try out the new Nerf Rival Overwatch blasters and were impressed with how close they resemble their in-game counterparts, but they aren't exactly the best bang for your buck. Full-size blasters are available for McCree, D.Va, and Reaper, with mini blasters for D.Va, Tracer, and Torbjörn.
Blizzard launches ‘Discipline Tracker’ to name and shame ‘Overwatch’ cheaters
Blizzard has brought in a new system to name and shame cheaters who break Overwatch's rules. The Discipline Tracker is a list of the players who have been disciplined by Blizzard for breaking the rules, showing details like the player's name, their team, and details about what infractions they committed.
Not even a Valkyrie can save ‘Overwatch’ from the toxicity against its healers
Blizzard’s Overwatch introduces some of the most versatile support characters in gaming, but not even a rework to its most popular healer can stop the amount of online toxicity plaguing the class. We spoke with a number of players of the support class, who have dealt with insults, mockery, and harassment.
More ‘Diablo’ games will be announced next year, Blizzard confirms
Blizzard further confirmed that multiple Diablo projects are in development, and that they will be revealed next year. Fans of the series will have new Diablo games to look forward to in 2019, likely including Diablo 4, which had been expected to be announced at BlizzCon 2018.
Blizzard reportedly working on ‘Warcraft’-themed ‘Pokémon Go’
Blizzard is reportedly working on a Warcraft-themed version of the massively popular Pokémon Go, according to an in-depth Kotaku report on the Diablo franchise. The mobile game, which is said to feature single-player mechanics, is in development amid the criticism against Diablo Immortal.
‘Diablo IV’ was reportedly rebooted in 2016, could have been like Dark Souls
Diablo IV was reportedly rebooted in 2016, according to a new report from Kotaku. The game's previous iteration more closely resembled Dark Souls, ditching the isometric perspective. A planned second expansion for Diablo III was also reportedly canceled just as development was concluding on Reaper of Souls.
Original ‘Diablo’ developer calls out Blizzard for disrespecting its employees
A Twitch rant from an original creator of Diablo has gained attention for its vehement criticism of the mega publisher. David Brevik said that Blizzard was more interested in caring for its shareholders and the elite one percent of the company than looking after its workers.
‘Overwatch’ gunslinger Ashe is now available on all platforms
Blizzard announced Ashe as the latest Overwatch hero at BlizzCon 2018. The gunslinger has a history with McCree and makes use of a lever-action repeating rifle and a robotic sidekick. She is the 29th character revealed for the game, and is the 16th character in the revised "damage" category.
The next ‘Overwatch’ patch will bring major changes, require a full reinstall
The next major Overwatch patch was described by Blizzard as a remaster patch, and will include load time improvements and memory optimization, among other things. With so many things to be added to the game, a normal patch will not be enough, so a full reinstall will be required.
‘Diablo Immortal’ is just the beginning. Mobile games are the future
Diablo fans were furious after the announcement of Diablo Immortal, citing that mobile games are terrible, and could spell death for Diablo IV. In truth, mobile games are the future. From Apple and Samsung to Bethesda and Blizzard, we’re seeing a new incentive for games that fit on your phone.
Remember the ‘Titan’? Half of Blizzard’s games never see the light of day
Blizzard has revealed in an interview with Game Informer that about half of its total projects are ultimately canceled rather than released. The studio is currently working on multiple games, including the mobile title Diablo: Immortal, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and several unannounced projects.
Blizzard denies that ‘Diablo 4’ reveal was dropped from BlizzCon
Blizzard has denied that it dropped plans for revealing Diablo 4 at BlizzCon, shortly after Kotaku reported that a video message from studio co-founder Allen Adham was scrapped in the final hour. While that video message reportedly exists, Blizzard's plan was to anchor the show with Diablo Immortal.
20 awesome cosplays we saw at BlizzCon 2018
It’s a tradition for fans to show up to BlizzCon dressed as their favorite Blizzard characters. This year Digital Trends was on the floor and captured fans posed in their best suits of armor and cosplay gear. From Overwatch heroes and WoW characters, take a look at the best cosplay at BlizzCon 2018.
Overwatch nearly scrapped Ashe, and hasn’t ruled out retiring characters
Ashe, the latest hero in 'Overwatch,' is the first with an ultimate ability that spawns a whole different character -- B.O.B. Conquering the technical challenge of adding B.O.B. nearly forced Blizzard to scrap the character, but the team just barely made it work.
How many people does it take to make an Overwatch character? Over 150
During a BlizzCon 2018 panel, Overwatch developer Blizzard revealed that more than 150 people are involved in the design and implementation process for every one of the game's heroes. With the introduction of gunslinger Ashe, the game now features 29 different playable characters.
Blizzard Co-Founder Allen Adham says ‘we have not forgotten’ core Diablo fans
Blizzard fans are skeptical of 'Diablo Immortal,' but company co-founder Allen Adham is confident that players will like it once they play it. He told Digital Trends that multiple Diablo projects are still underway, and hinted at end-game content in 'Diablo Immortal.'
Next ‘Hearthstone’ expansion, ‘Rastakhan’s Rumble,’ is filled with trolls
Blizzard revealed Rastakhan's Rumble as the next Hearthstone expansion at BlizzCon 2018. The new set, which will be released on December 4, will feature nine legendary troll champions, nine primal gods known as the Loa, the new Overkill mechanic, and a single-player adventure named Rumble Run.
From pixels to plastic: First official ‘Overwatch’ Lego sets arrive January 1
Blizzard has officially unveiled the full first wave of Overwatch-themed Lego sets. They arrive on January 1 and vary drastically in price, with the biggest costing $90 and the cheapest only $15. The news arrives just in time for BlizzCon 2018, the company's annual fan and press event.