Blizzard at Gamescom 2024: New content, collabs announced

Blizzard announced Warcraft's 30th anniversary, Overwatch 2's collaboration, and Diablo 4's latest cinematic at the Gamescom 2024 event.

Johanna Faries, Blizzard Entertainment president, graced the Opening Night Live (ONL) stage to commemorate Warcraft's 30th anniversary, announce the upcoming early access for The War Within (expansion), Overwatch 2's in-game World of Warcraft (WoW) collaboration, which is set to launch in September 2024, and unveil the nerve-racking cinematic for the Mercenary companions that will be joining players in Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred.

Johanna Faries said:

This is an incredible moment for Blizzard: our teams are launching World of Warcraft: The War Within in just a few days during this massive year of Warcraft milestones, expanding the world of Sanctuary in October with Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, and are continuing to deliver inspired new content and collaborations in Overwatch 2. We are thrilled to be representing the work of so many of our colleagues, and to be celebrating here at Gamescom alongside our amazing communities.

Here are the highlights of Blizzard's announcements at the Gamescom 2024 event.

Announcements for World of Warcraft

The global release of World of Warcraft: The War Within on August 27, 2024, with early access beginning August 23 at 6 AM Philippine Time (UTC +8).

The first ever Warcraft Direct will be towards the end of the year, where teams will share more about what's coming in the future.

In-game events celebrating World of Warcraft's 20th anniversary will begin at the end of October, allowing players to explore the history of Azeroth while earning rewards.

With the power of VR, attendees will be able to experience the thrill of skyriding, soaring through Dalaran and experiencing an invasion of the fabled city first hand in an immersive experience located on the show floor.

See also: World of Warcraft 2024 Roadmap

Announcements for Overwatch 2

To celebrate Warcraft's 30th anniversary, Overwatch 2 unveiled the first new skin for Widowmaker, who embraces her allegiance to the Horde as Sylvanas Windrunner this September.

On the show floor, Overwatch 2 will be in a joint stand with Porsche, highlighting their collaboration with a life-sized D.Va statue modeled after the new all-electric Macan and inviting fans to enter a real-life rendition of an iconic map.

Announcements for Diablo IV

Brent Gibson, game director for Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, joined Johanna on stage to showcase the Mercenaries Reveal trailer, highlighting the latest feature coming to the expansion on October 8, 2024.

Watch the Mercenaries Reveal trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_RHvTVnBiI.

Vessel of Hatred brings new ways to play:

Mercenaries - ordinary people with extraordinary skills, available to fight alongside players

The Kurast Undercity - a new multistage dungeon

The Dark Citadel - a new co-op PvE dungeon.

What can you say about the upcoming content and collabs announced by Blizzard? You can leave your comment below.

Image via Blizzard Entertainment

This article was originally published on the PinoyTechSaga blog.