Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment business and news from across the web.
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Blizzard pulls out the nerf hammer for new World of Warcraft Midnight Season 2 class tuning
Blizzard Entertainment has released a new round of class tuning changes for World of Warcraft ahead of the Midnight Season 2 launch. The update targets significant outliers in both high and low performance tiers, with adjustments to tier sets and baseline abilities for various classes including Demon Hunters, Mages, Priests, and Warriors. These changes aim to rebalance gameplay and will go live on August 18th alongside the new season.
WoW's haunted: Players report that their disconnected friends' characters are starting to play the game on…
Players of World of Warcraft are reporting an unusual phenomenon where disconnected characters appear to continue moving and fighting independently. This behavior, observed after the 12.1 patch, has led to speculation about a new disconnect protection feature or a game bug. Blizzard Entertainment has not yet officially commented on the matter.
Blizzard takes rare World of Warcraft mount from players as the MMO's latest crack down on real-money transactions…
Blizzard Entertainment has issued a new wave of bans in World of Warcraft, targeting players involved in real-money transactions, particularly in the EU. The crackdown has also led to the removal of the rare Mythic L'ura mount from accounts, even from players who did not directly violate policies but were in guilds with offending members.
Marvel Rivals hasn't managed to beat Overwatch's stats yet, but Disney boasts it's still "attracted…
Disney announced that Marvel Rivals has attracted 40 million players worldwide since its launch, with 60% of those players being under the age of 24. While this number is impressive, it has not yet surpassed Overwatch 2's pre-relaunch player statistics. The article also touches on Overwatch 2's recent comeback and the ongoing comparison between the two hero shooters.
Opinion: Deprofessionalization could foster toxic work environments on small teams
The article discusses the concept of 'deprofessionalization' in the game industry, where reduced general employment drives out career professionals, potentially fostering toxic work environments, particularly in indie development. It draws parallels between historical instances of harassment at both large and small studios, highlighting how relaxed professional standards can lead to inappropriate conduct and drive talent away from the industry.
Casually Classic: Will the WoW Classic Plus announcement anger the community no matter what?
The upcoming announcement of a 'WoW Classic Plus' project at BlizzCon is likely to divide the community, with conflicting player expectations and past grievances making universal satisfaction improbable. The author expresses a desire for the project but cautions against letting emotions dictate reception, while also criticizing content creators who deliberately incite outrage. Ultimately, the success of the new version will depend on its own merits, independent of forum noise.
Bethsoft devs roast Microsoft with a giant inflatable rat as unions plan huge rallies next week
Developers at Bethesda Game Studios have protested Microsoft's recent mass layoffs by erecting a giant inflatable rat and flags representing laid-off workers outside their Rockville HQ. This action precedes planned rallies by Microsoft game developers across the US and Canada on August 18th to protest layoffs and corporate greed.
WoW 12.1 is finally here, and there's a brand new talent tree and instance type
World of Warcraft patch 12.1, titled Curse of Ula'tek, is now live, introducing the new Lair instance type and the Venomous Abyss raid. The update adds an all-new talent tree with effects like Venomwalking, a new dungeon called Altar of Fangs, and new rotations for existing dungeons. Player housing features have been expanded with shareable Blueprint codes, and players can now place pets in their homes.
As Xbox head Asha Sharma reportedly visits Bethesda HQ, workers put up red flags representing laid off staff and a giant inflatable rat outside
Communications Workers of America union members protested outside Bethesda's headquarters with red flags representing laid-off workers and a giant inflatable rat. The protest coincided with a reported visit from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and highlights ongoing concerns about Microsoft's significant layoffs within its gaming divisions, including Bethesda and Activision Blizzard.
Blizzard’s Record Revenue Year Makes Diablo 5 a Matter of When, Not If
Blizzard Entertainment has achieved its third-best fiscal year for revenue, largely driven by Diablo 4 and Overwatch. The company, now part of Microsoft's Xbox division, is reportedly the top-performing studio. This financial success, coupled with continued support for Diablo 4 through expansions, suggests that a Diablo 5 is highly probable in the future, though an announcement is not expected for several years.
Overwatch's huge "battle pass revamp" is out tomorrow and makes things a lot more complicated but,…
Blizzard Entertainment is revamping the Overwatch battle pass system, introducing a new structure with five shorter tracks that players can choose from each season. This change aims to allow players to unlock desired rewards, such as specific skins, more quickly. The total number of tiers and the effort required to complete the pass remain the same, with an added "Tier Hack" feature in the premium version allowing players to swap certain track-ending skins for others.
Overwatch’s Battle Pass Overhaul Will Let You Swap Out Skins You Don’t Want
Overwatch is overhauling its battle pass system for Season 4, introducing a multi-track system that allows players to replace unwanted legendary skins. Product director Chris McCabe explained that players can "hack" one legendary skin per premium battle pass purchase to replace it with a curated selection of past shop and loot box skins. This change aims to give players more control over the rewards they unlock, with the battle pass being divided into six choosable tracks instead of a single linear progression.
Overwatch's old battle passes are finally coming back permanently starting next month, but some of the rewards will…
Blizzard Entertainment is permanently reintroducing old battle passes into Overwatch starting next month, aligning the game with other live service titles. While specific details are pending, a past battle pass will become available halfway through each season, though premium currency, player titles, and Mythic skins will be excluded. This change aims to reduce FOMO and allow players to unlock cosmetics for heroes they actively play.
Blizzard Is Reportedly Xbox’s New Top Studio
Blizzard Entertainment has reportedly been named Xbox's top-performing studio for the past fiscal year, according to internal emails from Blizzard president Johanna Faries. The studio achieved its third-highest revenue in history, driven by strong performance from Diablo 4 and Overwatch, and has seen consecutive years of growth since 2017. This news comes ahead of BlizzCon in September, where further announcements about Blizzard's future are expected.
HandyGames rebrands as THQ Nordic Mobile
HandyGames has rebranded as THQ Nordic Mobile, shifting its focus to bringing premium PC and console titles to mobile platforms, while its development studio continues as HandyGames. Separately, leaked emails reveal Blizzard Entertainment was Xbox's top-performing studio for FY26, driven by Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch, marking its third highest fiscal year for revenue.
Leaked emails reveal Blizzard is Xbox's top-performing studio for FY26
Leaked internal emails reveal that Blizzard Entertainment was the top-performing studio within Xbox Game Studios for Microsoft's fiscal year 2026. This marks Blizzard's second consecutive year of growth, driven by Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch, with FY26 being the studio's third highest fiscal for top-line revenue in its history.
One streamer’s WoW Classic leveling challenge run has revived a sleepy EU server
A streamer named Fred the Purifier has revitalized the underpopulated European World of Warcraft Classic server Celebras with a unique leveling challenge: reaching level 60 by only defeating undead enemies. This challenge has fostered a community of over 300 members in his guild, The Grand Crusade, and even spawned a rival group of undead players.
Blizzard says Diablo and Overwatch ‘drove exceptional performance’ in 2026
Leaked emails from Blizzard boss Johanna Faries indicate that Blizzard Entertainment achieved exceptional performance in fiscal year 2026, marking its third highest revenue year in history and first back-to-back growth since FY17. Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch were highlighted as key drivers of this success, with Overwatch delivering its strongest quarter since 2022.
Blizzard seems to be back on top at Xbox with Diablo 4 and the Overwatch relaunch
Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly experiencing a resurgence under Xbox, with Diablo 4's Lords of Hatred expansion and the relaunch of Overwatch 2 contributing to consecutive years of growth. While Overwatch 2 has returned to its 2022 performance levels, Diablo 4's expansion has been a significant success despite mixed initial feedback. World of Warcraft was notably absent from the positive performance review.
Leaked Emails: Overwatch and Diablo Pushed Blizzard to the Top of Xbox’s Studio Rankings
Leaked emails from Blizzard president Johanna Faries reveal that Blizzard Entertainment was the top-performing studio within Xbox's division in FY26, driven by the success of Overwatch and Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. This marks Blizzard's first back-to-back years of growth since FY17, despite Microsoft's wider gaming division experiencing significant layoffs.
