Blizzard Entertainment has announced that they will not be present at Gamescom 2019. There will be news from Blizzard at BlizzCon 2019.
In a short statement Blizzard announced that they will not be attending Gamescom 2019. Thus, there will be no Blizzard booth and the usual image of half a hall filled only with Blizzard games will not be present.
Blizzard has nothing to show for Gamescom 2019
Why is Blizzard staying away from Gamescom this year? Blizzard itself justifies its absence by focusing on the development of current games and future projects. Already in spring, Blizzard announced that they will not have any major releases in 2019.
Blizzard emphasizes that Gamescom is an important event for the European as well as the global gaming community, and they will miss meeting players in Cologne this year. However, they plan to return with a booth at the event in the future.
At least the Gear Shop will be on site: You will not have to miss out on Blizzard merchandise, as the Blizzard Gear Shop will again be present in the shop area of Gamescom.
New announcements at BlizzCon 2019?
Blizzard emphasizes in the announcement regarding the end of Gamescom 2019 that they look forward to providing details about their projects, but as always, only when the time is right.
BlizzCon 2019 could be a good time for that: Last year, BlizzCon was relatively low on announcements, and Diablo Immortal did not exactly excite players. However, many of you want to try Diablo Immortal.
Thus, it seems that this year, following the end of Gamescom, BlizzCon will be the only stage for new announcements from Blizzard.
New for Warcraft, Diablo & Co: BlizzCon 2019 is all about the 25th anniversary of Warcraft. Accordingly, it is expected that the next WoW expansion will be announced. This would also correspond to the normal cycle.
Furthermore, Diablo 4 is still on the table, and games like Overwatch and Hearthstone are also waiting for new updates or larger announcements.
Perhaps a completely new project? This year, it might even be the case that Blizzard announces a new project. They have hinted in the past that multiple projects are in the works. Among other things, mobile games are also conceivable.
WoW Classic and WoW Patch 8.2 still in 2019
Which games will still be released in 2019 by Blizzard? First and foremost, you can expect WoW Classic in the summer of 2019. Development here is progressing well, and Blizzard recently explained why it won’t be like before.
Furthermore, there will be the big Patch 8.2 for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. Warcraft fans can also look forward to Warcraft 3: Reforged.
Diablo Immortal should also be released this year. However, this also shows that Blizzard’s line-up this year is indeed somewhat thin.
What do you think about Blizzard skipping Gamescom 2019? Do you expect many announcements at BlizzCon 2019 as a result?
