Blizzard is rumored to be preparing to announce Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 at BlizzCon 2019, which will take place on November 1 and 2 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
In June, sources told Kotaku that Blizzard canceled a first-person shooter set in the StarCraft universe to shift its focus to Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4. The two games were said to be features of this year’s BlizzCon, and rumors claim that this will be the case.
The source of the rumors is streamer Metro, who accurately leaked the announcement of Ashe as a new Overwatch hero at BlizzCon 2018. He claims that the announcement of Overwatch 2 will follow a cinematic featuring Winston, Tracer, and Mei, who will get hurt and be saved by Genji.
Overwatch 2 is very much real and will be announced at Blizzcon after the short cinematic.
— Metro (@Metro_OW) October 18, 2019
Overwatch 2 will feature both player-vs-player and player-vs-enemies modes, according to Metro’s sources, with the streamer guessing that “they will move everything in [Overwatch] over” into new branding.
Metro also said that Overwatch 2 will feature a leveling system that will affect how heroes are played. Some abilities of the game’s characters will change according to the levels, such as Tracer’s Pulse Bomb that will also stick to nearby opponents. Metro, however, said that it is unclear if the system will only be for the PvE modes or if it will also apply to PvP matches.
In addition to Overwatch 2, Metro said that there are some big announcements for the Diablo franchise at BlizzCon 2019.
For anyone who cares, diablo 4 and diablo 2 remastered will also be announced. :) #BlizzCon2019
— Metro (@Metro_OW) October 18, 2019
Blizzard denied that it dropped the Diablo 4 reveal from the BlizzCon 2018 opening ceremony at the last minute. A year later, the long-awaited game may finally take the stage.
The Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, and Diablo 2 Remastered announcements remain unconfirmed, though Metro insists on the reliability of his source.
For the people saying this is all fake and I just wanna mess with everyone or do this for attention: As I have said before, the source of the leaks this year is the same one that gave me all the details on Ashe last year. (1/2)
— Metro (@Metro_OW) October 18, 2019
Blizzard, amid the controversy that started with its suspension of a Hearthstone player for supporting protesters in Hong Kong taking a stand against China, is reportedly planning the big reveals to take attention away from the issue.
It remains to be seen, however, if Blizzard will succeed, as the controversy has escalated to draw criticisms from several U.S. lawmakers. The developer has had to cancel an Overwatch for Nintendo Switch event in New York City over the controversy, and multiple groups are said to be organizing protests outside the Anaheim Convention Center during BlizzCon 2019.
