Summary
After playing around in the same franchises for years,Blizzardis preparing to branch out with a brand-new IP. While not much is known about this IP yet, it is apparently a survival game set within a world that is different from anyBlizzardworld before it. The potential alone sounds very exciting, so hopefully the studio can deliver. However, this new IP is also coming at a very strange time, and it may not really be the best direction for the studio right now.
New IPs are always an exciting prospect, and Blizzard’s new survival game is no different. However, almost every single Blizzard IP is in a bit of a rough spot right now.Diablo 4left much to be desired,Overwatch 2is lacking what as promised,World of Warcraftis trying to win back its audience, and no one has heard fromStarCraftin years. While this IP could help introduce new players to the studio, it should really consider fixing some of its iconic franchises first before taking on this new challenge.
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Blizzard’s IPs Are in a Tough Spot
Blizzard is probably one of the biggest names in PC gaming, or at least it used to be. The studio has created some of the most iconic franchises over the yearswith the likes ofWorld of Warcraft,StarCraft, andDiablo. Even its newer IPsOverwatchandHearthstonewere massive sensations upon release. While these games all still have a strong presence within the gaming industry, they have fallen from grace in recent years.
World of Warcraftis still one of the biggest MMORPGs on the market right now. However, it has also had a pretty rocky couple of years. After the acclaimed Legion expansion in 2016, the game was hit with two of its most controversial expansions to date. Battle for Azeroth took the franchise in unwanted directions while also introducing mechanics that thrived on FOMO. Then,Shadowlands took it to an entirely different leveland saw players leave the game in droves. Dragonflight has helped win back some players, but the game still has a long way to go before it regains the trust of the fanbase.
Fans were very excited to get their hands onDiablo 4as it was supposed to be the grand return to the grittier tone of the first two games. It ended up doing just that and was fun for a little while, but it quickly lost its appeal. The endgame grind was a slog, the cash shop tried to get every penny it could out of players, and the first season was mediocre. After the extremelycontroversialDiablo: Immortal, the franchise needed a win, but it does not seem likeDiablo 4is that win. While it was popular at first, many players have turned to other things since.
Overwatchwas an incredibly popular hero shooter before Blizzard stopped adding content to it for years. After multiple delays, itfinally launchedOverwatch 2, but it was also not the grand return of the franchise people wanted. While the gameplay was fun and some of the changes were great, it was hardly a sequel. It felt more like a glorified update that stripped the loot box system from the game in favor of a battle pass. Furthermore, the promised single-player campaign content was scrapped, which was one of the main reasons this sequel was being made in the first place.
TheStarCraftfranchisehas had no new content sinceStarCraft 2’s last expansion was released. Since then, the only other title fans got to experience was 2017’sStarCraft: Remastered. It feels like Blizzard has forgotten about this franchise, which is a shame as it was once one of the biggest RTS series around. The only IP that seems to be in an alright spot isHearthstone, but even that has been burning players out recently. This putsBlizzard’s entire catalog in a tough spot, making it the perfect time to pump the brakes on new adventures, so it can fix up these iconic series instead.
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