All articles tagged with #blizzard
Blizzard is revamping Overwatch's season-based battle passes for Season Four with multiple tracks so players can prioritize the cosmetics they want, along with plans to unvault past passes and a skin-slot swap option to borrow a missed legendary from a select group—moves designed to reduce grind and curb FOMO for casual players while keeping the Battle Pass system intact.
Blizzard reportedly finished 2026 as Xbox’s top-performing studio, driven by Diablo IV and Overwatch, with World of Warcraft contributing via a new expansion; the division posted Blizzard’s third-highest fiscal revenue, and BlizzCon in September is set to showcase momentum and potential StarCraft reveals as Microsoft reshapes its studios.
Leaked emails reviewed by Windows Central claim Blizzard was Xbox Game Studios’ top-performing unit in FY26, driven by Diablo 4 and Overwatch and marking Blizzard’s third-highest top-line revenue. Microsoft does not publicly disclose studio-level numbers, so the figures are unconfirmed, with Blizzard set to detail its slate at BlizzCon 2026 as it remains separated from the rest of Microsoft Games.
Overwatch introduces D.Mon, a pro gamer turned mech pilot who shares a background with D.Va. Her ultimate, Limit Break, applies a debuff that increases enemy damage taken, echoing Final Fantasy in name but Blizzard says she isn’t a Final Fantasy fan and is more of an FPS head. D.Mon joins the roster on August 11.
A blizzard on Mount Elbrus during a descent from the summit left five of seven Bosnian climbers dead and two survivors: expedition leader Haris Adilovic and Kemal Vidimlic. Rescue teams found two bodies at about 5,350m and located three more but could not evacuate them due to weather; the survivors and the rest of the group were evacuated to Azau as conditions persisted.
Kotaku reports that a Blizzard GM is being investigated after players alleged the GM insta-killed the final mob in a Mythic+ Nexus Point Xenas dungeon to help a streamer friend, using a non-existent ‘Area Death (TEST)’ ability. The incident raises questions about fairness and leaderboard integrity, with Blizzard saying it’s investigating and the community calling for accountability.
Microsoft's Xbox is shifting investment toward high-priority studios—Activision, Bethesda/ZeniMax, Blizzard, King, Mojang, and Xbox Game Studios—as part of a sweeping restructuring that includes 1,600 layoffs now (3,200 total), a 50% cut in vendor spend, and a push to accelerate development of big-budget titles while continuing to support mobile games; no first-party titles are being canceled.
Microsoft announced over 6,000 job cuts across the company, with Xbox taking a sizable hit, but Blizzard appears to have escaped the largest reductions so far. Blizzard President Johanna Faries emailed staff acknowledging a difficult day while reaffirming Blizzard’s focus on its franchises, noting BlizzCon isn’t expected to be canceled as internal changes unfold and more details are anticipated.
Blizzard will fix World of Warcraft's long-standing autoloot annoyance by making autoloot account-wide in the Curse of Ula'tek patch, which also adds the Coiled Isle zone, a new eight-boss raid, world bosses, delves, a dungeon season, and assorted UI improvements.
A Kotaku piece reports rumors that Blizzard is developing a new World of Warcraft Classic project nicknamed Classic+, a revamped vanilla experience with new zones, quests, and gameplay tweaks aimed at recapturing the original game’s slower pace and sense of discovery. While evidence cited includes private-server takedowns, datamining of “Project Camelot,” a 2025 yearbook tease, and Classic streamers visiting Blizzard, there’s no official confirmation yet. If real, Classic+ would focus on nostalgia-forward changes rather than a retail-style overhaul, with BlizzCon 2026 anticipated to potentially reveal more.
Blizzard filed a copyright lawsuit against the private World of Warcraft server Project Ascension, alleging large-scale, ongoing infringement that distributed millions of pirated copies of Blizzard's game software, causing irreparable harm and lost revenue, and raising concerns about 'bulletproof' Russian servers tied to Aeza Group sanctioned for cybercrime.
Blizzard will add Solo-Self-Found (SSF) characters as a Season 14 feature in Diablo 4, a solo-only mode where you can't trade or party and can only use gear you find, with SSF stash sharing on the same account and season-long lock-in; there are no extra rewards beyond leaderboards, and SSF access excludes free trials, couch co-op, and Dark Citadel. PTR runs June 2–9 ahead of the June 30 season start, which also includes changes to Mythic Uniques and nerfs to some popular builds like immortality tricks and Companion Druids.
Blizzard’s StarCraft II PTR patch 5.0.16 radically reworks the opening game: starting workers drop from 12 to 8, base mineral/gas counts shift, gas per trip is reduced, and supply is trimmed, all to encourage more aggressive, less predictable starts. Protoss gets Warpgate reworked (moved to the Gateway) with 3-second warp-ins, while balance tweaks touch Zerg and Terran as well. The goal is to extend multi-base viability and diversify strategies, potentially shaking up a game long considered solved. The patch is on PTR, so not yet guaranteed for live, but reaction has been broadly positive with anticipation of a meta shift.
Diablo IV marks the Sanctuary anniversary with a two-part celebration: June 2–9 features Mother's Blessing XP boosts in Seasonal and Eternal realms, the March of the Goblins event, and a reputation board unlocking the Regalia of the Sacred Creed; plus daily free weapon-skin gifts in the in-game shop from June 1–6 (claim by June 9) including Blood Raven's Talon, King Kanai's Last Stand, Nangari Wounder, Overlord's Odium, and Flamefinger's Claws.
Blizzard says China-only events and cosmetics in Overwatch stem from Blizzard’s publishing arrangement with NetEase, with China receiving perks like 10 free Mythic Skins during the 10th-anniversary celebration while other regions get recolored launch skins via loot boxes. The company acknowledges the market-specific approach and notes they aim to balance future events, though backlash over perceived preferential treatment led to some adjustments to anniversary content in other territories.