Blizzard Entertainment has revealed a host of new details for its upcoming games at its annual dedicated convention in Anaheim, California.
Co-founder and president Mike Morhaime opened Blizzcon 2015 with a heartfelt shoutout to the fan community, celebrating the ninth convention and Blizzard’s 25th year making games. He also highlighted the company’s future, with the recent beta launch for upcoming shooter OverWatch and an impressive CGI trailer for the upcoming StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void.
StarCraft II
The new expansion will focus on the Protoss faction, update all existing factions, and add two new modes to the game. Legacy of the Void will function as a standalone game though, not requiring the first two chapters.
Morhaime also announced that Blizzard will be creating StarCraft II mission packs, adding new stories and content for the universe. The first of a currently planned three real-time strategy packs appears to have a stealth focus, possibly drawing some influence from the long-aborted StarCraft: Ghost.
WarCraft movie
Director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) then took the stage to reveal the first trailer for the long-awaited film. Jones was joined by cast members including Kebbell, Ben Foster, and Paula Patton. Needless to say, the crowd loved it. See the full trailer here on WIRED. It’s looking to be a fantastic adaptation of the source material, a far cry from most video game movies.
Heroes of the Storm
Next came news on MOBA Heroes of the Storm. The next update will add new maps, such as Tower of Doom, and characters. Werewolf Greyman and Night Elf Lunara will be coming to the game but most interesting is Cho’gall, a single two-headed Ogre that will be controlled by two players. He won’t be widely available though — BlizzCon attendees will get him for free, but others will need to go on an in-game quest. If they team-up twice with players who do own him, they will also get the character added to their account. Play four times, and they’ll get a ton of ingame gold too, for helping spread the “Cho’gall virus”.
Hearthstone
HearthStone’s Eric Dodds announced a new adventure for the digital collectible card game. Saying it “speaks to the heart of what it means to go on an adventure”, Dodds introduced The League of Explorers, an Indiana Jones-meets-WarCraft mash-up sending players on a quest for the Staff of Origination. The best new character by far is Sir Finlay Mrrgleton, a “gentleman Murloc”. New cards will be added to the game, including the Explorer’s Hat, and new mechanics such as Discover. Cards featuring the move give you three random cards to choose from, one of which can be added to your deck.
Also added is the rare Golden Monkey card, which allows you to summon legendary minions. The expansion launches next Thursday.
Overwatch
Overwatch’sJeff Kaplan revealed three new heroes coming to the arena shooter game. D.Va, a speedy girl who can jump into a powerful mecha, Mei, an ice-cannon wielder, and Genji, a techno ninja, bring the game’s roster up to 21 characters. Although a base version of the game will be released, the Overwatch Origins Edition. This will come with five skins for characters, which “harken to the back-stories of these characters”, Kaplan said.
Those getting the focus are all previously revealed playable heroes. Soldier: 76, a cyborg sniper, appears in his human form as Strike Commander Morrison, and is joined by “Overgrown Bastion”, a powerful robot, Blackwatch agent Reyes, Security Chief Pharah, and Slipstream Tracer. Also included in the Origins Edition are “digital goodies” crossing over with Blizzard’s other titles, including the Mercy Wings item Diablo III, an Overwatchcard back for Hearthstone, a Baby Winston pet (a cute gorilla character) for WoW, and adding Tracer as a playable charecter in Heroes of the Storm. The game will also see six character portraits from StarCraft II.
Kaplan also confirmed rumours that the Overwatchwill be coming to PS4 and Xbox One, with the Origin Edition launching simultaneously on all formats. The game launches next spring.
World of WarCraft
World of WarCraft designer Chris Metzen introduced the next expansion pack, Legion. First announced at GamesCom in August, the next chapter inroduces new playable classes, and sees both Horde and Alliance battling against the Burning Legion as the necrotic force launches another assault on the world of Azeroth. Legion was also treated to a lush cinematic trailer detailing the narrative side of the game.
