The Blizzcon 2019 opening ceremony has concluded and it was filled with announcements for upcoming games and new updates for existing titles.
The opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2019 began with an apology for the recent controversy surrounding the banning of a Hearthstone player for making political statements during a livestream. It was notable that the apology didn't mention the words "China" or "Hong Kong" at any point and it would have been hard to understand for those not familiar with what transpired.
The entire opening ceremony for Blizzcon 2019 is now available to watch on the PlayOverwatch YouTube channel. The game announcements began with a cinematic trailer for Diablo IV that showed off a demon named Lilith, who appears to be the main antagonist of the game. The cinematic trailer was followed by gameplay footage, showing off the barbarian, druid and sorceress classes, as well as the new horse-riding mechanics. The game is going back to the dark roots of the series, it will have PvP content, and it will be coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The next announcement was for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the upcoming expansion for the game that will deal with the fallout of Sylvanas tearing a hole in reality that leads to the afterlife. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will be released in 2020 and will include new dungeons and a Covenant faction system. World of Warcraft Classic is also receiving new content in the form of world bosses and a PvP update on November 15 that will allow players to kill their fellows in order to earn Honor points.
The Descent of Dragons expansion for Hearthstone was officially announced. A new keyword called "Invoke" will be added to the game and it can be used to power up Galakrond, who is the latest hero card. Descent of Dragons is due to launch on December 10. Hearthstone Battlegrounds was also announced, which is an upcoming mode involving eight players that is inspired by auto-chess games. Hearthstone Battlegrounds will have an Early Access period running from November 5-11, with a global beta starting on November 12.
Overwatch 2 was announced with a lengthy CGI trailer. The game will feature new heroes, new maps, PvE and PvP modes, as well as a brand new Push mode that will be used in competitive matches in the future. There will be PvE story missions and it will be possible to upgrade characters with new abilities for these missions. The original Overwatch isn't being left behind either, with both games being compatible with each other. Overwatch will include all the same maps and heroes as Overwatch 2 and unlocks from the first game will be available in the sequel. Blizzard has confirmed that Overwatch 2 will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Blizzcon 2019 had some incredible announcements, which were overshadowed by the recent controversies and most of the information being leaked beforehand. It was still a memorable conference and the long-time fans of Blizzard's most popular series have every reason to be excited for the games that were revealed at the event.
Source: PlayOverwatch/YouTube