Blizzard fans hoping to hear about Overwatch 2 or Diablo 4 release dates at Blizzard’s upcoming BlizzConline 2021 will want to temper their expectations. Publisher Activision Blizzard said in an earnings call on Thursday that neither game is expected to be released in 2021. No release window was given.
Activision Blizzard reported in a news release that the company did make “significant progress” on its in-development titles for “other key intellectual properties,” which the company expects to “fuel further growth in 2022 and beyond.”
Executives on the call said Activision Blizzard had another remastered title in the works, seemingly in the vein of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2. A remaster of Blizzard’s Diablo 2 is reportedly in development, which could tide Diablo fans over until 4 is released. Blizzard also has a mobile spinoff game in development, Diablo Immortal.
Both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, major follow-ups in two important Blizzard franchises, were announced at the company’s annual fan event, BlizzCon, in 2019. At that time, Blizzard gave scant details for these franchises, but noted that Overwatch 2 would introduce remodeled heroes and new faces alike, debuting a dramatic cinematic with a reassembled Overwatch crew. The game is expected to launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One, Blizzard said at the time.
Diablo 4 has reportedly been in development for a while — with the project having changed directions multiple times. During BlizzCon 2019, game director Luis Barriga said Diablo 4 will “take the series back to its roots.”
Overwatch was released in May 2016. The hero shooter was unveiled at BlizzCon in 2014. Blizzard held a beta period for Overwatch beginning in October 2015.
Diablo 3 was originally released on Windows PC in 2012. It came to consoles later.
