In late January, Blizzard announced that it was working on a new survival game set in an entirely new universe. This will be the company’s first new IP since 2016’s Overwatch, but such a huge undertaking isn’t all Blizzard has on its plate going forward.
According to a new job listing, the company is seeking a lead content designer for an unannounced role-playing game. Most curious is the following requirement: “Champion a clear vision for mechanically and narratively interesting missions within an established Blizzard IP.” The proper candidate must also have experience in “creating and running pen-and-paper role-playing campaigns and/or live-action role-playing games,” and will be asked to design “narratively interesting missions, points of interests, and characters within a shared world.”
Given that Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 are already in the pipeline, this mystery game is stumping longtime Blizzard fans. Given that the listing emphasizes someone well-versed in tabletop RPGs, Diablo and Warcraft both seem like the most logical choices. Could something besides Diablo 4 be on the way? Or will StarCraft be pushed back to the forefront?
In January, Microsoft revealed that it would acquire Activision Blizzard in an almost $70 billion deal. Giving Microsoft ownership of major franchises like Call of Duty, Warcraft, Overwatch, and Crash Bandicoot, the company stated that the move would “accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business across mobile, PC, console and cloud and will provide building blocks for the metaverse”.Recently, it was reported that the Federal Trade Commission would be reviewing Microsoft’s acquisition, which is scheduled to close in 2023.
The company may not release more details regarding this unannounced title for some time, so what can fans look forward to in the near future? Last month, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra promised that the company would reveal its future plans for World of Warcraft and Overwatch “over the coming weeks.” Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are both expected sometime in 2023.
