With BlizzCon just around the corner, it’s time to start preparing for the 12th anniversary of the event and even some of the amazing announcements we intend to be made. If you’ve never heard of it or want to learn some more about this year, here’s everything we know and everything we expect.
The 12th annual BlizzCon event is just a matter of days away. With over 35,000 in-person attendees to expect along with thousands of fans through the virtual ticket, Blizzard has a lot going on and a lot to prepare for. Since its debut in 2005, BlizzCon has been a celebration of all things Blizzard ranging from announcements regarding their franchises to major esports tournaments and cosplay contests.
With a rather large library of games to support, Blizzard has some major news to break and some major announcements to reveal; something we’ve grown used to year after year. As excitement grows, so does our need to know what to expect, when to expect it and how to join in on the events.
First thing’s first: When is BlizzCon 2018?
Since the show began, BlizzCon seems to bounce around when and where it will be taking place. This year, you can expect the events to take place starting Oct. 25, 2018, through the esports Kickoff Week with the official BlizzCon show to start on Nov. 2, 2018, at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is where all the announcements will be made, panels will be shown, and the main events for the esports competitions will be held.
What you can expect to see is an astonishing array of things such as cosplay contests, panels regarding the games you know and love, community events, and even some fanmade fun as fans run around the show. There are some awesome limited-time BlizzCon goods you can expect to get your hands on as well.
I want to attend. What do I need to do to be there or watch BlizzCon 2018?
Unfortunately, if you are looking to attend the event, BlizzCon 2018 has run out of tickets as they sold out rather quickly. This means that unless you are staff, a volunteer, or someone working at the venue, you’re not going to be able to attend in person. BUT! Yes, there’s a ‘but’. If you want to attend, Blizzard has made an exceptional arrangement that will allow you to get your virtual hands on the sites to be had – the Virtual Ticket.
The Virtual Ticket, unlike the venue tickets, aren’t limited in quantity. Rather, they are unlimited and they run a solid $50 USD. They allow you to access the livestreams, VODs of every show, every keynote and they even give you some in-game goodies for Blizzard’s games. Also, if you get the ticket, you’ll be able to try out a demo of World of Warcraft: Classic, which will allow you to play World of Warcraft just how it was when it launched.
There’s some new stuff coming to BlizzCon 2018 that you’ll get to enjoy.
Blizzard, as always, is looking to expand how Virtual Ticket holders get to experience the show. In the past, they’ve worked hard by adding new features ranging from live stream events, in-game content, and this year, they’ll also be taking votes on what to include in a BlizzCon roundup video pertaining some of BlizzCon 2019’s biggest moments.
They’ll even be taking votes on a new feature called “Build-A-Panel”. This feature will allow you to decide who goes on stage, what they’ll be talking about and what they will show during their panel. The original programming you’ve seen in the past is major, not just minor, but major as you will see a professionally-produced series about cosplay, the art of creating video games and a look inside of Blizzard’s “Vault” that holds some of their greatest past relics that are too irreplaceable to be shown off on the showroom floor.
Blizzard has also revealed that BlizzCon will have to new languages for the show including International Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, which will join the current list that includes English, German, Korean, French, Russian, and simplified Chinese. This will help expand their reach to their fans around the world in other countries.
Also, there’s going to be a special change to the community/contest night, which includes some of the world’s top cosplayers that will be talking about the art of their trade.
What can we expect to be announced during BlizzCon 2018?
Right now, we’re all curious to this very thing. The company has been extremely tight-lipped about what special guests will be there, what game-related announcements will be made, and even what kind of content we can expect. But, we do have a reasonable guess at what we can expect, so let’s talk some slight speculation.
StarCraft – Chances of getting an announcement: Low
While it has been nearly eight years since the launch of StarCraft 2 and three since the final expansion, Legacy of the Void; the probability of this one will remain considerably low. Blizzard isn’t seeming to budge from their 9-year gap between the launch of a brand new title. StarCraft 2 was originally launched in 2007, it released on July 10, 2010, which gave it an extra three years in development before it was given to the public.
Given the fact that StarCraft 2 still remains rather popular, even since the launch of StarCraft: Remastered, there’s no doubt that fans are eager for a StarCraft 3 reveal during BlizzCon 2018. Sadly, it doesn’t seem likely that Blizzard will be launching a new entry this close to the last expansions launch.
If they do announce it, it’ll be more likely that they do so in Korea, just as they did with the StarCraft 2 announcement back in 2007.
Diablo – Chances of getting an announcement: Moderate
With a lot of Diablo-related news making headlines, there’s no doubt that Blizzard has their Diablo teams hard at work on some brand-new Diablo content. One of which should have your attention as it seems that Brandy “Nevalistis” Camel has been excited to talk about in a video released a month ago, which stated that the Diablo team “might have something to show” later this year.
With Diablo III making its way to Nintendo Switch here rather soon, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Diablo get talked about quite a bit. There are four total possibilities though that come to mind. First off, the chances of a Diablo 4 announcement could be considered low since it seems that they are still hard at work with Diablo III. But, I could be wrong, and we may actually see a Diablo IV announcement.
Second, the most likely one is that we could see a new major expansion for Diablo III. After all, we have a lot of questions that need some answers. What happened to Leah? Is she really dead? Is Tyrael going to remain human or will he return to the heaven’s above and carry on the good fight as an archangel? What about the other Lords of Darkness now that the shard has been destroyed?
The third one, a Diablo 2 Remaster that will launch on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in Early 2019. While David Brevik, the original designer for Diablo II has made it sound almost impossible, we know that Blizard has the will, the way, and the resources to make this possible.
As for a Diablo-related announcement? I’m going to say its a high probability and we could very well see some teasers regarding the recently announced Netflix series.
World of Warcraft – Chance of getting an announcement: Extremely likely
Now, I know what you’re going to say. No, I wouldn’t concern yourselves with the idea of a brand new expansion, fans just got their hands on the brand new Battle for Azeroth expansion. While I do say a World of Warcraft announcement is extremely likely is because of the fact World of Warcraft: Classic is going to be present at the show.
Because of this, it’s extremely likely we’re going to get some major news about this version and the content coming with it. Along with it, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear some facts about upcoming content for Battle of Azeroth such as a content update and even a brand-new teaser for an upcoming raid.
Just don’t expect anything about a new expansion, it’s too soon and Blizzard probably has their focus on finishing up what they have already started.
Heroes of the Storm – Chances of getting an announcement: Extremely Likely
Now, Heroes of the Storm is no stranger to getting brand new content following the reveals during BlizzCon every year. This year, it wouldn’t be surprising if Blizzard announces a new hero or two for fans to use. If anything, my money is on the fact we may actually see some more cross-overs happen from both World of Warcraft and Overwatch as they both have plenty of characters to offer in order to bolster the games already massive roster.
Overwatch – Chances of getting an announcement: Extremely Likely
If Blizzard keeps with their current tradition of when sets are released which already sees a new set release in the Spring, one in the summer and one in the winter period, it’s probably a safe bet that will be seeing some news about the follow up to last month’s Boomsday Project during BlizzCon 2018.
Just don’t expect any major overhauls to the game as it seems that Blizzard finally has the game in a position that they want.
Overwatch – Chances of getting an announcement: Moderate
Over the past year, we’ve gotten quite a lot of content for Overwatch. Recently, we’ve received some major reworks for characters such as Symmetra, Mercy, and Torbjörn. This year alone, we’ve also brand new content such as two new maps, two new heroes, and some majorly fun events. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a new character get announced during BlizzCon 2018.
Unannounced Projects – Chances of getting announcement: Extremely Low
While Blizzard is hiring for new projects and has probably hired at the time of writing, there’s very little information circling about their upcoming project that MMORPG.com wrote about, we don’t even know what stage of planning the game is currently in, but we do know they are actively working on it and we could hear about it sometime in the next few years.
Esports and PvE content will have a front-row seat during BlizzCon 2018
Now, BlizzCon is no stranger to hosting their own esports tournaments. This year you can expect to see stuff such as the World of Warcraft Arena Championship Global Finals, the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Finals, the Overwatch World Cup Finals, the Hearthstone Global Games Finals and even the StarCraft 2 WCS Global Finals.
New to BlizzCon 2018 is the Mythic Dungeon Invitational All-Stars, which will feature some of the best PvE players in all of Azeroth as they go up against the most challenging dungeon runs in the game in order to prove why they are the best of the best.
WAIT! Where do I go to buy my Virtual Ticket?
Well, the Blizzard Store of course! Here’s the link: https://us.shop.battle.net/en-us/product/blizzcon-virtual-ticket
BlizzCon 2017 is set to take place from Nov. 2, 2018, until Nov. 4, 2018, and will be available at all times to Virtual Ticket holders. Enjoy the show!
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.