Lots of Protests That Even the Inevitable Diablo 4 Announcement Won’t Quell
The one sure thing that will happen at Blizzcon 2019, if nothing else, is that Diablo 4 will be revealed. Hell, I thought it was a sure thing last year, but Blizzard first wanted to see if we all had phones apparently.
I don’t even know if it’s ready to be shown or what kind of state it’s in. There’s absolutely no way though, after everything that happened in this crappy year for Blizzard, that they would elect not to show off Diablo 4 in some capacity.
I could totally envision a scenario where they actually have more to show of Overwatch (more on that below) and Diablo 4 gets regulated to a teaser that caps off the main presentation, but it will get announced. It’s important that it does.
Whatever is shown for Overwatch is no guarantee to go over well with fans. The one potential layup of good will that Blizzard has in its back pocket is the Diablo franchise.
While Diablo 3 had a rough start, it ended up in a pretty good place; even if it’s not as beloved as Diablo 2. Blizzard had a lot of time to gain feedback from fans with the development of Diablo 3 and there’s no good reason for Blizzard not to show up with something great for Diablo fans at Blizzcon 2019.
Still even with Diablo 4 and maybe even a Diablo 2 Remastered, both of which have been rumored (and requested) for what feels like forever, it’s probably not going to be enough to stop both legitimate heartfelt protests in support of Hong Kong and trolling from disgruntled fans both live at Blizzcon 2019 and in Twitch chats.
Blizzard is in a tricky spot because if they actively try to ban or cover up the protests it will likely only upset fans even more, and probably prolong the controversy even past Blizzcon 2019.
What will probably happen is that they will address and acknowledge it live on stage at some point, and go as far with an apology as they think they can get away with without going too far and upsetting China.
Blizzcon 2019 Predictions
Diablo Immortal and Hearthstone Go Into Witness Protection
Last year Diablo Immortal was announced and you could make an argument that it was one of the most lambasted and embarrassing reveals in video game history.
It was quickly called out by many fans as a game that exists purely to sell to the Chinese market, and the way in which it was presented (do you guys not have phones?), has left the game dead in the eyes of many fans especially in the West.
I really doubt after that negative reception, and especially now in light of the current political climate around China and of course the Hong Kong protests, that Blizzard will have the bravery to even mention Diablo Immortal at Blizzcon 2019.
Hearthstone is a different story because it is one of the core franchises for Blizzard, and there will be a Global Finals event during Blizzcon. It’s going to be hard to completely hide it.
However, I’m expecting Blizzard to keep the spotlight on Hearthstone to an absolute minimum as the chances of a protest from either fans or even pros are going to be at the highest point during anything Hearthstone related.
Blizzard will likely want to keep exposure of such protests to the general public/press to an absolute minimum.
Blizzcon 2019 Predictions
Overwatch 2 Announced, Divides the Community
Heavily rumored to be at Blizzcon 2019 this year is Overwatch 2. Depending on who you’re hearing it from, some outlets appear confident that it’s going to be Overwatch 2, but we’ve also heard about some kind of PvE standalone expansion to Overwatch 1.
Regardless, it’d be surprising if there wasn’t a big Overwatch announcement at Blizzcon 2019.
If it is indeed Overwatch 2, and the game splits off from the PvP scene in Overwatch 1, expect controversy.
While the idea of some kind of PvE or story mode for Overwatch is an exciting one, the issue is that players have invested a lot of time (and for some, money), mastering the game’s current meta and climbing ranks in the original Overwatch.
If that’s thrown aside in favor of something completely new, which will now become the focus for Blizzard, expect some upset fans.
I’ll definitely be interested to see how Blizzard handles this if this is the case. Part of the reason I believe there hasn’t been a Team Fortress 3 is because of how challenging it is to start over with a beloved multiplayer-only game when there’s still a huge population of people enjoying your current product.
Blizzcon 2019 Predictions
A Zerg Wins StarCraft 2 Grand Finals, Nothing Else Happens
StarCraft 2’s balance at the pro level is kind of messy right now. Both Terran and Protoss pros are having a hard time surviving in a meta where Zerg is considered by many to be favored. Currently, the Blizzcon finalist composition is made up of five Zergs, two Protoss, and one Terran.
There’s going to be a healthy dose of ZvZ, that’s for certain, and chances are the finals will be a ZvZ too considering two of the strongest players right now (defending Blizzcon champion Serral and a 2019 GSL champion Dark) are both Zergs, and are at opposite ends of the brackets.
ZvZ, of all the mirror matchups, is considered by some to be… not great for viewing.
This is because the meta in this matchup pretty much since forever has been a highly volatile (but repetitive) early game of Zerglings and Banelings which sometimes can end the game in just a few minutes. If it doesn’t, it usually devolves into a hoarding of mid-tier units that just get smashed into each other.
It’s rarer to see diverse late-game army compositions in ZvZ like you would more commonly see in pretty much any other matchup.
Regardless of whether or not that comes to pass, StarCraft fans are likely going to be left in the dust yet again, despite their loyal support of the game’s esports scene over the years.
The only whisper of a new StarCraft game came way by of Jason Schreier and Kotaku, and that was just to let us know that Blizzard was working on a FPS StarCraft game, but it was canceled. RIP.
Blizzcon 2019 Predictions
A New WoW Expansion is Revealed and is Somehow the Quietest Announcement
Amidst all this chatter that will surround Diablo, Hearthstone, Overwatch and all of the protests, somehow World of Warcraft will fly under the radar.
Normally, a new expansion would be the centerpiece of any Blizzcon, and Blizzard still might try and present whatever they have in store for the MMORPG as the main course.
That said, the hype/attention right now seems to be swirling around Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, and the nervous anticipation surrounding the protests.
Whatever Blizzard has in store for WoW feels like it’s going to be a distant fourth place at best when it comes to ranking the biggest news stories from Blizzcon 2019.
About the author
