Don't expect Overwatch 2 or Diablo 4 in 2021
"Multiple mobile free-to-play Warcraft experiences" in advanced development.
Activision does not expect Blizzard's Overwatch 2 or Diablo 4 to launch in 2021, it's said.
Speaking during a financial call last night, Activision's chief financial officer Dennis Durkin said the company's outlook does not include Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2 launching in 2021.
Here's the quote:
"We expect Blizzard's net bookings to grow given the momentum in World of Warcraft and the other growth initiatives we have in the business. Our outlook does not include Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2 launching in 2021. And while Diablo Immortal is progressing well, and we anticipate its launch later this year we don't have any material contribution from the title in our outlook presently."
In a related quote, Activision's chief operating officer Daniel Alegre said: "The pipeline is progressing really well, and we anticipate that 2022 will be a great year for Blizzard."
Blizzard boss Jay Allen Brack said the Overwatch 2 development team passed a "major internal milestone" in December that involved testing many of the key features of the game with hundreds of developers across the world. "We're happy with how that game is progressing," he added.
Overwatch 2 was announced at BlizzCon 2019. It's an entirely new game with both PvE and PvP. The gameplay trailer is below:
Blizzard announced Diablo 4 at the same BlizzCon. Blizzard has said it's taking the series back to its darker roots. The gameplay trailer is below:
Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick said he expects Blizzard to release "more frequent premium content" to "sustain and expand" the World of Warcraft community. He also revealed the company has made "multiple mobile free-to-play Warcraft experiences", which are now in advanced development.
In November 2018, it was reported that Blizzard was making a Warcraft-themed take on Pokémon Go. Perhaps this is one of those Warcraft experiences.