BlizzCon 2026 Preview: A StarCraft Comeback, Diablo’s Big Anniversary, and Non-Stop Warcraft News
BlizzCon returns on September 12 after skipping the last two years, and the timing couldn’t be bigger for the studio. Blizzard leadership has spent months teasing this as a landmark event for the company, positioning it as a showcase for major developments across every one of its flagship series – Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. Here’s a breakdown of what’s likely coming, and why longtime fans of each franchise have real reasons to pay attention this year.
Signs Point To A Major StarCraft Reveal
Perhaps the most surprising storyline heading into this year’s show involves a franchise that’s spent nearly a decade on the back burner. StarCraft hasn’t seen a substantial release since its last expansion content shipped in 2017 (the same year StarCraft: Remastered launched), and in the years since, the series has mostly shown up as skins and crossover content in other Blizzard titles rather than as a project of its own.
That drought appears to be ending. Multiple reports have pointed to Blizzard developing a StarCraft shooter, though specifics on the format remain unconfirmed. There’s also chatter about a potential licensing arrangement with Korean publisher Nexon that could put StarCraft development in outside hands for future titles.
Blizzard hasn’t been subtle about building anticipation, either. The official StarCraft: Remastered site has reportedly been behaving strangely – displaying glitch effects that fans have decoded into hidden messages and lore snippets, seemingly laying groundwork for whatever the shooter turns out to be. Community speculation leans toward a cooperative PvE shooter along the lines of Helldivers 2, possibly involving a squad clearing Zerg-infested locations before extracting. A revival of the long-shelved StarCraft: Ghost hasn’t been ruled out either, though the co-op theory currently has more traction among fans. Whatever shape it takes, some form of StarCraft announcement at this year’s show seems close to a lock – though it may not be the RTS sequel some longtime fans have been hoping for.
Diablo’s 30th Birthday Should Come With Fireworks
Diablo turns 30 this year, and Blizzard has already hinted that the anniversary celebration will culminate at BlizzCon. An anniversary showcase earlier in the year ended on a cliffhanger, promising a reveal significant enough to generate a big reaction from the crowd.
A new expansion for Diablo 4 looks likely. The gap between its two most recent expansions was already shorter than earlier ones, and with the most recent expansion having launched months ago, the timing lines up for Blizzard to tease the next chapter. Candidates for a new antagonist aren’t in short supply — the Lord of Terror himself has yet to make an actual appearance in Diablo 4, and recent seasonal content has dropped enough hints about a certain fallen angel that fans are already convinced he’s next in line.
There’s also a curiously large chunk of the official BlizzCon schedule set aside for Diablo Immortal programming, which has raised eyebrows given the mobile game’s rocky reputation among the core fanbase (including its infamous “don’t you all have phones” moment from a past BlizzCon Q&A). That’s led to speculation that something else Diablo-related — possibly tied to Diablo 2’s ongoing revival or even a remaster of the original 1996 game — could be filling that time slot instead. Given the anniversary and the strong reception to Diablo 2: Resurrected’s newest expansion content, either possibility seems plausible.
Warcraft Could Dominate The Show – In More Ways Than One
World of Warcraft news is close to guaranteed at any BlizzCon, and this year should be no exception. Blizzard already confirmed the name of WoW’s next expansion at a previous show, so expect a cinematic reveal, details on new systems, an overhauled zone, and possibly a launch date.
What’s less certain – and potentially more interesting – is a rumored “Classic+” project: an alternate-timeline version of vanilla WoW that would keep expanding the original game’s world rather than following the traditional expansion cycle. Leaked internal references to a build codenamed “Camelot” line up with an older, previously-doubted leak describing Blizzard’s broader Warcraft roadmap, lending it new credibility. If Blizzard follows the same playbook it used with Season of Discovery — announced at BlizzCon and released only weeks later — this version of Classic could land shortly after the show wraps.
That same leaked roadmap reportedly goes even further, describing an entirely new Warcraft RTS and a spin-off RPG centered on Arthas, each allegedly paired with a television adaptation. Given that Blizzard executives have publicly acknowledged discussions about screen adaptations and described the Warcraft IP as underused outside of WoW, the idea isn’t as much of a stretch as it might sound — even if the leak’s accuracy is impossible to verify ahead of time.
Overwatch Keeps Adding Fuel To The Fire
Overwatch has had an eventful year, having dropped the numeral from its name, shifted toward serialized year-long storytelling, and added new heroes at a faster pace than ever. Expect that momentum to carry into the show: a new hero for the upcoming season is all but certain to be revealed, likely alongside a playable trial during the event itself, and there’s a good chance the season after that gets a preview too.
The event should also close out the current year-long storyline and offer a first look at where the narrative heads in 2027. One open question is whether Blizzard reveals a brand-new permanent game mode – a bet that hasn’t paid off well recently, given that both Clash and Stadium struggled to hold on to players. A safer wager might be more support for 6v6 play, an experiment Blizzard has been quietly running for months and could formalize with a dedicated queue rather than gambling on something entirely new.
BlizzCon 2026’s opening ceremony kicks off September 12 at 10:30 AM PT.
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