BlizzCon is underway in Anaheim, California, and publisher Blizzard Entertainment used its annual massive fan event to make several big announcements. But don’t go back and sit through the video just to get the news because you were busy when it was livestreaming — that’s for suckers.
We’ve gathered up all the major headlines for you right here:
Overwatch gets new character, maps, and modes
Overwatch is about to get a major content drop that includes the new character Sombra. She’s an offensive character that can hack her opponents, teleport, and turn invisible. Blizzard is also planning to introduce new 1-on-1 and 3-on-3 game types in a new Arcade mode as well as two new maps.
Blizzard establishes Overwatch League
While the Overwatch World Cup is happening this weekend, Blizzard plans to establish a long-term league for the shooter that it will own and operate. Teams will get tied to cities, and players will get guaranteed contracts and benefits.
AI Weekly
The must-read newsletter for AI and Big Data industry written by Khari Johnson, Kyle Wiggers, and Seth Colaner.
Included with VentureBeat Insider and VentureBeat VIP memberships.
Diablo III brings back the original game and gets Necromancer class
The Darkening of Tristram add-on for Diablo III hits test servers next week, and it re-creates the original Diablo game inside of Diablo III. The publisher is also bringing back the popular Diablo II class Necromancer.
Hearthstone’s next expansion is Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
In early December, Blizzard will begin the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan expansion. As usual, this will introduce a plethora of new cards, but it will also create new classes that are an amalgamation of the current roster.
Heroes of the Storm gets two new characters
The multiplayer online arena battler is continuing to fill out its cast of characters. Warcraft Alliance leader Varian Wynn comes to the game November 15, and Warcraft elemental lord Ragnaros will debut in December.
Google is using StarCraft II to research A.I.
Google’s DeepMind A.I. is better than even the best humans at turn-based strategy games like chess and go. Now, Google wants researchers to take on StarCraft II, which is several times more complex than even go due to its real-time nature.
Blizzard details two upcoming patches for World of Warcraft
Your raiding is never done, and Blizzard is working on more reasons for you to come back and visit its massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More