## BlizzCon Is Back — and Nobody Quite Knows What to Expect September 2026 marks the return of BlizzCon after a three-year hiatus, the first in-person event since Microsoft fully swallowed Activision Blizzard. September 12 and 13, at the Anaheim Convention Center, promise more than **1,300 demo stations** — a number that alone says something about the size of the bet Blizzard is making to win back ground lost over years of internal instability, layoffs, and an audience that, frankly, grew wary. And it's in that climate of anticipation that journalist Jez Corden, of Windows Central and host of the Xbox Two podcast, decided to lay his cards on the table. During a fairly casual Sunday livestream, he spent a good chunk of the time speculating on what might — or might not — show up on stage. Worth repeating: these are his guesses, not leaks confirmed by Blizzard. ### What Corden Is Actually Expecting The biggest expectation revolves around the Warcraft universe. According to Corden, leaked internal files mention a project under the codename **"WoW 2"** — which, from what it sounds like, isn't a sequel in the traditional sense but a remastered retro version of World of Warcraft Classic, preserving the look and gameplay of the original era. It's the kind of announcement that would make nostalgic players cry (or complain, depending on how it's implemented). On the StarCraft side, the bet gets even more curious. Corden believes a **cooperative shooter** set in the franchise's universe is coming, with crossplay support. And here's the detail that matters to anyone outside the Xbox ecosystem: he himself said he doubts the game will be a Microsoft console exclusive — the expectation is that it'll also launch on PlayStation. After years of hearing "Xbox exclusive" every time Blizzard announces something big, that shift in tone stands out. ### Battle.net Might Get News — But Nobody Wants to Confirm Anything In earlier podcast appearances, Corden had already let slip that he'd "heard something interesting" about plans for Battle.net in 2027, without giving details. He reiterated that he won't spoil BlizzCon surprises, but hinted that the event could be exactly where the first specifics surface. Battle.net, for anyone not following along, is already fairly intertwined with the Xbox ecosystem since Microsoft started distributing games from internal studios through the platform back in 2024. For now this is a rumor, not an official announcement. But Blizzard also hasn't confirmed anything new for the platform in 2027 — so if the information exists, BlizzCon is the most likely place for it to come out of the closet. ### Why This Matters Now The financial context behind this return isn't irrelevant. Leaked internal emails verified by Windows Central show Blizzard as the **best-performing studio** within the Xbox division, exceeding Microsoft's projections for the end of fiscal year 2026. After a period when Microsoft's gaming division had been losing ground to PlayStation in the US — a gap Statista Research itself recently pointed out — having Blizzard pull the numbers up changes internal priorities. It makes sense, then, that the company is willing to fund an event this size after so long without an in-person BlizzCon. ### What Else Is Coming Back Beyond Corden's speculation, Blizzard has already confirmed a few attractions that go beyond game announcements: - **Hell's Ink** is back — the traditional Diablo-themed tattoo booth that's become a rite of passage among franchise fans. - The **Blizzard Arcade** also returns, a retro corner dedicated to StarCraft, Heroes of the Storm, and catalog classics. - Expansions for **World of Warcraft** and **Diablo 4** are expected to be on the agenda, alongside updates for Overwatch 2. Worth noting: not everything revolves around blockbuster announcements — part of BlizzCon's appeal has always been that mix of nostalgia and community, something that was noticeably missing during the last few years of online-only events. It remains to be seen whether the anticipation built up by all this speculation — some of it plausible, some a bit optimistic — will hold up once the lights actually come on in Anaheim. Can Blizzard balance nostalgia with the risky bets Corden is describing, or are we in for just another event full of teasers and not much substance?