Blizzard Entertainment released a trailer today, teasing what is to come from their upcoming showcases—running from January 29 to February 11.
It is crazy to think that Blizzard Entertainment has been around for 35 years, from World of Warcraft to Hearthstone. Today, Blizzard Entertainment marked its 35th anniversary by releasing a trailer that walks viewers through the historic path of its various games. The video is named “Blizzard: The Next Chapter”, which is a teaser for the upcoming 2026 showcases for what is to come in World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Diablo. The individual game spotlights are expected to air starting on Thursday, January 29th, up until Wednesday, February 11th.
The trailer itself shows the camera scrolling through the early iterations of Warcraft on an older PC, surrounded by game boxes, signed game art, and collectible weapons. It went as far back as making Rock n’ Roll Racing references! The camera keeps panning to reveal the various Blizzard Entertainment franchise releases, such as Diablo, StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch. The video is said to feature “approximately 400 artifacts from the Blizzard’s physical archives, representing a living legacy spanning 35 years and an open invitation to players to be a part of Blizzard’s story for years to come.”
The video subtext reads: “For 35 years, Blizzard has been shaped by the worlds we build and the players who bring them to life. You’ve fought through World of Warcraft, battled in Diablo, played your cards in Hearthstone, and held the line in Overwatch. We’ve come a long way together. And now, the next chapter begins. Over the next few weeks, each world will showcase what comes next. If these games mean something to you, we’d love to see you there. These aren’t updates in isolation. They’re part of where Blizzard is heading — together with the players who’ve been here all along.”
“Our extraordinarily talented teams have assembled a stellar line-up for our players across our universes,” said President of Blizzard Entertainment, Johanna Faries. “This major showcase event comes at a significant moment in time as we reflect on three and a half decades of Blizzard history and our big ambitions for the future. This is only the start of what we’ll share around our games this year, and we can’t wait to bring it to life.”
Here is a breakdown of all the Blizzard Entertainment presentations, with a dedicated channel for each game spotlight on YouTube and Twitch:
- January 29 at 9:00 a.m. PST – “World of Warcraft State of Azeroth” on the World of Warcraft YouTube channel and World of Warcraft Twitch channel
- February 4 at 10:00 a.m. PST – “Overwatch Spotlight” on the Overwatch YouTube channel and Overwatch Twitch channel
- February 9 at 9:30 a.m. PST – “Hearthstone Spotlight” on the Hearthstone YouTube channel and Hearthstone Twitch channelÂ
- February 11 at 2:00 p.m. PST – “Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight” on the Diablo YouTube channel and Diablo Twitch channelÂ
The company describes this Blizzard Showcase as “a series of developer-led spotlights featuring big announcements, sneak peeks, and teases across our universes.” They noted that these special presentations “celebrate the artists, makers, and visionaries behind our games, and our players who bring them to life, as we celebrate 35 years of community and craft.” And all of this is building up to hype up the return of the one and only: BlizzCon.
The last in-person BlizzCon was held on November 3-4, 2023, at the Anaheim Convention Center. BlizzCon is expected to return this September, with more details to follow.
