Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment business and news from across the web.
Latest coverage
Blizzard finally caved on Diablo 4's disastrous new season with a patch that reverts almost everything players hated: 'Not every idea lands exactly as intended'
Blizzard Entertainment has released an emergency patch for Diablo 4's Season of Death Awakening, reverting controversial changes to Mythic Uniques that players widely criticized. The patch significantly increased Mythic drop rates and removed the limit on equipping crafted Mythic Uniques, addressing player frustrations with the season's design.
Diablo IV continues its week-long battle with mythic item drop rate problems
Blizzard Entertainment is addressing ongoing player complaints regarding extremely low drop rates for mythic items and issues with crafting them in Diablo IV's latest season. Live service design director Dan Tanguay has outlined upcoming patches aimed at increasing mythic item drops from specific bosses and caches, and removing equip limits from mythic uniques.
Diablo 4 Season 14’s Worst Mythic Change Is No More: “Not Every Idea Lands”
Blizzard Entertainment has reversed a controversial change in Diablo 4 Season 14 that limited players to equipping only one crafted Mythic item at a time. The company also plans to adjust the Mythic Upgrade function of the Horadric Cube in Season 15, acknowledging that not all experimental ideas land as intended. These changes follow player feedback regarding Mythic drop rates and the equip limit.
Overwatch stopping work on Stadium may be an even bigger fumble than PvE
Blizzard Entertainment has ceased development on Overwatch's Stadium game mode, with only 6% of the player base engaging with it. The author expresses sadness over the decision, highlighting Stadium's potential as an experimental space for creative ideas, some of which were originally intended for the canceled PvE mode. The article argues that canceling Stadium is a greater fumble than the PvE mode's cancellation due to its proven traction and popularity during its launch week.
StarCraft 2 patch includes the biggest change since 2015's Legacy of the Void, fans say: "What are they doing…
A recent patch for StarCraft 2 from Blizzard Entertainment has introduced significant changes, most notably reducing the cost of Command Centers for Terran forces. This alteration, the most impactful since the Legacy of the Void expansion in 2015, has caused a stir within the player base, with many expressing concern about its potential to disrupt game balance.
Not So Massively: The death of Stadium is another shortsighted waste of Overwatch’s potential
Blizzard Entertainment has ceased development of new characters and maps for the Overwatch Stadium game mode, effectively ending its support. The author criticizes this decision as a shortsighted waste of potential, citing issues with balance, item complexity, and a lack of clear direction for the mode. This move is seen as another instance of Blizzard abandoning projects that don't immediately become massive hits, despite the mode serving as a crucial accessibility tool for some players.
A new Starcraft 2 patch continues taking wild swings at the meta, but it's leaving me hungry for more
Blizzard Entertainment has released a new patch for Starcraft 2, continuing to make significant balance changes to the real-time strategy game. The update focuses on calibrating Protoss and Terran units to better counter Zerg, including a notable price reduction for Terran Command Centers. While the author appreciates the ongoing attention to game balance, they express a desire for more open communication from the development team regarding their decision-making process.
Overwatch's attempt at bringing back 6v6 feels like a bad compromise—it just doesn't work
This article analyzes Overwatch's recent attempt to bridge the gap between its 5v5 and 6v6 formats through a new 1-3-2 flex mode in the Quickplay Hacked Event. The author argues that this compromise fails, as teams with two tanks consistently outperform those with one, making the mode redundant and suggesting that a true compromise between the two distinct formats is not feasible.
An emergency Diablo 4 update makes the Mythic changes we all wanted last week
Blizzard Entertainment has released an emergency update for Diablo 4 addressing player feedback on Mythic items and drop rates. The update removes equip limits for crafted Mythics and increases their drop rates, making them more valuable. Further rewards, including Superior Lair Keys and Mythic Tributes, are planned for next week.
New Diablo 4 hotfix finally increases Mythic drop rates and removes limits on equipping them as Blizzard admits…
Blizzard Entertainment has released a hotfix for Diablo 4 to address community concerns regarding Mythic item drop rates and equip limits in Season 14. The update increases the drop rate for Mythics from the Corrupted Reaper boss and removes equip limits for Mythic Uniques. Future patches will further adjust drop rates and add new keys to the game.
Vague Patch Notes: Long-term content vs. short-term content in MMORPGs
This analysis explores the distinction between short-term and long-term content in MMORPGs, using examples from Final Fantasy XIV, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Warframe. It argues that both types of content are crucial for player engagement and game longevity, with short-term content providing immediate experiences and long-term content offering sustained engagement.
Blizzard promises Diablo 4's Iconic Mythic drop rate is "being looked into" as players declare the latest…
Blizzard Entertainment is investigating issues with the drop rate of 'Iconic Mythics' in Diablo 4, which players report are not appearing as intended despite a recent patch. Community managers have acknowledged the problem and stated it is being looked into, though specific details on a fix have not yet been provided.
'The goal of design is to efficiently communicate ideas'
This article discusses Stone Librande's 2010 GDC talk on one-page design documents as a method for efficiently communicating complex game design ideas. It highlights how this approach, inspired by various schematic formats, helps distill information for team collaboration and understanding, benefiting both designers and team members across different disciplines.
WoW Factor: World of Warcraft’s content cadence and endgame focus exhausted me – so I escaped
A long-time World of Warcraft player expresses exhaustion with the game's relentless content cadence and endgame focus, despite appreciating Blizzard's efforts to improve content flow. The author found the constant influx of new activities and the treadmill-like nature of seasonal progression overwhelming, leading them to take a break from the MMORPG. They are now looking towards potential future content like WoW Classic Plus for a more manageable experience.
Pokemon Go owner Scopely 'reorganizes' Stumble Guys team
Scopely, the owner of Pokémon Go maker Niantic, has reorganized the team supporting its game Stumble Guys, leading to layoffs. A spokesperson stated that the company regularly reviews game performance and has transitioned some impacted employees to other roles. The news follows reports of other departures from the company and comes after Scopely achieved $15 billion in lifetime revenue.
Indie Studio 'Leyline' Announces New Strategy Game ‘Guildrun’
Indie studio Leyline has announced Guildrun, a new roguelike autobattler strategy game featuring former lead designers from Hearthstone and The Bazaar. The game is set to release on PC via Steam in late 2026, with a playable demo available now. Guildrun blends roguelike replayability with autobattler mechanics, allowing players to build and evolve unique hero teams through deadly rifts.
"If I work on that, my kids will think I'm Gandalf" – Blackbird Interactive on the highs and lows of external development
Blackbird Interactive discusses the challenges and rewards of external development, balancing work-for-hire projects with original titles. President Rory McGuire and Director Alex Delamaire highlight the importance of team excitement, client management, and leveraging diverse skill sets to succeed in the external development space.
Overwatch axing future Stadium heroes and maps due to "dedicated, smaller audience"
Overwatch Game Director Aaron Keller announced that the Stadium game mode will no longer receive new heroes or maps due to a dedicated but smaller audience. While the mode will continue to receive seasonal balance updates, its player statistics indicate it accounts for only about 3% of daily players. Lessons learned from Stadium's development will be applied to future plans for Overwatch.
Overwatch Stadium Doesn't Have Many Fans
Blizzard Entertainment is continuing to experiment with game modes and team compositions in Overwatch. The developer plans further adjustments and tinkering with the game's mechanics.
Blizzard ends support for Overwatch's MOBA-inspired Stadium mode, no more heroes or maps to be added
Blizzard Entertainment is ending support for Overwatch's Stadium mode due to low player numbers, with no new heroes or maps planned. Game director Aaron Keller announced that while Stadium will receive seasonal balance updates, development focus will shift to new experimental 6v6 modes aimed at improving match dynamics and player experience in Role Queue.
