Executives Johanna Faries of Blizzard Entertainment, Justine Palefsky of Kindred, and Alphonzo Terrell of Spill joined a panel moderated by Fast Company's Morgan Brady to discuss how companies can turn passive audiences into engaged communities. They emphasized that authentic community cannot be created through marketing gimmicks but must be built by listening to customers and relinquishing some corporate control.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-17
Blizzard Entertainment revealed a new StarCraft game at BlizzCon 2026, marking the franchise's first mainline entry since 2015's Legacy of the Void. The open-world, story-driven shooter is directed by Dan Hay and takes place in the Koprulu Sector seventy years after the previous game's events, with a targeted 2030 release.
hypebeast.com
· 2026-09-14
Roughly 1,900 developers and staff at Blizzard have voted to ratify a labor contract with Microsoft, formalizing terms for one of the largest unionized groups in the video game industry. The agreement follows Microsoft's earlier pledge of neutrality toward unionization efforts across its gaming divisions after acquiring Activision Blizzard.
games.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-14
At BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard confirmed development of Diablo V, an action-RPG set 100 years after Diablo IV where Diablo has already conquered Sanctuary. The story unfolds in Westmarch, casting players as the Heir to its royal line navigating a hellscape with no towns, heroes, or quest-givers, only a traveling caravan of survivors.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-14
Blizzard unveiled World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon 2026, a permanent Classic+ style version of the original 2004 game launching November 4. The expansion adds over 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids, four new zones, and a new Skyborne elf race, all while keeping the level cap frozen at 60. It joins Modern (Retail) and Classic as a third permanent version of WoW.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-14
Blizzard confirmed a new StarCraft game at BlizzCon, departing from the series' real-time strategy roots to become an open-world shooter. The reveal came via a cinematic trailer showing a soldier fighting Zerg forces, though no gameplay footage was shown, and the game isn't expected until 2030.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-14
At BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard revealed a cinematic trailer for a new game simply called StarCraft, billed as a story-driven open-world shooter. The title marks the franchise's first major new entry since StarCraft 2 launched 16 years ago, but Blizzard says it won't arrive until spring 2030.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-12
At BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed a spring 2029 release window for Diablo V and confirmed an animated television adaptation of the franchise being developed with Netflix. Details on both projects remain scarce—Blizzard has not disclosed the game's story specifics, the show's release date, or which studio is animating it, only teasing that 'Sanctuary's darkness is spreading.'
engadget.com
· 2026-09-12
Blizzard confirmed at BlizzCon that it's developing a shooter simply titled Starcraft, its first major franchise update since 2016, targeting a 2030 release. The studio also unveiled Diablo 5, set for 2029 to mark the series' 30th anniversary, alongside plans to add the Amazon class to Diablo 4 next year via a class pack.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-12
At BlizzCon, Blizzard VP Dan Hay announced a new StarCraft game arriving in 2030, reimagined as an open-world shooter rather than a real-time strategy title. A cinematic trailer centered on the United Earth Directorate's clash with the Zerg was shown, with the Protoss barely featured, depicting propaganda-driven soldiers confronting the grim reality of war.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-12
Blizzard Entertainment employees represented by the Communications Workers of America have voted to approve their first union contract, ending roughly two years of negotiations. The agreement covers about 1,900 workers and includes wage increases, hybrid work terms, disability and remote-work accommodations, expanded severance, and a requirement that Blizzard bargain over AI use in the workplace.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-09
A source cited by South Korean outlet Chosun Daily says Blizzard is nearing an agreement to let Nexon develop new StarCraft games, with the deal possibly also covering publishing rights for a new Overwatch mobile title. The exact form of the StarCraft project is unconfirmed—it could be a revival of the shelved shooter StarCraft: Ghost or a true sequel to StarCraft II. Nexon reportedly beat out other Asian publishers, including Krafton, to secure the rights last year.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-03
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