Blizzard Announces Major Franchise Updates at BlizzCon 2026
Blizzard Entertainment has unveiled a slate of major projects, including the next mainline Diablo entry, a genre-shifting StarCraft title, and a new World of Warcraft experience.
Diablo 5 and StarCraft Pivot
Blizzard has officially announced Diablo 5, confirming the next mainline entry in the series is currently slated for a spring 2029 release.
Additionally, the StarCraft franchise is returning in a new form. The studio revealed an open-world shooter set within the StarCraft universe, scheduled to launch in spring 2030.
World of Warcraft: Forever Confirmed
The long-circulating rumors regarding a 'Classic+' version of World of Warcraft have been confirmed by the developer.
The project, officially titled World of Warcraft: Forever, aims to deliver the experience fans have been speculating about for some time.
Level-5 Addresses AI Usage
Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino has admitted to the use of generative AI in the studio's recent digital showcase.
Hino stated the technology was utilized to make the presentation 'more spectacular,' following public discourse regarding the studio's marketing materials.
Sources
- Diablo 5 is coming spring 2029, and a Netflix show is in development (eurogamer.net)
- StarCraft is back, but it's not the RTS you remember - it's an open-world shooter coming spring 2030 (eurogamer.net)
- The World of Warcraft "Classic+" rumours were true and it's called World of Warcraft: Forever (eurogamer.net)
- Professor Layton studio Level-5's CEO admits using AI to make its digital showcase "more spectacular" (eurogamer.net)