The opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2019 has concluded and several huge game announcements were made, but one name was notably absent from the proceedings: Diablo Immortal.

Blizzard took a lot of flak following last year's Blizzcon event when the much anticipated Diablo series announcement turned out to be the mobile title we now know as Diablo Immortal. The response to the announcement was so negative that Blizzard's stock value fell by seven percent. The pressure for this year's BlizzCon mounted in the past few weeks as controversy swirled around their decision to ban a Hearthstone player (which has also lead to protests at the event itself). The opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2019 opened up with an apology for the incident and it seemed as if the company's goal was to get fans back on their side.

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The announcements at Blizzcon 2019 included Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, but no mention was made of Diablo Immortal, even though there is no solid release date for the game. It's possible that Blizzard didn't want any news of the game to get lost in the excitement surrounding the other announcements, but it seems more likely that the company didn't want to provoke any kind of a negative reaction.

via.DiabloImmortal

The opening ceremony of Blizzcon 2019 was full of announcements that gamers have waited years to hear, yet the memory of the backlash to Diablo Immortal is still fresh in the minds of many, as are Blizzard's recent indiscretions regarding the Hearthstone controversy. It's possible that there is exciting Diablo Immortal news to be made public, but it could well have provoked a harsh reaction from the crowd at the event. It's hard to boo the announcements for Diablo IV and Overwatch 2, but Diablo Immortal would have been fair game to light a powder keg on an already tense situation.

The tactic for Diablo Immortal seems to have been to let the situation die down and talk more about it closer to its release date, with the hope that its gameplay could speak for itself. The recent troubles surrounding Blizzard have made that plan impossible for the time being and it seems that Diablo Immortal will have to stay submerged for a little longer.

Next: BlizzCon 2019: Diablo 4 Revealed With Lilith, Queen Of The Succubi