StarCraft is returning as an open-world shooter, but its announced arrival sits in 2030. Diablo V is planned for Spring 2029. Between those distant releases, Blizzard’s BlizzCon opening ceremony concentrated heavily on additions that existing Diablo, Overwatch, Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm players can reach much sooner.
Xbox Wire, the primary record of the ceremony, presented the announcements as a broad slate spanning several Blizzard series. Eurogamer reported the same headline combination of a StarCraft shooter, Diablo V, and an expanded Classic-style World of Warcraft. PC Gamer likewise reported that the new StarCraft game is an open-world shooter and identified World of Warcraft: Forever as the newly revealed Classic branch.
StarCraft changes genre, not just format
The central StarCraft announcement is notable for what it is not. Xbox Wire says the series returns as an original open-world shooter, rather than naming a new real-time strategy game. PC Gamer also reported the genre shift and noted that speculation before the ceremony had included the possibility of a strategy sequel.
That leaves a large amount of the project undefined in the material available so far. The announcement establishes its setting, form, and planned year, but does not supply gameplay systems, platforms, or a release date beyond 2030. For now, the meaningful change is that Blizzard has placed StarCraft back on its forward slate in a substantially different genre.
Diablo has an immediate season and a distant sequel
Diablo’s announcements operate on two timelines. Diablo V is scheduled for Spring 2029 and, according to Xbox Wire, begins after Sanctuary has fallen and Diablo has won. PC Gamer also reported that the game takes place after Diablo IV and that Diablo has won.
More immediate is Diablo IV’s Season of Hell’s Legacy, which Xbox Wire says arrives September 15 to mark 30 years of Diablo. The season brings back the Prime Evils, including Diablo, alongside Deckard Cain, Nightmare Rifts, anniversary rewards, and gear drawn from across the series. PC Gamer separately reported that Deckard Cain, Baal, Mephisto, and Diablo will appear in the anniversary celebration.
The Amazon will join Diablo IV as its next class in the first half of 2027, according to Xbox Wire. The same report says Xbox players can save 75% on Diablo IV and up to 30% on Diablo II: Resurrected content through September 22. An animated Diablo series is also in development with Netflix; VGC reported that Blizzard is also in discussions around Warcraft and Overwatch.
Warcraft splits between its past and its future
World of Warcraft: Forever is the most concrete structural change in the ceremony’s Warcraft announcements. Xbox Wire describes it as a third way to play beside Modern and Classic, set in the Vanilla era. It will include three new zones, more than 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, two new raids, and the Skyborne race. The beta begins September 17, and the full release is planned for November 4, 2026.
PC Gamer described Forever as a new branch that restarts World of Warcraft in its first year but adds new stories rather than simply recreating the original path. Its report says the branch will initially hold at a level 60 cap, allowing room for future expansion routes that can differ from the original game.
That distinction matters. Modern World of Warcraft advances its ongoing Worldsoul Saga, with Eclipse 12.2 leading toward The Last Titan. Forever instead offers a separate, earlier-era setting with new content. It is not merely a choice between present-day World of Warcraft and a preservation-focused Classic experience.
Warcraft III: Reforged also receives a new Forsaken Kingdom campaign alongside the 3.0 update. Xbox Wire says the campaign revisits Lordaeron’s fall and transformation into the Undercity, while the update adds a graphics overhaul and a revamped World Editor. PC Gamer reported that the update is free.
The shorter calendar across Blizzard games
Several announcements arrive before the longer-range projects:
- Diablo IV: Season of Hell’s Legacy launches September 15.
- World of Warcraft: Forever beta opens September 17.
- Hearthstone Battlegrounds adds Aberrations on September 22.
- Heroes of the Storm adds Xal’atath on September 28, after a PTR start on September 14.
- Hearthstone expansion Reign of the Black Empire arrives October 20.
- World of Warcraft: Forever launches November 4, 2026.
- Diablo IV receives the Amazon class in the first half of 2027.
- Hearthstone adds the Monk in March 2027.
Overwatch Season 5 adds Doctrine, a vampire-inspired Support Hero whose abilities include bat-like drones, according to Xbox Wire. The season also includes major reworks for Sombra and Roadhog, the Watchpoint: Grimsvotn map, and the conclusion of The Reign of Talon story arc. The next Overwatch Spotlight is set for February 2027.
Hearthstone will also receive an overhauled Journal that gathers quests, achievements, and events in one place. Reign of the Black Empire introduces Assemble, a keyword that merges two cards into a stronger card.
The ceremony’s through line is not a single sequel announcement but a split strategy: established games receive immediate additions, while StarCraft and Diablo V define a longer horizon. For players, Warcraft: Forever is the clearest near-term experiment, because it creates a distinct route through a familiar world rather than simply extending the existing one. StarCraft’s return carries the largest genre change, but its 2030 target leaves the shape of that new direction largely open.