BlizzCon 2019 schedule includes 6 ‘coming soon’ slots

Blizzard has published the schedule for BlizzCon 2019, which is due to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California on November 1-2.

The annual fan convention will include updates on the likes of World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Hearthstone, alongside several art and design developer sessions, esports tournaments and a cosplay exhibition.

The schedule also includes six 45-minute “coming soon” slots on the Mythic stage, four on Friday November 1 and two more on Saturday November 2.

A Kotaku report published in June claimed Blizzard had cancelled a StarCraft shooter in order to invest more resources in other projects, namely Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, which it said would be announced at BlizzCon.

Blizzard president J. Allen Brack said in May the studio’s looking into the possibility of expanding the Overwatch universe with new games, while noting that the company has more titles in development that at any point in its near 30-year history.

And a recently published advert for upcoming book The Art of Diablo, which is due to be released on November 3, references Diablo 4 for the first time, hinting at a potential imminent reveal.

Blizzard says more panel content from the main BlizzCon stages will be available to watch live online for free “than ever before” this year, including the opening ceremony and esports tournaments. It’s also selling BlizzCon “all-access” virtual tickets priced at $49.99.

The company has recently come under fire for banning several Hearthstone esports players who expressed support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement during tournaments.

In response to Blizzard’s actions, digital rights non-profit organisation Fight for the Future is planning to stage an “epic day of protest with hundreds of other gamers who care” outside the Anaheim Convention Center on November 1.