Tag: Blizzard
News Diablo 4 On Switch 2? It's "Something To Look At" Says Series Manager
"I think there’s an opportunity there"
Blizzard's Diablo series is tailor made for the Switch. Both Diablo II and Diablo III are fantastic on the hybrid console, and there are rumours out there that the latest entry — Diablo IV — may well be coming to Switch 2.
News Blizzard Revives 'Overwatch: Classic' In A New Limited-Time Event
"Embrace the chaotic fun of 6v6" in the sequel
For some time now, Overwatch fans have been calling for the revival of the original game, which was taken away from the playerbase when the second free-to-play title Overwatch 2 launched in 2022. Now, in a new event update starting today, the classic game is returning - bringing back 6v6 action and the...
News Overwatch 2 Celebrates World Of Warcraft's 20th Anniversary With "Legendary Crossover Event"
Worlds collide next week
The PC gaming giant Blizzard has announced it will celebrate 20 years of its massive multiplayer online game World of Warcraft in its free-to-play hero shooter Overwatch 2 later this month. Players will be able to go on an epic ride in this "legendary crossover event" which features iconic characters from Azeroth. The event...
News Overwatch 2 Announces Collab With Legendary Anime 'Cowboy Bebop'
Get ready for the return of the space cowboy next week
Blizzard's free-to-play shooter Overwatch 2 hasn't exactly blown up like the original game but it has delivered some new ideas (and collabs). The latest one is another anime-inspired crossover and this time it adds new cosmetics based on the legendary '90s anime Cowboy Bebop. Yes, Spike...
News Call Of Duty Exec Is Appointed As Blizzard's New President
Times are a-changin'
Following the departure of Mike Ybarra from Blizzard just last week, Microsoft has announced that Johanna Faries has now been appointed as the new President of the formidable subsidiary. Faries is currently serving as General Manager for the Call of Duty franchise, with her new role at Blizzard effective from February 5th,...
News Overwatch 2 Reveals Brand New Tank Hero At BlizzCon 2023
"Limited-time free trial" available now
It's BlizzCon 2023 this weekend, and in addition to announcements for games like Diablo IV and World of Warcraft, Blizzard has unveiled a brand new tank hero for the free-to-play class-based shooter, Overwatch 2. This new character is a Samoan hero named Mauga (meaning "mountain" in Samoan) and is a dual...
News Blizzard Cancels Overwatch 2's Long-Awaited PvE Hero Mode
Update: Executive producer responds to community backlash
Update [Thu 18th May, 2023 03:05 BST]: Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss has now responded to the community backlash in a series of tweets, reiterating how the cancellation of the PvE Hero Mode wasn't an easy decision and was equally as difficult for the development team. A...
News Overwatch 2 Reveals Gameplay Footage Of New Tank Hero
Coming December 6th
Update [Sun 27th Nov, 2022 02:55 GMT]: Blizzard has now released gameplay footage of Ramattra. He'll make his debut in Season 2 on December 6. Original article [Wed 23rd Nov, 2022 02:05 GMT]: If you're still playing Blizzard's free-to-play title Overwatch 2 on a regular basis, you might be interested to know there's a double...
News Blizzard Delays Overwatch 2 Mid-Season Update Due To "Critical Issue"
A last minute delay
Blizzard's new free-to-play hero shooter Overwatch 2 had all sorts of issues when it arrived on Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms last month, and unfortunately, it's still dealing with some problems. In the latest development, Blizzard has made the tough decision to delay a major mid-season cycle patch just hours...
News Overwatch 2 Player Count Reaches 35 Million Players In The First Month
"A strong start"
Blizzard's new free-to-play title Overwatch 2 has been available for just over a month now on all platforms including the Switch, and it seems to have had a healthy population growth in that time frame, despite "mass DDoS attacks", the removal of heroes and
News Blizzard Removes Another Hero From Overwatch 2 For Two Weeks Due To Bug
It was ice to see you
Just over a week after Blizzard reinstated Torbjörn and Bastion in Overwatch 2, the developer is now having to remove another hero from the game — and she'll be gone for two weeks. Mei's Ice Wall has been found to have a bug, which currently other heroes can use to reach "unintended locations" when combined with their own...
News Overwatch 2 Wants To Know What Players Think About Its Battle Pass, Store & Microtransactions
Did you get a survey?
Overwatch 2 launched as a free-to-play title last month, and it's not been the smoothest rollout. There were errors, reports of mass DDoS attacks and concerns raised about unlockables being secured behind a paywall. Blizzard even went to the extent of apologising to players for these launch issues with some free rewards and...
News Halloween Terror Returns To Overwatch 2
Dr. Junkenstein is back
The spooky season is upon us and to celebrate Blizzard is reviving its 'Halloween Terror' event for Overwatch 2. This new event in Overwatch 2 introduces the next chapter of the Dr. Junkenstein saga with an all-new "limited-time" co-op mission - Junkenstein's Revenge: Wrath of the Bride. Dr. Junkenstein's original co-op...
News Overwatch 2 Reaches 25 Million Players In The First 10 Days
Despite a rough start
Overwatch 2 got off to a bumpy start, but in terms of the game's launch population, the sequel has apparently set an "all-time record" - reaching 25 million players in the first ten days of the game's availability. In an official Blizzard press release, it was mentioned how this number was "nearly triple" the previous daily...
News Blizzard Apologises To Overwatch 2 Players For Launch Issues
"We'll continue to listen to our community"
Overwatch 2 was released on Switch and multiple other platforms just over a week ago, and it's safe to say the launch has been a bit of a nightmare for Blizzard and the game's community. The servers were apparently hit by "mass DDoS attacks" and there were lengthy queue times and connection issues...
News Blizzard Has Temporarily Removed Two Heroes From Overwatch 2
Update: Servers undergo "emergency maintenance"
Update: Blizzard has apparently been hit with another wave of DDoS attacks not long after it temporarily removed Bastion and Torbjörn from the game. Its servers had to undergo "emergency maintenance" in response to this, fortunately, it seems to have been sorted out now. You can see Blizzard's full...
News Overwatch 2's New Phone Number Requirement Is Rejecting Pre-Paid Plans
Update: Requirements for existing players dropped
Update #2 [Sat 8th Oct, 2022 11:30 BST]: Blizzard has begun to roll out the update that removes the phone number requirement for existing Overwatch players and Battle.net users. So you should now be able to log in and play without attaching your mobile. This will not apply to new Battle.net sign ups...
News Overwatch 2 Player Calculates '5 Year' F2P Grind To Unlock New Hero's Cosmetics
The price of free-to-play
In case you missed it, Overwatch has swapped to a free-to-play model with the release of the second title earlier this week, and that means there are some new microtransactions, like the premium battle pass. In other words, if you want to unlock certain cosmetics or get more out of the game, you might need to fork out real...
News Overwatch 2 Gets New Defence Matrix To Combat "Cheaters And Disruptive Players"
Out with the old and in with the new
Overwatch 2 will arrive as a free-to-play game on the Nintendo Switch and other platforms very soon — on October 4th. Replacing the original Overwatch servers in the process, the sequel is set to introduce a huge number of new players to the online game increasing the prospect of disruptive behaviour and...
News The "Last Day" To Play The Original Overwatch Will Be Early Next Month
Assault maps are also being dropped
Overwatch 2 will arrive on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms early next month as a free-to-play title. As part of this, Blizzard has announced it will be shutting down the original game's servers. This will take place just days before the second game's launch on 4th October. Here's how Blizzard's...
News Overwatch 2 Dev Blizzard "Committed" To Reviving BlizzCon In 2023
The live event will return
It's the time of year when all sorts of video game conferences are broadcast, or at least get announced. Blizzard - the developer behind series like Diablo, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft hasn't held its own in-person event in a while, but it seems this will be changing next year. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times...
News Blizzard Entertainment Acquires Spellbreak Developer Proletariat
To help with World of Warcraft development
Less than a day after the shock announcement that magic-based battle royale Spellbreak will be shutting down early next year, it's been announced that Blizzard Entertainment has snapped up the game's developer, Proletariat. VentureBeat reports that the 100-strong team at Proletariat wil
News Bobby Kotick Has Been Re-Elected To Activision Blizzard's Board Of Directors
Investigations into company misconduct are ongoing
Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, has been successfully re-elected to the company's board of directors for another year. The decision was made as a result of the company's annual shareholder meeting on June 21st, the outcome of which you can read in full right here. Activision Blizzard has...
"I wish I could say we had something in the works"
Fans of the Birdman (that's Tony Hawk) got quite a shock earlier this year in April when it was revealed the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater developer Vicarious Visions had been absorbed by Blizzard Entertainment. Concerns were raised about the future of the series at the time, and if remasters of the third...
News Overwatch 2 Is Getting Rid Of Loot Boxes In Favour Of A Battle Pass
Roadmap and new character announced
Overwatch 2 finally secured a release date earlier this week and official confirmation that the sequel to Blizzard's hugely popular online shooter will be coming to Switch. Now Blizzard has revealed the game's upcoming roadmap, along with some interesting changes, during a reveal event broadcast yesterday. On top...
News Blizzard's Overwatch 2 Launches On Nintendo Switch This October
PvP will be free-to-play
During the recent Xbox Bethesda showcase, Blizzard shared a few announcements. One of them was the news that Overwatch 2 would be launching in early access on PC and consoles on October 4th. According to the PR, this includes Nintendo Switch. It was also confirmed the player-versus-player multiplayer component will be...
News Vicarious Visions Is Seemingly No More After It Merges With Blizzard Entertainment
Developer will work solely on Blizzard games
Vicarious Visions, known for its work on Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, will merge with Blizzard Entertainment and work solely on Blizzard games moving forward. Blizzard Entertainment is known for franchises such as Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Hea
News Blizzard Confirms Doomfist Will Be A Tank Hero In Overwatch 2
Class swap
Blizzard will be making some big changes in the upcoming release Overwatch 2, and the latest reveal is the Street Fighter-inspired brawler Doomfist will be changed from damage to tank class. Game director Aaron Keller shared a bit more detail in a livestream last week - explaining how Doomfist's "leap" would be similar to Winston. He...
News Overwatch Director Admits Dev Team Has Let Down The Game's Community
Will now release Overwatch 2's PVP mode "sooner"
Since the departure of game director Jeff Kaplan from the Overwatch team, the game's sequel seems to have gone missing. After announcing Overwatch 2 would drop the second tank slot from the game's PVP team battle mode last May, Blizzard then revealed the game had been
News Blizzard Has Delayed Overwatch 2 (Again)
Diablo IV is also getting a "later launch"
When Blizzard announced a sequel to its team-based hero shooter Overwatch in 2019, it made it clear it was still a while away. It's now been delayed again - with the company announcing during a recent investor call that's it's planning a "later launch" for Overwatch 2 to ensure the game reaches its "full...
News Blizzard Has Officially Renamed Overwatch's McCree
Say hello to Cole Cassidy
As you might recall, Blizzard announced it would be changing the name McCree - the popular cowboy gunslinger in its team-based first-person shooter, Overwatch. In case you missed the original announcement, the character was named after one of the now ex-employees linked to the recent harassment and discrimination lawsuit -...
News Diablo II: Resurrected Is Still Being Plagued By Hellish Server Outages
Blizzard issues an update
In the month of September, Blizzard launched Diablo II: Resurrected - a remaster of its classic ARPG hack-and-slash, originally released on computers two decades ago. While this remaster encountered some teething issues at launch, players were (mostly) still able to access the online mode, grind levels and access their...
News Industry Veteran "Zoid" Retires And Reminisces About A Conference Call With Miyamoto
Call me by my (nick)name
Blizzard's most senior software engineer David "Zoid" Kirsch has announced his retirement from the company and the games business. The industry veteran has an enviable list of credits to his name, having worked for some of the biggest companies in the business and some of the biggest games of the last 20 years, including...
News Overwatch 2 Is Still Coming To Switch, But Blizzard Will Have To Make "Some Compromises"
Focus will be on gameplay features first
It's been an uphill battle for developers porting next-generation titles to the Switch since the system arrived in 2017. While we've seen some "impossible" ports like The Witcher 3 and DOOM, often studios have to make serious comprises to get certain games up and running on Nintendo's hybrid hardware. When...
News Switch Overwatch Players Can Now Team Up With Xbox, PlayStation And PC Heroes
The cross-play beta has arrived
Overwatch has made some massive announcements in recent times under the new game director Aaron Keller, and today sees the arrival of a long-awaited update: cross-play. Yes, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC heroes can now play together. Just be mindful that it's still technically in beta. In order to participate in...
News Overwatch 2 Is Removing The Second Tank Slot From PVP Teams
Each team will be comprised of just five players each
There's a major change coming to the player vs player component of Overwatch and the upcoming release Overwatch 2. According to the game's new director, Aaron Keller (Jeff Kaplan's replacement), Overwatch PVP matches will be reduced from six players per team, down to just five. Sorry Tank...
News Blizzard To Showcase New PVP Overwatch Maps In Special Fifth Anniversary Livestream
A developer AMA will follow on May 24th
Although many within the Overwatch community are still recovering from the departure of game director Jeff Kaplan last month, the latest developer update has now been posted. It's hosted by Aaron Keller - a founding member of the original Overwatch team and Jeff's replacement - and focuses on "what's next"...
News Console Players Will Be Included In Future Testing Phases Of Diablo II: Resurrected
Technical Alpha begins this Friday on PC
Back in February, Blizzard announced Diablo II: Resurrected for multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch. Since then, there's been very little information about the remaster of this iconic classic. Now, though, in a new update - the company has confirmed its very first Technical Alpha for the game...
Including "50 employees" in live events
It has been tough times for a lot of industries over the past year, and perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the pandemic for the video game industry has been the cancellation of live shows including expos and e-sports events. As these in-person events are no longer happening, Activision Blizzard has...
News Blizzard's Diablo II Remaster Will Support Your Old Save Files
Time to revive your original builds
Last month, Blizzard announced Diablo II: Resurrected. It's a remaster of the base game and Lord of Destruction, and it's coming to the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms this year. If you happen to be a returning player, you might be interested to know you'll actually be able to use your saves from the...
PSA Turn Off The Music In Rock N Roll Racing If You Stream The Blizzard Arcade Collection Online
Licensed soundtrack "not cleared for streaming"
During BlizzCon Online this weekend, Blizzard announced (and released) a three-in-one retro selection comprised of The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing and Blackthorne. Just days after the launch of the Blizzard Arcade Collection, Blizzard's Adam Fletcher has issued a warning about streaming Rock N...
News Get A Stack Of Extra Goodies In Blizzard's 30th Anniversary Celebration Collection
Includes the new Blizzard Arcade Collection
If you're interested in purchasing the Blizzard Arcade Collection for your Nintendo Switch, you might want to consider Blizzard's 30-year celebration collection instead. This pack not only includes Blizzard's new retro arcade collection but also a cache of commemorative in-game content for Overwatch and
News Overwatch 2 Team Needs More Development Time To Ensure It's A "Worthy Successor"
And a "true sequel"
Earlier this month, Activision Blizzard confirmed the sequel to the team-based shooter Overwatch would be not be arriving this year. At the time, it was simply explained how the company outlook for 2021 did not include the launch of this title. Today, at BlizzCon Online, game director Jeff Kaplan and the team elaborated on this,...
News Diablo II: Resurrected Is Coming To The Nintendo Switch This Year
Return to Hell
At Blizzard's all-digital BlizzCon event this year, the company announced Diablo II: Resurrected for the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms. It'll be arriving later this year. The remaster of this classic ARPG hack 'n slash will include the ability to toggle between new and old graphics, the same gameplay "you know and...
News Blizzard Arcade Collection Announced For Nintendo Switch, Out Today On The eShop
A blast from the past
This year's BlizzCon has just kicked off. To start the show, Blizzard announced the Blizzard Arcade Collection. It's out today on the Nintendo Switch for $19.99 / £16.99 and contains The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing and Blackthorne. Both the original editions and upgraded definitive editions are included in this package...
News Get Ready For More Remasters From Activision Blizzard In 2021
What might be making a comeback?
Video game powerhouse Activision Blizzard has been banking big bucks for some time now thanks to a number of remasters. We've seen the return of IP like Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater from Activision's side, while Blizzard has chipped in with titles such as Warcraft III: Reforged - that one obviously...
News Activision Blizzard Says Overwatch 2 Won't Be Released This Year
But the world needs heroes
Activision Blizzard has confirmed the sequel to the team-based shooter Overwatch will not be arriving this year. This announcement was made by the company's chief financial officer and president of emerging businesses, Dennis M. Durkin, during the fourth-quarter earnings call. "Our outlook does not include Diablo IV or...
The 200-person studio now only works on Blizzard games
Vicarious Visions is no more. As of today, the 31-year-old company has been fully subsumed into Blizzard, and will be "fully dedicated to existing Blizzard games and initiatives" from now on. In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, a representative for Vicarious Visions said the following:...
News Overwatch's New Kanezaka Map Is Now Live, And It's Gearing Us Up For Overwatch 2
A new micro-event based around Hanzo is also available
We first got word that Kanezaka was heading to Overwatch last month, via game director Jeff Kaplan's developer update. Much like Hanamura Castle, this new map is set within Tokyo, Japan but instead of the usual 6v6 fights, Kanezaka offers a free-for-all deathmatch instead. After several weeks of...
News Overwatch Director Reminds Us Which Hero He Would Like To See In Smash Bros.
Cheers, love!
Blizzard's Overwatch team recently did a Reddit AMA and was asked again which heroes they would like to see represented in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. Game director Jeff Kaplan chose Tracer for the second time in a row, while the lead hero designer Geoff Goodman went with Doomfist - a hero with a moveset inspired by classic 2D...
