Join us from 6pm UK time for Blizzard's annual Blizzcon opening ceremony celebrations.
We're expecting news on the new World of Warcraft expansion, this year's final set of Hearthstone cards, more new characters for Heroes of the Storm, and something fresh for Overwatch, too.
Watch with us here in the UK, where Oli will be shoutcasting in text form, with special guest appearances from Chris "Bratterz" Bratt in the audience over in Anaheim, California.
Watch on YouTubeOur live coverage of this event has finished.
15:40 pm UTC Hello! Not long to go now. Remember, we're almost certain of a World of Warcraft expansion reveal, but Blizzard has ruled out any major Diablo reveals, sadly.– Robert Purchese
15:41 pm UTC We've also already had one BlizzCon 2017 leak: Hanzo and Alexstrasza are heading to Heroes of the Storm.– Robert Purchese
15:47 pm UTC With Blizzard pushing the Overwatch eSports overhaul hard, it's tough to imagine what else there will be to show. A new animated short?– Robert Purchese
15:48 pm UTC Talking of animated shorts, there may well be another one for HearthStone, as per Blizzard's new animation plans announced at Gamescom.– Robert Purchese
16:11 pm UTC– Chris Bratt
16:12 pm UTC I'm here in Anaheim! There's a LOT of people and they're VERY excited. Must be a Blizzcon.– Chris Bratt
16:17 pm UTC– Chris Bratt
16:19 pm UTC We're already in the main hall, ready for the opening ceremony. It doesn't kick off properly for an hour and 40 minutes though.– Chris Bratt
16:19 pm UTC I wish I'd brought sandwiches.– Chris Bratt
16:26 pm UTCkettls: What are you gonna do for an hour and 40, Chris?
There'll be a preshow at some point, so, erm... maybe I'll go find those sandwiches.
– Chris Bratt
16:28 pm UTC– Chris Bratt
16:32 pm UTC Jaina Proudmoore features pretty heavily in this year's keyart, fuelling rumours that she's going to be a big player in the next WOW expansion.– Chris Bratt
16:33 pm UTC People keep saying there's going to be boats too. So there's your latest rumourwatch from Eurogamer: Jaina and boats.– Chris Bratt
16:41 pm UTC The Horde were much louder. All is well.– Chris Bratt
16:42 pm UTC A booming announcer just asked us to cheer for the Alliance and then roar for the Horde. I love this daft show.– Chris Bratt
16:56 pm UTCKami: I'm more interested if the datamined "race-variations" thing they dug up on Tauren will happen. Mostly because Tauren are easy... everything else would be considerably more work.
Yup, sub-races look like they might be happening!
– Chris Bratt
16:56 pm UTC Red Shirt Guy himself broke that news!– Chris Bratt
17:22 pm UTC Lucio's voice actor just showed up during the preshow, interviewing some Overwatch fans. Gosh, he's infectiously excited.– Chris Bratt
17:22 pm UTC What do we think about a new Overwatch hero being revealed? The game desperately needs it, particularly a Support.– Chris Bratt
17:23 pm UTC And their What's Next panel is an hour long. They must have something to talk about...– Chris Bratt
17:28 pm UTC– Chris Bratt
17:30 pm UTC They've packed out the main stage. Thousands of people eagerly await some lovely words from Mike Morhaime.– Chris Bratt
17:30 pm UTC Oh and some video game announcements too, I suppose.– Chris Bratt
17:34 pm UTC The pre-show just opened with: "Are you ready to get Blizzy?"– Chris Bratt
17:34 pm UTC I don't know about you, but I most certainly am.– Chris Bratt
17:42 pm UTC Feeling Blizzy.– Chris Bratt
17:42 pm UTC– Chris Bratt
17:51 pm UTC Almost there! I think Oli will be joining me for the ceremony itself.– Chris Bratt
17:53 pm UTC Hello!– Oli Welsh
17:53 pm UTC I'm enjoying this Overwatch World Cup interview because they're having to pretend that South Korea aren't guaranteed favourites.– Chris Bratt
17:54 pm UTC The UK team went 15-0 on their way into this competition, but let's be serious here, pals...– Chris Bratt
17:56 pm UTC I'll be talking you through tonight's opening ceremony but fair warning - I only really play WOW and Diablo, so I might need your help on the other stuff.– Oli Welsh
17:57 pm UTC There are 30,000 attendees here today. Oosh.– Chris Bratt
17:57 pm UTC They just said they're extending the Anaheim convention center. Jesus. That place was cavernous enough already.– Oli Welsh
17:58 pm UTC I'm more eager to see details of this WOW expansion than I have been the last few. I enjoyed Legion SO much.– Oli Welsh
17:59 pm UTC Here we go! Are you ready to get Blizzy, Oli?– Chris Bratt
18:00 pm UTC How you build on it is quite a difficult question to answer (especially Artifact weapons, as one of you guys just pointed out) - but that only makes this more interesting.– Oli Welsh
18:00 pm UTC Not Diablo 4 interesting, but still.– Oli Welsh
18:00 pm UTC Here we go!– Oli Welsh
18:00 pm UTC I've been Blizzy all day, Chris.– Oli Welsh
18:00 pm UTC What were your first Blizzard games? Warcraft 3 for me.– Chris Bratt
18:00 pm UTC I'm a regular Blizznessman.– Oli Welsh
18:02 pm UTC Vanilla WOW was my first. I played it for half a day and wasn't convinced. And then I looked up and it was six months later and I was still in my dressing gown.– Oli Welsh
18:03 pm UTC I'm falling for Blizzard all over again right now. The Blizzcon reset.– Chris Bratt
18:04 pm UTC Lovely Mike Morhaime takes to the stage!!– Chris Bratt
18:04 pm UTC And he's NOT wearing a bowling shirt?!– Chris Bratt
18:04 pm UTC Super inclusive and sentimental reel of players emoting about Blizz games there. But the thing is, if you ever go to this show, the community feeling really is unbelievably strong. It's truly uplifting.– Oli Welsh
18:05 pm UTC What up Kami!– Oli Welsh
18:05 pm UTC This was a lot quicker when it was just Horde and Alliance for cheers...– Oli Welsh
18:06 pm UTC Just realised it's 10 years since my first BlizzCon. Though it was in the summer then if I recall correctly.– Oli Welsh
18:07 pm UTC It was the Wrath of the Lich King reveal and the whole thing leaked a day early and Frank Pearce (Blizz founder) looked really, really cross. And he is a terrifying man.– Oli Welsh
18:08 pm UTC God, yeah, I wouldn't want to upset Frank.– Chris Bratt
18:08 pm UTC Mike's Overwatch polo shirt is very restrained and tasteful compared to the old WOW bowling shirts.– Oli Welsh
18:09 pm UTC I suppose that's a good thing but I'm kinda sad about it. Vile lime green and black bowling shirts on every staff member up to and including the CEO are a BlizzCon tradition.– Oli Welsh
18:09 pm UTC Desinty 2 just got a shoutout at Blizzcon. It's not right. It's just not.– Chris Bratt
18:09 pm UTC Metzen never wore them though. Maybe that's why he had to go.– Oli Welsh
18:10 pm UTC Bungie have been Blizzard fanboys for so long, that must have made their day Chris.– Oli Welsh
18:13 pm UTC Esports reel. Sped-up drone footage of central European cities. Dry ice jets. Crying men in headsets. A team called 'Heroes of the Dorm'.– Oli Welsh
18:13 pm UTC– Chris Bratt
18:13 pm UTC I'm so close to the big man.– Chris Bratt
18:14 pm UTCKiliko: Mike Morhaime's reverb has more depth than Destiny 2.
I like Destiny 2, as it goes, but I'm so up for Blizzard fans condescending to the new boy.
– Oli Welsh
18:15 pm UTC StarCraft 2 is going free-to-play!!– Chris Bratt
18:15 pm UTC From November 14th, you'll get the Wings of Liberty campaign for free. If you already own WoL, you'll get Heart of the Swarm instead.– Chris Bratt
18:16 pm UTC It remains one of the greatest singleplayer RTS campaigns you can play. That's great!– Chris Bratt
18:16 pm UTCPyD: yes Oli what the internet and online gaming has been missing is people being condescending to one another
I know, it's awful. This event brings out my inner fanboy.
– Oli Welsh
18:17 pm UTC "There are no strangers at Blizzcon, just friends you haven't met yet" Mike, once again, asking players to be nicer to each other. If only they'd listen!– Chris Bratt
18:19 pm UTC StarCraft 2 going free is big. Interesting that it includes the campaign. Pushing the multiplayer would have been the easy option, but this is a better way to build a more inclusive community around it. That said, it's a sure sign that the game doesn't have enough players and the SC2 esports scene is flagging.– Oli Welsh
18:19 pm UTC Heroes of the Storm up first. Time for those new hero reveals.– Oli Welsh
18:20 pm UTC Yup, there they are: Alexstrasza and Hanzo.– Chris Bratt
18:20 pm UTCMalek86: Look at it this way: for how much people ignore HotS, Blizzard are ignoring Diablo more
I believe they've reduced D3 support to a minimum because the team is fairly serious production on Diablo 4 now. Doesn't mean it's not still years away, mind.
– Oli Welsh
18:20 pm UTC Say something about dragons, Hanzo! Go on!– Chris Bratt
18:23 pm UTCKami: I'm hoping D4 takes more from D2 than it does D3. I'm a terrible person.
I prefer D3's combat and structure, but a 50/50 mix would be quite something. Or something new!
– Oli Welsh
18:24 pm UTCdingo75: I thought the Dragon Aspects are done now since the end of Cataclysm. It's all so confusing! We need red shirt guy! ;)
This is in the Nexus though, where any retcon is possible.
– Oli Welsh
18:25 pm UTC Anyway, we're spoiling the HOTS reveals with Diablo talk.– Oli Welsh
18:27 pm UTC If I could play any MOBA (I am far too old and rubbish to play one), it would be HOTS. Not just because I'm a Blizzard fan. 20-minute matches sound good to me, and last hitting is stupid. You heard.– Oli Welsh
18:27 pm UTC I'm pretty into this double dragon vibe, but HOTS remains a blind spot for me. I like seeing what they can do with the Overwatch character builds, but it's never properly grabbed me.– Chris Bratt
18:28 pm UTC Ben Brode and his excellent voice now take to the stage (a different stage to the one I'm sitting in front of).– Chris Bratt
18:28 pm UTC That's because you're a Dota snob, Chris.– Oli Welsh
18:28 pm UTC Hearthstone time!– Oli Welsh
18:29 pm UTC I dunno about this jumping to different stages thing. I fear change.– Oli Welsh
18:29 pm UTC Hearthstone's expansion arrives next month and it's called...– Chris Bratt
18:31 pm UTC Kobolds & Catacombs!– Chris Bratt
18:32 pm UTC Oh my god, he's doing a Choose Your Own Adventure. I love this man.– Chris Bratt
18:33 pm UTC This is such a great way to talk about a card game expansion.– Oli Welsh
18:34 pm UTC The expansion's first card is being given to players for free on Monday.– Chris Bratt
18:34 pm UTC Imagine Ben Brode was your DM.– Chris Bratt
18:35 pm UTCKiliko: wish I could get into HS. seems quite pleasant.
Same.
– Oli Welsh
18:38 pm UTC A new singleplayer mode called Dungeon Run is being cited as the reason for Brode's presentation. I don't believe that's the real reason. Not for a moment.– Chris Bratt
18:40 pm UTC Over to Overwatch!– Chris Bratt
18:40 pm UTC Kaplan has been critical of the toxicity within his game's community recently. I wonder if he'll have anything to say about that?– Chris Bratt
18:41 pm UTC Jeff is not wearing Blizzard branded clothing! Something is wrong. This is like McCartney's bare feet on the Abbey Road cover.– Oli Welsh
18:41 pm UTC Overwatch is getting a Blizzard theme park map?! I'M BACK IN, PALS.– Chris Bratt
18:42 pm UTC "Theme park." The lawyers told him not to say Disney, didn't they.– Oli Welsh
18:42 pm UTC Oh my goodness gracious me, this is such a wonderful thing.– Chris Bratt
18:42 pm UTC This is both a cool map idea and a useful concept exercise for something that is definitely going to be built one day.– Oli Welsh
18:44 pm UTC And there's a hero!!!– Chris Bratt
18:45 pm UTC She's Overwatch's shadowpriest.– Chris Bratt
18:45 pm UTC We really needed that, I think. Another genuine Support Hero.– Chris Bratt
18:46 pm UTC Jeff Kaplan can say whatever the hell he wants. I love this. He's having fun.– Chris Bratt
18:47 pm UTC "In case you're wondering how to spell Moira, it's spelled O P A F, just in case you're wondering."– Oli Welsh
18:47 pm UTC Reinhardt just turned up. I'm almost in tears.– Chris Bratt
18:48 pm UTC All professionalism just went out of the window.– Chris Bratt
18:49 pm UTC "Crying is my ultimate. I will cry!"– Chris Bratt
18:50 pm UTC And yes, he's there for a reason. Here's a new Reinhardt short.– Chris Bratt
18:51 pm UTC This is going to be a sad one, isn't it?– Chris Bratt
18:51 pm UTCwilliamarthurfenton: @dingo75 Yes, Legion is second best, WoTLK is first.
This is correct.
– Oli Welsh
18:52 pm UTC Ahaha, he's being a crap Reinhardt tank. Rushing ahead, leaving the team. We've all been there.– Chris Bratt
18:55 pm UTC This is what happens when you go for kills with Reinhardt. I hope we're all paying attention.– Chris Bratt
18:57 pm UTC Well, unsurprisingly, that was an excellent watch.– Chris Bratt
18:57 pm UTC Sentiment and on-the-nose gameplay advice wrapped into one.– Oli Welsh
18:58 pm UTC WOW time!– Oli Welsh
18:58 pm UTC And J Allen Brack is representing with a truly horrible bowling shirt. Respect.– Oli Welsh
18:58 pm UTC Great showing for OW. Hope it's the shot in the arm we needed. Now, it's time for a WOW expansion.– Chris Bratt
19:00 pm UTC Oh. My. God.– Chris Bratt
19:00 pm UTC OLI IT'S HAPPENING– Chris Bratt
19:00 pm UTC OMGGGHGHGGGJAHFGSdjh– Oli Welsh
19:00 pm UTC CHRIS HOLD ME CHRIS– Oli Welsh
19:01 pm UTC I can't believe I didn't see where that ice cream thing was going.– Oli Welsh
19:01 pm UTC The crowd here is going nuts. Finally, it's happening, Vanilla WOW returns.– Chris Bratt
19:02 pm UTC Me neither! I thought he was building up to say something about Ice..Crown?– Chris Bratt
19:02 pm UTC WOW classic. It's what we've all begged for.– Oli Welsh
19:02 pm UTC This is no small deal. It means supporting basically a whole other game.– Oli Welsh
19:02 pm UTC "The classic game experience - not the actual launch experience." And "It's going to take some time."– Oli Welsh
19:03 pm UTC I still can't believe how good that setup was.– Chris Bratt
19:06 pm UTCwilliamarthurfenton: I hope it has the new models as an option.
I sort of want it to be OG all the way. (Apart from the server stability.)
– Oli Welsh
19:06 pm UTC Kul Tiras is the home of the next expansion, as rumoured. The Horde and Alliance aren't getting on so well.– Chris Bratt
19:07 pm UTC World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth– Chris Bratt
19:07 pm UTC Allied races! Hmm, what's that?– Oli Welsh
19:09 pm UTC One more thing!– Chris Bratt
19:09 pm UTC Not much info on those new features - we'll have to wait for the WOW panel to find out more.– Oli Welsh
19:09 pm UTC Oh hello, we're getting the intro cinematic too.– Chris Bratt
19:09 pm UTC What a show this has already been.– Chris Bratt
19:13 pm UTC Anduin is OP. Blizz pls nerf.– Chris Bratt
19:14 pm UTC My god, we say this every time, but Blizzard's cinematic team are truly exceptional.– Chris Bratt
19:14 pm UTC And that brings the opening ceremony to a close. I better rush off to my interviews. One of my favourite openings, easily.– Chris Bratt
19:15 pm UTC Well that was kind of overshadowed by the WOW classic announce, but still.– Oli Welsh
19:18 pm UTC I actually like how they've swung away from a single uber reveal to a broader spread of entertaining stuff. That Hearthstone reveal was beautiful.– Oli Welsh
19:19 pm UTC That's a wrap. Chris will be bringing you more from the show on the site and our YouTube channel over the weekend. Have a good one and thanks for joining us!– Oli Welsh
Load more comments Loading
