Blizzcon announces gaming updates, remasters and a return to a classic era

TENS of thousands of gaming fans flocked to the US at the weekend for updates and announcements. But not all of them liked what they heard.

Ashe is a new character from the game Overwatch and was revealed at this year’s Blizzcon convention.

THE annual BlizzCon gaming convention in Los Angeles delivered plenty of announcements about updates, additional content and titles from publisher Blizzard.

But not all of them have been greeted with the usual rapturous applause.

Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime officially stepped down as president and CEO of the company during the opening ceremony on Saturday, passing the torch to World Of Warcraft executive producer J. Allen Brack.

Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime stepped down as CEO of the company at Blizzcon at the weekend.

In gaming, the biggest announcement from the event was the development of Warcraft III:

Reforged, a high-definition remaster of the 2002 real-time strategy classic that set the foundations for much of World Of Warcraft and related games.

World Of Warcraft III: Reforged is a remaster of the 2002 classic.

The next announcement of the convention, that of a new Diablo game, was not greeted with the expected enthusiasm.

Diablo: Immortal will be a mobile-only game, which clearly did not impress the fans.

There was a distinct lack of applause during the main opening, and the news that the game was not coming to PC during a panel session later was met with boos and jeers from some of the crowd.

One fan even pointedly asked the developers if it was an “out of season April fool’s joke”.

Blizzard has made several announcements at this year’s Blizzcon. Some were not met with enthusiasm.

Much of the discontent seems to have stemmed from their hope for a remaster of Diablo I or II, or even the anticipated Diablo IV.

Also, the Immortal announcement being made in the coveted closing spot of the traditionally PC-focused opening ceremony (a spot usually reserved for marquee announcements) was a bitter pill for fans to swallow.

Comments on social media and discussion forums indicate a widespread feeling that BlizzCon was entirely the wrong place to announce a mobile-only game, especially given the PC-heavy fanbase most Blizzard games enjoy.

Having played the game myself, mechanically it seemed to handle well and, although it’s still early in development, it certainly looked and played like a Diablo game.

Following the announcement backlash, lead designer Wyatt Cheng said he totally understood why fans would be frustrated, clarifying that there were multiple Diablo projects under construction by multiple teams.

“The existence of Diablo Immortal does not take away or detract from the other teams in any way,” he said.

“I don’t look at it as an either/or — I look at Diablo Immortal as it’s more Diablo.

“For those who are hoping for something a bit different, I can say that the future of Diablo is burning bright.”

Overwatch fans will get a new character, Ashe, who carries a sawn-off shotgun.

Disappointment at Diablo Immortal aside, there was positive news for fans of most of Blizzard’s franchises, with notable new content announced and promises of more developments over the coming year as well.

Hero-based shooter Overwatch also received a new character — outlaw cowgirl Ashe, with a lever-action rifle, sawn-off shotgun and robotic offsider among her weapons and powers.

I tried the character out and was very impressed — I can see her becoming a regular fixture in my matches, as her loadout and abilities match my play style quite well, and she seemed very popular with other attendees at BlizzCon too.

Heroes Of The Storm fans were also rewarded with a new character, Orphea, a ranged assassin who grew up in the game world.

A new multiplayer commander unit is also coming to Starcraft II.

Flagship title World Of Warcraft is getting a “Classic” mode next year, allowing people to play the hugely popular multiplayer online role-playing game as it was in 2006 — something fans have been requesting for many years.

It is tentatively slated for a mid-year release, with the developers also confirming it will be totally separate from the “modern” World Of Warcraft — so it will not be possible to transfer characters or items between the two incarnations.

World Of Warcraft fans will be able to play a classic mode of the game, as it was in 2006.

Royce Wilson attended BlizzCon as a guest of Blizzard.