Blizzard pushes the limits of nostalgia at BlizzCon 2026

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time in three years, Blizzard’s annual fan gathering, BlizzCon returned. The California-based publisher, developer—and now Microsoft subsidiary—kicked off a weekend-long celebration with big reveals for their familiar brands and franchises.

The Blizzard identity has always been wrapped up in a small number of steadfast IPs. Series like Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft cultivate large mega-followings not just in player counts but in a legion of fans. Many eagerly devour ancillary media like comics and novels, while others show their devotion through cosplay and fan works. 

Blizzard is one of few companies fortunate to see their worlds and characters attract fans outside of the millennial and Gen X audience that came of age when their foundational games were released.

What’s old is new again

As usual, the reveals at BlizzCon were many. Overwatch and World of Warcraft got the usual updates—an exciting new hero, the next story expansion, etc. 

The long-awaited next chapter of StarCraft and a continuation of Diablo were promised, albeit with a release set for 2029 and 2030, though that means neither will be visible on the horizon for some time. But it’s the announcements for older games that deserved attention. 

The digital card battler Hearthstone is getting the Monk, only the third new class since its 2014 launch. 

Warcraft III: Reforged, the remastered version of the classic strategy game, got a new expansion called Forsaken Kingdom. 

Meanwhile, Heroes of the Storm, a less than breakthrough attempt at MOBAs (and a personal favorite), will receive a new hero in the form of Xal’atath, a cataclysmic figure of the Void. These are bold updates to games that—although supported continuously by Blizzard—have gone years without big shakeups.

What Blizzard is doing here is recognizing the value in its back catalog full of hits. While many publishers sit on a mountain of beloved games with untapped potential, Blizzard is maximizing it. 

It’s a commitment to shaking the dust off an ever growing legacy. Breathing life into moribund ones like Heroes of the Storm on top of the ongoing support of decades old ones like World of Warcraft ensures that none of its fans are taken for granted.

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A diminished appetite for risk

But on the other hand, focusing this much energy into old stuff is symptomatic of a Blizzard that struggles to make new things. Its history is littered with abandoned ideas and cancelled projects. 

In Play Nice, an investigative history of the company, journalist Jason Schreier documents cancelled projects like a superhero MMO codenamed Titan and an experimental asynchronous RPG codenamed Orion. The official word from Blizzard about projects that didn’t make it to launch is that their bar for quality was not met. 

In the world of mega-budget game development, every risk is deeply felt. That was definitely the case for the project known as Nomad, a squad-based sci-fi strategy game inspired by the tabletop game Necromunda. 

It was in development in 1998, but the insanely addictive MMORPG sensation known as Everquest drove Blizzard leadership to pivot to what would become World of Warcraft. Rather than risk breaking new ground, the studio chose to replicate the success of Everquest while capitalizing on the existing goodwill for their fantasy IP. 

This isn’t to downplay the herculean effort that went into creating the decades long success that World of Warcraft became. But when a company’s operating costs are in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Blizzard suffers the tremendous inertia of being a billion dollar company. Why gamble too hard on the unknown when you can double down on what people already love?

The future remains a big question mark

All this being said, there is reason to hope for Blizzard. In past decades, the “boys will be boys” culture and history of crunch has cost it some of its best and brightest talents. 

In the days leading to BlizzCon, nearly 2,000 employees won a historic contract that secured strong layoff protections as well as “recall rights” that allow laid-off workers to qualify for later openings. All of this was attained through the CWA (Communications Workers of America) union, and gives some security in a time of widespread uncertainty in the games labor market. 

This is non-trivial. It’s difficult enough to give your best to a studio and help build its next hits without worrying about whether or not you will have a job tomorrow. Parent company Microsoft has already announced more layoffs within its gaming division will be coming next year. This guarantees career safety for Blizzard workers. 

The new contract also includes a requirement to bargain over introducing AI, which not only prevents AI usage from being forced down from up, but ensures that certain roles can’t be retasked without discussion. 

Blizzard’s ability to create the next big hit is uncertain, even as its existing games and properties remain secure. And while not every entertainment company has to be an infinite IP machine, it won’t be long before Blizzard’s most devoted fans age out and into new entertainment preferences. Better working conditions will make for better games, but we will see the upper limits of what is possible with nostalgia. By and large, people liked what they saw at BlizzCon, but when will the company show us the future? 

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