Blizzcon 2023 was held at the Anaheim Convention Center this past weekend, and it was significant for a few reasons. This was the first in-person event for the company since 2019, the first since multiple lawsuits revealed to the world its long history of discrimination and other forms of employee mistreatment, the first since Mike Ybarra became the president, and the first one since the finalization of the Microsoft acquisition.

Past Blizzcons have been opportunities for fans to meet and celebrate the games they love while Blizzard makes announcements for the future, but this Blizzcon was much more than that. It was Blizzard’s opportunity to reintroduce itself, to show the gaming community that it is at once still the Blizzard we love and also no longer the Blizzard that was accused of all those terrible things. This was our first chance to see what Blizzard looks like under Microsoft’s leadership, and it needed to find a way to show us that things are changing; that Blizzard is moving forward, and backward, at the same time.

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The opening ceremony started out rough. New president Mike Ybarra has about as much stage presence as a wilting ficus, and he was struggling to deal with chatter from the crowd while staying on script. There was a significant moment however, when Ybarra asked to take a moment to recognize the developers. He took an ill-timed applause break, but once the crowd caught up, the arena erupted into thunderous cheering. It was the second-loudest moment during the presentation (we’ll get to the loudest) and the enthusiasm even seemed to make Ybarra choke up a bit. Personally I wish the president of the company would recognize his employees in other ways, like paying them a living wage and not allegedly belittling QA workers, but it was a nice moment.

Watch the Blizzcon Opening Ceremony

Ybarra eventually introduced Microsoft boss Phil Spencer, which had the effect of making Ybarra look even more uncomfortable on stage by comparison. Spencer did what he does, and it was certainly important for him to be there, but there was very little substance to his words. I’ll summarize his speech in two sentences: Blizzard has made a lot of great games, I’m a big fan of them and Microsoft is excited about Blizzard’s future. Whelp, see ya later!

A lack of substance was a bit of a problem for most of the opening ceremony. Various leaders from the Diablo, Overwatch, and Hearthstone teams came on stage to talk about new game modes, characters, expansions, and ways to spend money on digital cards (in that order), but it wasn’t the kind of news worth filling an arena over. Everyone wants to hear big exciting news about new games during a presentation like this, but after so many years and through so much change, this Blizzcon needed a big moment - and that’s exactly what Chris Metzen brought.

Metzen is a legendary figure at Blizzard. He started at the company in 1993 before it was even called Blizzard, and rose through the ranks to become one of its most important leaders. He worked on the story for Diablo 2 and served as the creative director on Warcraft 3, while also publishing novels in the Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft universes. He is credited with helping shape Blizzard’s storytelling style, and as the voice of Thrall, is forever inseparable from Warcraft. Metzen retired from the company in 2016, and though he wasn’t the first big name to leave, his departure is considered by many to be the beginning of the end for Blizzard’s golden era.

Metzen returned to Blizzard last December as creative advisor, and when he took the stage at Blizzcon to talk about the future of World of Warcraft, the entire arena was enraptured. Through an incredibly energetic performance, he revealed not just one, but the next three expansions coming to WoW. These expansion will comprise a trilogy called the Worldsoul Saga that will pull together plot threads established throughout the past 20 years of World of Warcraft, all centered around the return of the titans, and more specifically the Sword of Sargeras, a major plot point from the expansion Legion - which just so happens to be the last expansion released before Metzen left Blizzard.

There have been three WoW expansions since Legion: Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands, and Dragonflight. While Dragonflight has been generally well-received, fans were dissatisfied with the direction and conclusion of Sylvanas' storyline, which concluded in Shadowlands.

For WoW fans, the Worldsoul Saga announcement was a big deal, and a satisfying climax for this year’s Blizzcon. Looking at the bigger picture, releasing more World of Warcraft expansions isn’t a groundbreaking move. What makes this such a significant moment is who was chosen to deliver the message, and how he delivered it. Seeing Metzen on stage doing the razzle-dazzle like the old days says so much more about the future of WoW, and Blizzard, than any cinematic trailer ever could. And while the prevalence of game developers with celebrity status is a real problem, the narrative of a legend coming out of retirement to give an aging MMO its second wind is too compelling to ignore.

There were a lot of new faces on the Blizzcon stage this year, many I hope to see again as Blizzard reestablishes itself in the Microsoft era, but a familiar face was needed too. Metzen’s appearance helped the entire Blizzard community remember a better time, and believe in a bright future. There’s been many iconic moments on the Blizzcon stage over the years, but this one is especially significant because it was exactly what Blizzard needed right when it needed it most.

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