BlizzCon 2019 was finally announced and with it came an assortment of emotions from their fanbase. Some were excited, while others still felt the pain of the previous years fallout. Of course we’re talking of course about the lack of major announcements, Warcraft III Reforged aside, and Diablo Immortal, a mobile game that was almost universally despised upon its reveal. Worse yet, this was how the Opening Ceremony ended, not on high explosive note, with a sad whimper. If Blizzard wants to recoup themselves, they need to announce Diablo 4 at this years BlizzCon, and I believe that on this basis alone, they will.
Now don’t get me wrong, the company has thrown some smoke and mirrors our way many times at past BlizzCons, and they will probably continue to do that. But when it comes time to make that grand reveal for the next entry for Diablo, the company will finally deliver to their fans. Even if they don’t have any gameplay to show us, just the fact that it even exists is more than enough for us at this point. It makes the fans actually look forward to something, and yes having another event on Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch is something to tide us over, but it’s nothing all that new anymore.
Their have already been signs throughout the year that shows us that Blizzard is preparing for something big later, such as revealing to their investors that they have no major plans for 2019. Yes, this looks bad on paper, but what convention is at the end of the year? BlizzCon, and with it usually comes announcements for upcoming IP’s and new updates for existing games. Just because they don’t have any “major” things going on this year, doesn’t mean that they won’t have something for 2020 and beyond.
Another big thing is that the company won’t be attending Gamescom this year, which is the biggest European video gaming convention in the world. This news also came about after they had already announced BlizzCon 2019. It was rather surprising to hear, as Blizzard is known to always be at Gamescom for their fans across the Atlantic. The biggest takeaway from this is that the company is with holding their bigger announcements for this November, specifically Diablo 4.
Its been a rough 2019 so far for Blizzard. As we approach the Summer, the company has a lot to prove, not just to us, but to themselves. Their is no doubt that fans will continue to congregate to BlizzCon, but the Opening Ceremony is something that Blizzard themselves needs to address. Given what we’ve seen thus far, theirs no reason to think that they won’t make the big reveal this time. Even if nothing else is announced, the main thing that most people will remember is that the series was finally given its due. Blizzard recognizes this, and they know the score. BlizzCon is their event, their home turf, and this will be the year that they finally deliver to us Diablo 4.
