Overwatch 2, Diablo 4 announced at Blizzcon 2019

If you play games on PC, chances are very good that you play or have played games created by Blizzard. That means this weekend was a big one, as the developer announced sequels to two of its biggest games: Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4.

Blizzard revealed some important game details for both that make each sound promising in their own way. On the Overwatch side, it's clear that the team doesn't want to push away loyal Overwatch players. All Overwatch 2 maps will come to the original game, as will all new heroes. Skins and cosmetics unlocked in Overwatch will carry over to the sequel.

What sets Overwatch 2 apart, then, is the addition of new game modes. The company says it will be adding cooperative missions, player-vs-enemy missions, and "Hero missions" that let you level up your heroes. It seems like the idea here is that if you like Overwatch the way it is, nothing will change for you. If you love the characters and want a new way to play with them, though, that's coming.

Diablo 4: Back to basics

Diablo, on the other hand, has a lot more history. Diablo 3 stumbled out of the gate due to love for Diablo II and the deep changes Blizzard made for the third game. Blizzard is going much darker and gorier this time around, as the cinematic trailer for the game shows. It sounds like Blizzard is trying to learn from the mistakes of Diablo 3 and the successes of Diablo 2.

The company also offered up a rough outline of how the game would work. Blizzard is promising a strong single-player campaign, but the game will be set in a Destiny-style non-linear open world. You'll come across other players and multiplayer-focused bosses, and Blizzard is even saying that an opt-in PVP mode is coming along, too. The game will have five areas that you can explore as you please, either traveling along the story's golden path or by carving your own.

They've announced three classes thus far: the Druid, the Sorceress, and the Barbarian. The Druid can fluidly switch between different animal shapes from one attack to the next, while the Barbarian can equip four weapons and switch between them for each attack. All in all, it sounds a far cry from last year's Diablo Immortal announcement.

Blizzard hasn't given anything resembling a release date for either Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2. It's likely these games are still a fair way off; 2021 isn't an unreasonable expectation. In the meantime, there's enough here for us to chew on and theorize about until Blizzard has more to say.

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