Blizzard Entertainment Archives

AppWizard

December 24, 2025

They survived the MMO massacre of 2025, but 2026 is going to be a tense year for WoW and FF14: And for completely different reasons

In 2025, the MMORPG landscape faced significant turmoil with the closure of New World, withdrawal of funding for Greg Street's MMO, cancellation of a ZeniMax title, and the demise of a Warhammer MMO. Despite this, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14 have remained resilient. Final Fantasy 14 has struggled with design and content delivery, lagging behind competitors like World of Warcraft, which has benefited from Microsoft's acquisition. Creative Studio 3's rigid division between casual and hardcore content has hindered player engagement, while World of Warcraft has successfully implemented variable difficulty. Director Naoki Yoshida is addressing job design issues in an upcoming expansion expected in late 2026 or early 2027. World of Warcraft has seen a resurgence with recent expansions but faces challenges in eliminating combat mods that players rely on. Both games are at a critical juncture, with 2026 expected to be pivotal for their futures.

AppWizard

December 9, 2025

7 Greatest Blizzard Games of All Time

Blizzard Entertainment has produced several iconic games that have significantly impacted the gaming community. 1. Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness - Released a year after the original Warcraft, it refined multiplayer real-time strategy gameplay and solidified Blizzard's reputation in the genre. The expansion, Beyond the Dark Portal, enhanced the experience. 2. Hearthstone - Launched with over 100 million players by 2018, it has become a staple in digital card games despite criticisms of its monetization strategies. 3. Overwatch - Originating from the shelved Titan project, it became a phenomenon in the hero shooter genre with nearly 10 million players in the open beta, although it faced loot box controversies. 4. StarCraft - A cultural phenomenon, it established itself as a national sport in South Korea and set new standards for balance in competitive play with its innovative design. 5. Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos - Known for its compelling narrative and rich lore, it laid the groundwork for the MMO genre and inspired the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre. 6. World of Warcraft - With a peak player count of 12 million in 2010, it is the best-selling MMO of all time, generating billions in revenue and continuing to thrive with new expansions. 7. Diablo 2 - Following its Lord of Destruction expansion, it became the fastest-selling PC game and defined the action RPG genre, influencing many subsequent games.

AppWizard

November 30, 2025

Despite Blizzard’s World of Warcraft Midnight changes, the team behind its most iconic mod still has no plans to return

Blizzard Entertainment is implementing significant changes to the information accessible to combat addon creators in World of Warcraft Midnight, which will affect popular addons like WeakAuras. The WeakAuras team has announced they will not support the addon in the upcoming expansion due to the introduction of 'secret values' that conceal combat-related information. The team believes these changes hinder the core functionality of WeakAuras, which relies on tracking personal combat states. Major changes include restrictions on addons' ability to send and receive chat messages during combat, concealment of NPC identities and buffs/debuffs, and obscuring personal combat states. Game director Ion Hazzikostas stated that the goal of these changes is to prevent addons from providing a competitive advantage over players using the base user interface. The WeakAuras team feels that Blizzard's approach is incompatible with their addon’s purpose and has criticized the communication regarding these changes. Players may need to find alternative solutions for their addon needs in the Midnight expansion.

AppWizard

September 27, 2025

Diablo 4 is crossing the streams with Starcraft cosmetics, and honestly? A Terran marine makes a better Barbarian than I’d have expected

Blizzard Entertainment has announced a new series of Starcraft-themed cosmetics for Diablo 4, including armor sets for each class. The Barbarian armor set is inspired by Jimmy Raynor's armor from Starcraft 2, featuring a skull-etched faceplate and demonic platemail. The Necromancer's set is themed after the Zerg broodmother, while the Druid's armor, inspired by a Zerg-infested marine, has received mixed reactions. The Rogue and Sorcerer sets are based on Zeratul and Tassadar, respectively, and may overshadow the Diablo classes' identities. Additional offerings include a Zergling mount and a Hydralisk companion. The Starcraft skins will be available in the Diablo store on September 26 at 12 PM PDT, with a daily login reward from September 26 to September 28 that includes a free Starcraft-themed weapon skin and player emblem. Pricing is expected to be around 2800 platinum or approximately USD.

AppWizard

September 23, 2025

Stormgate still has potential, says CEO, but recovering like Cyberpunk 2077 or No Man’s Sky is “extremely difficult”

Frost Giant Studios' Stormgate launched into early access last year but has struggled to meet expectations, receiving a mixed rating on Steam with only 49% positive reviews and just 39% satisfaction from recent players. CEO Tim Morten described the initial release as "undercooked" and acknowledged the studio "overhyped and underdelivered." He attributed the rocky launch to issues with product scope, implementation speed, and communication. Morten suggested that focusing on the campaign and 1v1 modes initially could have improved the launch. Currently, the game has an average of only 89 players engaged this month, facing challenges in securing funding and resources.

AppWizard

September 9, 2025

Overwatch GM Kong steps up to new head of development, live games/mobile role

Walter Kong has been promoted to senior vice president and head of development for live games and mobile platforms at Blizzard Entertainment. He joined Blizzard in 2011 as senior director for strategic initiatives, left for Epic Games in 2018, and returned in 2020 as an executive producer before becoming general manager for Overwatch. In his new role, he will oversee the strategic direction of Overwatch and other titles like Hearthstone and Diablo Immortal, although Blizzard has stopped developing new content for Warcraft Rumble and reduced staff in that area. Kong expressed gratitude for his opportunities at Blizzard and is committed to fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment.

AppWizard

August 20, 2025

Survival crafting adventure game Witchspire announced for PC

Envar Games has announced its new project, Witchspire, a survival crafting adventure game set to launch in Early Access for PC on Steam in 2026. The game allows players to take on the roles of novice witches and wizards in a magical realm threatened by an ancient darkness. Key features include magical survival mechanics, the ability to befriend and nurture diverse familiars, and creative home construction using astral projection. Players can engage in customization, leveling, and crafting while facing various threats in the game world.

AppWizard

August 20, 2025

Rod Fergusson is Cloud Chamber’s new studio head

Rod Fergusson has become the studio head at Cloud Chamber, the studio behind the BioShock franchise, following the departure of former studio head Kelley Filmore and creative director Hogarth de la Plante. The studio is undergoing restructuring and facing an undisclosed number of layoffs, although no WARN notice has been filed by parent company 2K Games. Fergusson previously worked at Blizzard Entertainment on Diablo 4 and has experience at The Coalition and Irrational Games. He expressed enthusiasm for returning to 2K and leading the BioShock franchise, acknowledging the challenges posed by the studio's restructuring while committing to the team's efforts on the upcoming BioShock title and overseeing franchise extensions, including a Netflix movie adaptation.

AppWizard

August 11, 2025

Rod Fergusson is leaving Blizzard

Rod Fergusson, the general manager of the Diablo franchise, has announced his departure from Blizzard Entertainment. He joined Blizzard in February 2020 after over 15 years with the Gears of War franchise. Fergusson expressed fulfillment in his time at Blizzard, having driven the Diablo franchise forward with four major launches. Xbox head Phil Spencer acknowledged Fergusson's contributions to the franchise. The future leadership of the Diablo franchise at Blizzard remains uncertain.

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

Blizzard’s ex-CEO says Battlefield 6 will “boot stomp” Call of Duty this year because the franchise has “gone downhill” — calls it a victory for players as COD “won’t be lazy” anymore

Mike Ybarra, former president of Blizzard Entertainment, expressed on social media that he believes "Battlefield will boot stomp CoD this year," suggesting that the competition will push Call of Duty to improve. Battlefield 6 is taking a back-to-basics approach and has shown strong interest with over 250,000 players in its open beta. Critics have noted Ybarra's bias against Call of Duty, which is now owned by Microsoft, and pointed out that despite criticisms, Call of Duty has outsold Battlefield 1. Ybarra described Call of Duty as "a mess," citing issues like cheating and large installation sizes. Battlefield 6 is set to release on October 6 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with modest hardware requirements and a default 60 FPS mode on Series S consoles.