BlizzCon 2021 is promising to be one of the biggest in the company's history. Blizzard Entertainment was forced to postpone its annual showcase in November 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, so we're expecting it to go big on February 19, 2021 for BlizzCon Online – dishing out new details on everything from Diablo 4 to Overwatch 2. Given that Blizzard also celebrated its 30th anniversary on February 8, a return to some classic games from the archives is also at the top of our BlizzCon 2021 predictions wishlist.
Of course, as with any type of wishlist, take everything in our BlizzCon 2021 predictions with a grain of salt. We have a sense from the BlizzCon 2021 schedule of what games the publisher will be focused on, but we'll be making some reasonable guesses as to what announcements, reveals, and teases we can expect to see once the event kicks off for real. Of course, if you have any BlizzCon 2021 predictions of your own, we'd love to hear them – so be sure to leave us a comment on the GamesRadar Twitter and Facebook pages.
New Diablo 4 class revealed
Blizzard has already confirmed that Diablo 4 won't be releasing in 2021 and that it doesn't have a release date to share, but that isn't to say that the publisher doesn't have some new reveals up its sleeve for the weekend. At the top of our Diablo 4 BlizzCon 2021 predictions is the reveal of at least one new class. We know that there will be five Diablo 4 playable classes, but only three have been detailed so far – Sorceress, Druid, and Barbarian. While there is every chance that Blizzard will reveal a totally brand new class, it seems more likely that a fan-favourite would be brought back.
My best guess? I could see Paladins or Assassins from Diablo 2 making a return, particularly as Blizzard would have good reason to strengthen the connection between the legendary RPG and its rumoured remaster – more on that later. Failing that, the return of the Rogue from the OG Diablo would be well received, as would Diablo 3's Necromancers (for the obvious reason that they are awesome).
New Diablo 4 areas
Diablo 4 looks set to headline BlizzCon 2021, so Blizzard will likely want to show off more than one new class. The company has been pretty transparent about its work on the game – giving interested players regular updates on how development is progressing since it was unveiled back in 2019 – and so it would be fair to assume that BlizzCon Online won't get into all of the dirty details of play and will instead give us a look at the bigger picture. We're hoping to see brand new areas, an introduction to more of the characters that inhabit the world, and a tease of some of the terrifying loot-packing monsters we can hope to encounter.
Diablo 2 Resurrected
One of the video game industry's worst kept secrets, it feels like we've been hearing about Diablo 2 remake or remaster for quite some time now. Many had expected to see such a project come to fruition last year – when the legendary RPG would have celebrated its 20th anniversary – but, with BlizzCon 2020 postponed, it makes sense that the announcement would have been held back as well. As one of the beloved and critically acclaimed games in Blizzard's back catalogue, Diablo 2 Resurrected will be subjected to scrutiny, but rumours that Vicarious Visions is behind the remake – the studio responsible for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 – certainly instils confidence in the creative endeavor. Funnily enough, Vicarious Visions was merged into Blizzard Entertainment earlier this year…
Diablo Immortal release date
This seems almost a given. Diablo Immortal was announced back in 2018, with Blizzard and NetEase working steadily behind-the-scenes on getting the game ready for public consumption. The recent closed-beta for Diablo Immortal was promising, indicating that the RPG is making easy work of the transition to mobile devices. We expect to see a Diablo Immortal release date announced at BlizzCon 2021 for iOS and Android, although there's no telling when that might be. Who knows, Blizzard could always pull a "...and it's available right now!" moment, so it might be worth clearing some space off of your phone now just in case.
Announce more mobile games
The reception at BlizzCon 2018 to Blizzard investing in the mobile space was hostile, to say the least, but there's every chance that the company will announce more mobile games at BlizzCon 2021. Given the success of Hearthstone, it's almost a given. And while Hearthstone will no doubt receive an expansion or new suite of cards all of its own, attention will be on new announcements. With the StarCraft franchise on ice, could we finally see the series make its way to mobile? I'd hope so, but I'd equally be happy to see Heroes of the Storm be given a shot at life on a handheld, plus – with Pokemon celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021 – it might be fun to World of Warcraft's Pet Battle system adapted into a fun mobile game. Stranger things have happened.
New Overwatch 2 heroes
It doesn't take BlizzCon 2021 predictions to know that Overwatch 2 won't arrive this year. Blizzard has already confirmed as much, and so it's likely that the publisher will use BlizzConline as an opportunity to offer a bit of a vibe check on Overwatch 2. We have had surprisingly little information on the hero shooter since it was unveiled in 2019; I get the sense that Blizzard isn't ready to show too much of the game itself in action, and will instead take this as an opportunity to show off brand new heroes and maps. The Overwatch 2 portion of BlizzCon 2021 is going to be for the Overwatch lore-heads, I guarantee it (legally, I can't actually guarantee it… but you know what I mean).
Shadowlands: Chains of Domination announced
Okay, so this isn't a BlizzCon 2021 prediction as it is a damned guarantee, since it's already leaked. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands arrived in November 2020, and Blizzard will likely use its opening ceremony to detail the first major content patch for the MMO. Titled Shadowlands: Chains of Domination, the Shadowlands expansion should introduce new features, additional raid content, new dungeons, and some lovely new armor sets. Oh, and rumor has it that Shadowlands: Chains of Domination will finally let you fly your mount around the skies of the afterlife, so that's pretty rad. Anyway, it all sounds rather cool, so we're eager to see it in action.
World of Warcraft Classic: Burning Crusade
There was a time where the thought of World of Warcraft getting back to the glory days of The Burning Crusade was nothing more than a fever dream. Now, here at BlizzCon 2021, it is going to finally become a reality. Again, this is another result of the leak, but it seems almost certain that Blizzard will reveal World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft Classic. The journey through the Dark Portal represented an early high-point for the long-running MMO; Burning Crusade was WoW's first expansion, a 2007 release that enshrined Warcraft in legend. To see it on stage again in 2021 will be awesome to experience.
Blizzard Arcade Collection
With Blizzard celebrating its 30th anniversary, it would be wise to expect to see some games hauled out from the vault, dusted off, and given a revival for modern systems. It's difficult to play many of the early Blizzard games today, so it would be fun to see some classics given a little love. You have to think that the company learned some lessons from Warcraft 3: Reforged, and will present some of its earliest games unaltered – preserved in amber (well, a Nintendo Switch cartridge case).
I'd say it would be reasonable to expect to see RPM Racing, The Lost Vikings, and Rock n' Roll racing revisited for a collection – Blizzard's first three games, operating under the name 'Silicon & Synapse'. It would also be fun to see the first original games as Blizzard Entertainment bundled up into a Blizzard Arcade Collection, which were Blackthrone and Warcraft: Orcs & Humans – were I to hazard a guess, I'd think The Death and Return of Superman will probably stay locked away in the vault forever.
Want to watch BlizzCon Online yourself? Then you'll want to get acquainted with the BlizzCon 2021 schedule, which outlines all of the major panels and presentations happening this weekend.
