Blizzard defends ultra-early reveals: Diablo 5 is set for 2029

Blizzard used BlizzCon 2026 to put release windows on two of its biggest future games far earlier than usual: Diablo 5 for 2029 and a new open-world StarCraft shooter for 2030. Johanna Faries, who leads Blizzard, said that was the point. The company wanted to get big releases out on time.

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Not everyone bought into that right away. Fans were split, mostly because the StarCraft project is still years off and because it pushes the series into a different genre. And Blizzard knows the risk here. AAA timelines drag, delays are common, and the canceled seven-year Project Titan still hangs over any long-range promise, even if Blizzard has taken this kind of early approach before with StarCraft II, Diablo III, Diablo IV, and Overwatch 2.

If you keep a close eye on Blizzard, these announcements matter for a bigger reason too. Reports say Microsoft wants one or two major releases every year, expansions, live-service support, possible Game Pass connections, and a lineup that also helps Blizzard show its value inside Xbox while layoffs continue elsewhere.

Blizzard also used the event to announce a new Diablo IV season, the Amazon class coming in 2027, a permanent World of Warcraft Classic version, a new Warcraft 3: Reforged campaign, and a Netflix Diablo series.

You can’t download either of the headline games yet; Blizzard revealed both at BlizzCon 2026 with 2029 and 2030 release targets.