MeinMMO demon Cortyn looks back at BlizzCon 2023. There were a lot of new things – but were the expectations met?
BlizzCon 2023 is over and while there were few announcements, there were a few really big ones. Whether it’s the addon cycle “Worldsoul Saga” for World of Warcraft or the addon for Diablo IV – there were smaller highlights for most. But could BlizzCon convince? I at least want to share my opinion with you, as I really enjoyed the fair.
What was announced? Basically, the announcements can be summarized in a nutshell:
- World of Warcraft starts the “Worldsoul Saga” – a cycle of three expansions and the first, “The War Within”, launches in 2024.
- WoW Classic brings “Cataclysm” as the next expansion.
- WoW Classic receives a “Classic+” with the Season of Discovery and brings new raids and abilities.
- Diablo IV announces the next expansion “Vessel of Hatred”.
- Hearthstone announces its first full-fledged 2-player mode.
- Warcraft Rumble is live, and there was a preview of upcoming content.
- Overwatch 2 revealed Mauga and promised major changes to the progress system.
WoW: The War Within – Brave and the right decision
The announcement of 3 expansions in World of Warcraft and thus the long-term plan until around 2030 is quite brave. Because if someone does not like the story of the “Worldsoul Saga”, they already know: “Goodbye, I’m out.” Therefore, this is a quite bold step that also shows that Blizzard is now “going through with it”. This was accompanied by an initial (very good) cinematic that brought some to tears.
With the Worldsoul Saga, WoW aims to conclude all major story arcs of the last 20 years – and then make room for something new. Whatever that will be.
Although there are some controversies, such as the 3-day early access for buyers of the Epic Edition – but the general announcement convinced me and makes me excited for more. But I also love the story surrounding Xal’atath and the Titans, whose true machinations are now coming to light.
WoW Classic – Two exciting ideas
Fans of WoW Classic also have some really big highlights. While opinions about “Cataclysm” are indeed divided – after all, it’s the beginning of the end for many – the Season of Discovery, in particular, has received great positive feedback. Because at its core, this is “Classic+”. There are new contents for Classic with new abilities, brand new raids, and many creative ideas. Those who are not interested do not have to participate – it only affects the new “season” realms. From my point of view, a clear win.
Diablo IV – More content and an expansion
Even though fans of Diablo IV are a little disappointed that there was relatively little new information, the announcement of the first expansion is clearly positive. The story of Mephisto and everything that happens after the main story offers a lot of potential for improvements and of course a new class.
Overwatch 2 – New hero, new mode, better battle pass
Since Overwatch 2, despite all the justified criticism, still belongs to my favorite games, I also found the announcements here super.
The new tank Mauga was already confirmed but turned out to be cooler than expected. After all, he not only got a stylish trailer but also seems to be a really good counter for flying enemies (like Pharah or Echo) – something that tanks have had little influence on so far.
What is also exciting is what Blizzard has not shown so far. The battle pass is supposed to be reworked and made more accessible. Additionally, players will have the opportunity to unlock old mythic skins if they do not want the new one – a good solution, in my opinion.
Hearthstone – Finally coop and catch-up packs
Hearthstone has been on a downward trend in recent years. With more and more cards and rising costs, Blizzard’s card game has become increasingly unattractive. But now they have presented solutions. In the future, there will be “catch-up” packs that contain a whopping 50 cards from the current expansions. This way, newcomers can quickly stock up and catch up.
At the same time, for the most popular mode, Battlegrounds, there will also be a two-player mode where players can cooperatively compete against other teams – overdue, but definitely a good announcement.
Conclusion – A successful fair for all fans
Lastly, I was also quite excited by the closing concert of LE SSERAFIM. K-Pop and BlizzCon seemed like a pretty critical combination, and obviously, many felt that way. When the band was announced, many left their seats, although new fans quickly came in.
The performance seemed to have thrilled the audience and according to our editor Benedict, it was so packed that you could only watch from outside on screens. The 30-minute performance of the band indeed led to the group appearing more frequently on my playlist – but that might also be due to my preference for idol anime.
It is no secret that I like most of Blizzard’s games, even though I also see many things critically, such as the German translations. Therefore, I really enjoyed BlizzCon and my expectations were more than met. Of course, they were also low ahead of time, but especially players of World of Warcraft (whether Classic or Retail) have a lot to look forward to.
The only ones who were probably disappointed were those expecting a big announcement of a new game. But that was likely the smallest group.
How did you like BlizzCon 2023? Which announcement was good and which was rather unsuccessful?
