BlizzCon dominates: Diablo 5, StarCraft return, and WoW Forever details

Blizzard used BlizzCon to announce two long-anticipated projects. Diablo 5 is already in full production, according to its director, and carries a notable creative pedigree — its narrative lead is a BioWare veteran who says a new caravan system brings the ARPG closer to traditional RPGs like Dragon Age and Baldur's Gate. That connection runs deeper than personnel: reports note a surprising structural link between Diablo 5 and the Dragon Age series. Multiplayer will be fully supported, though Blizzard is staying quiet on how its implementation compares to Diablo 4. Alongside the announcement, Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to Battle.net and Geralt will appear in Diablo 4 — while Blizzard confirmed it has no plans to turn Battle.net into a Steam competitor.

The new StarCraft project is a narrative-driven shooter with a definitive ending and no seasonal model — and it won't arrive until 2030. World of Warcraft Forever also got a detailed breakdown, covering changes to realms, transmog, and items, though enthusiasm was tempered by a $30 paywall for the new Skyborne elven race. Separately, Warcraft 3: Reforged received a substantial update adding two secret levels, though the same game is also drawing criticism for adding an always-online requirement and removing LAN mode.

Sony shut down a fan-made multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part 2 before it could launch. Game Freak announced a new magical girl mobile game led by Pokémon director Shigeru Ohmori. Sora and other Kingdom Hearts characters are arriving in Fortnite this week. Rockstar described GTA 6 as 'extremely tough' to show off publicly, and a new Tomb Raider game will let players tune combat and puzzle difficulty independently.