BlizzCon 2019 Rumors & Leaks: Diablo 4 And Overwatch 2 Possible

BlizzCon, the annual gaming convention held by World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment, kicks off next week on November 1. The rumor mill has already begun to swirl ahead of the event, with leaks and rumors pointing toward upcoming announcements for new games in both the Diablo and Overwatch series. [Update: New rumored details on Overwatch 2 have emerged courtesy of ESPN, which reports that the game will include a PvE mode and new maps, heroes, and modes. BlizzCon officially begins later this week, so we should know soon if any of these details are indeed true.]

An advertisement for a book called "The Art of Diablo" was recently published in the latest issue of German magazine GameStar, inadvertently revealing that a Diablo 4 announcement might be on the horizon. The ad says that the book features "over 500 artworks from Diablo, Diablo II, Diablo III, and Diablo IV." A Diablo 4 reveal wouldn't be too surprising considering Blizzard has previously said it has multiple Diablo projects in the works. The one we know about is Diablo Immortal, the upcoming mobile game.

The Art of Diablo is currently available to pre-order on Amazon with a listed release date of November 3 (the final day of this year's BlizzCon). The book is authored by Jake Gerli and features contributions from senior Blizzard writer Robert Brooks.

Twitch streamer Metro says Diablo 4 and a remaster of Diablo 2 will be announced at BlizzCon. He also posted a series of Tweets detailing the potential reveal of Overwatch 2. Normally leaks and rumors spread around Twitter are to be taken with a grain of salt, but Metro has a track record of leaking Blizzard and Overwatch news after he revealed new hero Ashe a week before the official announcement at last year's BlizzCon.

Metro says his source is "someone tied directly to a Blizzard dev" and notes that Overwatch 2 will be revealed at this year's BlizzCon after a short cinematic featuring heroes including Mei, Tracer, Winston, and a younger Genji. He adds that the potential sequel will include both PvE and PvP, and the new levelling system will change certain abilities for each hero; "For example, there will be an upgrade/change to Tracer's pulsebomb that makes it so if you stick an opponent, all units close to the target that got stuck will also be stuck with a pulsebomb."

A report earlier this year suggested that a Starcraft first-person shooter was in development at Blizzard but was cancelled so the developer could focus its efforts on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. We'll know more next week when BlizzCon opens its doors on November 1.

Blizzard will be hoping to shift the focus to its upcoming games after a controversial week that began with the company banning a Hearthstone pro after he voiced support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The company partially rescinded its punishment to Ng Wai Chung aka "Blitzchung," as well as the punishments given to American University students who protested in solidarity. This has done little to quell the controversy, however, especially since Blizzard is now reportedly banning users in its Twitch chat who express support for Hong Kong. A protest is due to take place during the first day of BlizzCon.