If you were holding out hope for either Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2 releasing in 2021, then we unfortunately have some sour news for you. It looks like neither game is going to make it out the gate this year, with Activision-Blizzard reporting in a recent call with investors the launches of Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 aren't being included in its outlook for 2021.
This week the folks at Blizzard responsible for pumping up their next major games conference revealed a set of "packs" before the show. These packs include goodies for games of all sorts, including Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, and StarCraft II. Also in the mix for goods were Diablo III, and World of Warcraft. The packs were made available this week for approximately $20, $40, and $60 USD, depending on which level you were looking for.
If you're looking for something to play over the holidays, it seems that Blizzard has you covered. As it tends to do every once in a while, Blizzard has made Overwatch free-to-play for a limited time, allowing those who have yet to take the plunge check it out without spending any money first. The difference this time around is the length of time Overwatch is going free-to-play.
Halo Infinite will be released attached to an array of gaming accessories made by Razer this holiday season. Razer announced their partnership with 343 Industries this week. Razer and 343 Industries did not yet reveal the specific products that'd be released in this collaborations, but we can make a few assumptions based on collaborations Razer's done in the past.
Blizzard has released a new free soundtrack for its hit Overwatch game, offering fans new music related to the cities and countries featured in the fictional world. This isn't the first album Blizzard has offered Overwatch for free; anyone can also stream its "Collector's Edition Soundtrack" and the "Synaesthesia Auditiva" album, as well.
As of this afternoon, Blizzard made it official: There will be no BlizzCon 2020. This is an update to a previously-released statement that said they'd be considering the future. Now it's become a more solid understanding that BlizzCon 2020 will, indeed, be cancelled outright. This does not mean that future BlizzCon events will be held, only that here in 2020, there will be BlizzCon whatsoever.
Despite the fact that many people are working from home, Blizzard has managed to serve up a new PTR patch release for its Overwatch game, one that focuses entirely on communication. The team explains that Overwatch's Communication Wheel has been updated; players now have the opportunity to customize the responses they have quick access to, say new phrases, and more.
In recent days, Overwatch League announced that it had rescheduled certain matches that had originally been set to take place in China, but that had to be canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The makeup matches were rescheduled to take place in South Korea, but now the league has been forced to cancel those matches, too, as the virus spreads into the nation.
Overwatch League, the professional esports league that was forced to cancel a number of matches in China over the novel coronavirus outbreak, has announced that it will hold makeup matches for those events in South Korea. The decision to hold these matches in Seoul was made 'in order to protect the health and safety of our fans, players, and staff,' according to the league.
Blizzard is planning to address feedback about its hit game Overwatch with a new test that will prevent competitive games from getting repetitive (for viewers). Starting with this competitive season, Blizzard will disable some characters during competitions, forcing teams to shake up which characters they play with and keep things interesting. Similar methods are used by other popular games, though Blizzard has been criticized for moving slowly in this regard.
It's that time of the year again: Blizzard has launched the Overwatch Lunar New Year 2020 event, offering a large number of new skins that are unlockable by completing challenges. The game is celebrating the Year of the Rat with a new brawl mode called 'Capture the Flag Blitz,' which is a version of the regular Capture the Flag mode that moves the flags much closer to each other.
One of the biggest announcements of BlizzCon 2019 was that of Overwatch 2. Blizzard didn't give us a reveal date for Overwatch 2, and unlike some other companies, Blizzard games can sometimes take years in between reveal and launch. In short: While many might hope that Overwatch 2 is coming out at some point in 2020, it could very well be a longer wait.