Everything Announced at BlizzCon's Opening Ceremony [ENDED]

Hello everyone! Two minutes to go!

We're going through all the franchises with old cinematic cuts - Diablo, Overwatch, StarCraft, Hearthstone...

#ForTheHorde

Johanna Faris, President of Blizzard Entertainment takes the stage to open up BlizzCon 2026.

This is her first BlizzCon standing on the stage in that capacity.

"Whatever your reasons for coming to BlizzCon 2026, it is my hope this [BlizzCon] can serve as an oasis [and a big party]."

Is has been a while since we've had BlizzCon like this. Lots of blood sweat and tears to make it happen.

JH: "I love you" to the team at Blizzard.

"This weekend is jam-packed with goodness, but I also have to admit that there is so much happening at Blizzard right now we couldn't even fit it into this weekend if we tried."

Heroes of the Storm?!?

Yeah... that's a new hero in HEROES OF THE STORM! Xal'atath is confirmed as a new hero coming later this month.

"Thank you for believing in this game. [...] Who knows, we might even have a new hero on the way in the near future. See you soon in the Nexus."

Blizzard has been working to find the best creative partnerships to tell stories. Diablo is getting a Netflix show!

The animated series for Diablo is currently in development with Netflix.

Overwatch and Warcraft are going to get a show or something media. No details to share yet though.

Dan Hay takes the stage.

Dan Hay previously has been rumored to be on the StarCraft Shooter project.

Dan had always wanted to do a StarCraft game. A team was built with one purpose, to return to INTERSTELLAR WAR. An Open world shooter!

They are here to reignite StarCraft!

"It's about damn time"

Will you flee or fight? FIGHT!

As it turns out, Blizzard still kicks serious ass at cinematics.

Well, that's a bit of a wait! 2030 is the new StarCraft game.

Aaron Keller, Game Director of Overwatch has taken the stage.

Doomfist and crew broke Overwatch's 9th hero to release this year: Doctrine. He's a support hero with a scepter that damages enemies and heals allies. Drones can heal teammates and speed up their attacks.

We'll learn more about him in the Overwatch panel today. He arrives next month in Season 5. BlizzCon-goers can play him right now. The Hero Trial on Battle.net begins after the opening ceremony.

Vendetta challenges Doomfist for control of Talon earlier in the year.

Talon kept gaining ground in the world, leaving a mess for Overwatch. People thought Doomfist was dead, but as it turns out, that wasn't the case. After he regrouped with his favourites, it was time to break out Doctrine.

Dokiwatch is returning. They are also unvaulting old battle passes in Season 5.

Roadhog is getting a re-re-rework. No more hook and instant death combo frustrations. Sombra is being turned into a support character.

A new map is also coming. All of this is playable this weekend.

Tomorrow, there will be a live Overwatch tabletop RPG. Matt Mercer will be Cassidy guiding a group through the campaign on the main stage.

February will see new systems, new heroes, and more. "Peak Overwatch" is the goal.

A short clip played to thank players for 30 years of Diablo. Tiffany Wat and Brent Gibson have joined the stage now.

They had a lot to discuss about what "30 years" meant. Both Tiffany and Brent are talking about their early Diablo experiences.

More than 130 million players have played Diablo since 1996. They aren't here just to talk about the past though, they are looking forward.

There is "a lot more" to show us today.

They started the past year off with the Paladin shadow drop, and then the Warlock coming to Diablo 4, Immortal, and Diablo 2.

A new season launches on Tuesday, Sept 15 for Diablo IV. The season will see Deckard Cain return to Sanctuary.

We are returning to Tristram Cathedral and the World Stone! Expect to see Bael, Mephisto, and Diablo also making a return. All three can be defeated and you get to choose one of them to embrace. This will give you new powers.

Legendary gear is coming that is inspired by every Diablo game. Expect to see the Stone of Jordan.

BlizzCon attendees get to play the new season early on the show floor.

Cow level.

Diablo IV Age of Hatred Collection arrives on Switch 2 on Sept 15.

There is a Nintendo Switch 2 demo on the show floor this weekend. Diablo Immortal tournament is going on as well. There is also an announcement tomorrow coming from the creator of Spawn.

Spawn is coming to Diablo Immortal on September 29.

Next year, the Amazon is coming to Diablo IV.

The Javelin is also coming to Diablo IV is also going to arrive alongside the Amazon. A class pack is coming out in the first-half of 2027.

What happens after the Age of Hatred?

DIABLO V!

So that's Diablo V in Spring 2029 and StarCraft Shooter in 2030. What's happening in 2028?

Sanctuary has fallen, Diablo has won in Diablo V. We aren't fighting to stop Diablo from taking Sanctuary, he has already taken it. There is no safe place to protect us. This changes how we survive and what we're willing to sacrifice.

The heart of Diablo V is the question of what you become when the world has fallen. Diablo V gets a panel today to talk about how the world and classes and story are all evolving.

Alright, we should be getting Hearthstone now...

Nathan Lyons-Smith takes the stage.

Brenden Sewell also joins the stage. He also loves Hearthstone.

Reign of the Black Empire is Hearthstone's next expansion!

We're going into Azeroth's past, at the peak of the power of the Old Gods.

An Old God expansion brings in a brand new keyword: Assemble! You can merge 2 card together.

Assemble has a curated pool of over 250 cards.

October 20 is the release date of the new expansion.

Brand new minion type: Abberations are coming to Battlegrounds. Each one that dies gets the old gods closer to waking up.

The Journal now has narrative introduced into the game to share story for each expansion. The quests and achievements will be thematic to the story and all be connected.

Tavern Brawls are getting bigger.

2v2 Hearthstone!

The Monk arrives in Hearthstone in March 2027. That should kick off the new Hearthstone year.

Monks can adapt to what is happening in the game and pull off incredible combos.

More about Monk will be shared next year.

Everything else, more details later today during the Hearthstone panel.

Holly Longdale takes the stage. WARCRAFT TIME!

Incredible cosplay!

The Warcraft team is lighting a fire that is going to go on for decades.

Ion Hazzikostas joins the stage to talk about the World Soul Saga.

Where is World of Warcraft headed?

Eclipse is the next patch (12.2). Xal'atath has been a step ahead of everyone this whole time. It's time to confront her directly.

What is Xal'atath's objective? That looks like Ulduar!

We get to see Xal'atath beside the World Soul of Azeroth.

More inside the Midnight What's Next panel. New standalone gamemode is coming and a remix experience is also coming next year.

Blizzard is not here to talk about The Last Titan yet. Talking about it would give off spoilers for Midnight.

The Last Titan is bringing a chapter of World of Warcraft to a close while laying groundwork for the future. It isn't just about going to Northrend. It's about everything and how we've been defending out home. Azeroth needs us.

Early next year we will get more information about The Last Titan.

That is a massive construct that makes Wyrmrest temple look small. The Last Titan is coming in 2027.

The WAR is coming back to WARCRAFT.

Armies, Battles, Bloodshed, Survival.

Holy sh-. That's a New Warcraft III Expansion. A new campaign: FORSAKEN KINGDOM.

Forsaken Kingdom brings new faces to the game. We will get to experience the fall of Lordaeron. Learn what it truly means to be forsaken.

FORSAKEN PALADIN

World Editor improvements!

Over 30 hours of story to play through.

Two panels later today will be talking about Warcraft III Forsaken Kingdom.

FORSAKEN KINGDOM LAUNCHES TODAY.

"We ain't done yet." - Holly 2026

"It's time to talk about something new."

"We know a lot of you love that nostalgic flavor of vanilla."

Classic+

Azeroth's unexplored lands and new horizons.

Stories untold.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT: FOREVER

This is Classic Plus.

WOW: FOREVER launches on November 4.

Beta is starting on Thursday.

FOREVER is available on the show floor at BlizzCon.

WoW Forever is a new permanent home a new beginning that never ends. A past, current or new player it's a time to get into the game.

They are giving us a new way to play WoW. It lives alongside Modern and Classic games. It is focused on what made Vanilla good - the world is the main character.

Instead of a big heroic story, you carve your own path.

Forever is dedicated to community. There is no rush. The journey is what counts.

Not everything is solved or predictable. It is easy to get into and play but deep enough to play forever. This is about the heart of MMOs and what makes them special.

It's about feeling at home with your people.

Mount Hyjal. Zephras Isle. Riverglades.

Expanded Original Zones: Thunderbluff, Undercity.

Neew Dungeons & Raids! 10 and 25 Player Raids.

New Skills and talents.

New Race and class Combos.

Skybourne is a new playable race.

Darkspear Islands Battleground.

Over 1000 new quests.

New items, rewards, profession content, reptutations.

HD Character toggle.

Updated world visuals.

This is a new path: World of Warcraft Forever.

The future of the game is untold. We could see stories that didn't happen or won't happen. The level cap is 60 indefinitely in WoW Forever.

That closes out the BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony. Thanks everyone! Next up is the WoW: What's Next Panel.