BlizzCon is scheduled to return on Saturday, September 12, bringing Blizzard’s major fan convention back after an uneven run of recent years. The event did not take place in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, shifted to a virtual format in 2021, then disappeared again in 2022. It came back in 2023 before taking 2024 and 2025 off. That history puts extra pressure—and a little extra excitement—on the 2026 opening ceremony.
The show begins at 10 a.m. PT and will be livestreamed. While the full details will not be known until then, the available signals point toward a convention dominated by World of Warcraft, with a potentially meaningful return for StarCraft. Elsewhere, the likely scale ranges from dependable seasonal updates to anniversary-sized wild cards. In other words: bring a notebook, keep one eyebrow raised, and do not assume a mysterious codename is a game until it actually has a logo.
World of Warcraft may set the tone
The most straightforward expectation is news for World of Warcraft: Midnight, the current expansion. A major convention is a natural venue to outline the patch that closes its chapter while preparing players for what follows. That sort of update has historically been the place for a new zone, dungeon content, a delve, a raid, and other systems or activities. A limited-time mode could also enter the discussion, including the widely rumored possibility of a Shadowlands Remix.
The larger question is The Last Titan, the next expansion and the third, final installment in the Worldsoul Saga. It is expected to bring the current storyline surrounding the void harbinger Xal’atath toward a major turning point. Fans are particularly focused on indications that Northrend—the iconic setting associated with Wrath of the Lich King—could return in a substantially refreshed form.
A cinematic introduction and a high-level look at that altered Northrend feel plausible for BlizzCon. More granular material, especially a release date, should be treated as less certain. Still, a proper reveal would matter enormously because it would begin defining how Blizzard plans to resolve several long-running threads concerning Azeroth itself. Yes, that includes the exceptionally conspicuous sword that has spent years making the world’s skyline feel like it lost a fight with a cutlery drawer.
What exactly is Camelot?
“Camelot” is the codename hanging over the event like a quest marker nobody has clicked. It has appeared in Blizzard-adjacent chatter often enough to attract sustained speculation, but its identity remains unconfirmed. The leading community theory is that it relates to a reworked or reimagined version of World of Warcraft Classic, one that would take the original game’s foundation in a different direction from the current live version.
There is a small but notable piece of circumstantial evidence: a Camelot color scheme was reportedly added to the backend of the Blizzard apparel store shortly before the show. That does not reveal the project’s genre, scope, or even its final branding. It does, however, make the timing feel conspicuous if themed merchandise is being prepared.
If Camelot is revealed, the key question will be whether it is simply another way to revisit familiar Warcraft history or a more ambitious alternate path for Classic. Those are very different propositions. One is a nostalgic road trip with a polished map; the other could be a fork in the road that changes where the caravan is going. Until opening ceremony says otherwise, it is best described as a persistent rumor rather than a confirmed product.
Warcraft may have more than one card to play
Camelot and The Last Titan may not be the entire Warcraft story. Rumors have also circulated around something called Warcraft Chronicles, potentially a new real-time strategy project. Its existence has not been confirmed, and the name could ultimately refer to something very different. Yet the possibility is worth watching because Blizzard appears increasingly willing to revisit its legacy catalogue.
That broader interest leaves room for news related to Warcraft, Warcraft II, or Warcraft III, whether through new ways to experience those games or an entirely separate initiative. There is also potential for Warcraft to move outside the games themselves. Blizzard has shown interest in transmedia efforts for the universe, so a film or television-related announcement cannot be ruled out, though there is no firm evidence that one will appear this weekend.
For strategy-game fans, any Warcraft RTS conversation would land in a PC landscape that has not stopped experimenting with the genre’s competitive DNA. That is a useful moment to revisit how Project Zeta wants to make MOBAs feel like a 20-minute Formula 1 sprint, even if a possible Warcraft project would obviously carry a very different legacy and audience expectation.
StarCraft is the show’s biggest unknown—and perhaps its biggest opportunity
Something connected to StarCraft appears highly likely to surface at BlizzCon. Official promotional material has been dropping overt and subtle references, and an ARG is part of the pre-show picture. The exact reveal, however, remains unclear.
A StarCraft shooter is one of the leading possibilities. Blizzard had worked on a shooter set in the universe in the past, and more recent reporting has suggested a project of that kind may still be active. That is not the same thing as confirmation that a shooter will be shown, nor does it tell us whether such a game would be single-player, multiplayer-focused, cooperative, or something that escapes the usual genre labels altogether.
Even a modest StarCraft announcement would be notable. StarCraft II launched in 2010, while a remaster associated with the series arrived nearly a decade ago. The franchise’s long quiet stretch has made every tease feel larger than usual. A return could offer a new entry point for players who know the Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss mostly through esports clips, memes, and the realization that “build more pylons” is somehow still useful advice in everyday life.
Diablo turns 30 with its next move concealed
Diablo is nearly guaranteed to have some presence, but it may be the most difficult major Blizzard franchise to predict. Diablo IV is three years old, which makes a completely new mainline installment seem unlikely. The Lord of Hatred expansion only arrived in April, so it may be early for a detailed follow-up expansion reveal.
That does not eliminate the possibility of another expansion being teased for the middle or latter part of 2027. It simply means smaller updates could be just as likely, particularly based on the announced Diablo lineup at the convention. Not every series needs to arrive at the party towing a flaming siege engine full of announcements.
Still, 2026 is Diablo’s 30th anniversary. That milestone creates room for a meaningful celebration even if the next gameplay roadmap remains tightly guarded. The form that recognition takes—special in-game material, a retrospective, a legacy-focused project, or something else—is unknown.
Overwatch has two heroes still to reveal
The clearest Overwatch item is tied to a prior commitment: ten heroes are due over the year, and two have not yet been identified. BlizzCon therefore looks like a strong stage for at least one hero reveal and possibly both. A 2027 outlook could follow, including the planned pace of new characters and larger changes.
Other reasonable possibilities include a map, revisions to heroes or older maps, cinematics, and cosmetic showcases. None of those should be mistaken for guarantees, but they fit the kind of material a convention panel can efficiently communicate. The important point is that Overwatch does not need a full-scale reinvention to have a productive showing; confirming the final pieces of its 2026 hero plan would be substantial on its own.
Hearthstone teases point toward September 12—and perhaps a Monk
Hearthstone’s promotional images have featured the numbers 9, 1, and 2, a fairly direct nod to September 12. Their color and visual language have encouraged speculation about an Old God-themed expansion, although that theme has not been officially confirmed.
The more consequential rumor concerns a new playable class: Monk. Monks joined World of Warcraft in 2012, before Hearthstone launched, but have not become a base-game Hearthstone class. Death Knights and Demon Hunters did make that transition, making Monk an especially visible omission to longtime players. Adding it would be the game’s first new class in four years.
As with Camelot and the StarCraft project, the distinction between a convincing clue and an announcement matters. BlizzCon’s return is already the confirmed event; the particulars remain the fun, dangerous business of informed guessing. By the time the opening ceremony begins, World of Warcraft seems poised to claim the largest share of attention. But if StarCraft finally steps back into the spotlight, it may be the reveal people remember most.
