BlizzConline kicked off its two-day celebration of all things Blizzard games on Friday, February 19, with the Opening Ceremony. This is where we heard the biggest announcements for the franchises which you can find below. 

Visit BlizzCon.com for the full virtual con's schedule, including recordings of videos after the show is over. 

Blizzard Arcade Collection

Celebrating 30 years of Blizzard this year, it's no surprise that the company went back to its roots. The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne are some of the very first games Blizzard created as a company. BlizzConline announced the Blizzard Arcade Collection, a digital set of these original games, updated and available now for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (also PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility).

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands

The first major content update for Shadowlands was announced during the Opening Ceremony: Chains of Domination. 

In Chains of Domination, the upcoming first major content update for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, players will delve into new depths of the Jailer’s hopeless domain, seeking to understand the true nature of his malignant plans. Backed by the renewed might of the four Covenants, the champions of the Horde and the Alliance will take the fight for the Shadowlands to the seat of the Jailer’s power. But the Banished One has a terrible new champion in his service—a cruel instrument of despair conscripted by Sylvanas Windrunner, capable of instilling dread into the hearts of Azeroth’s heroes like no creature of the Shadowlands.

World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic

Journey through the Dark Portal once again in World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic! Originally released in January 2007, The Burning Crusade summoned the heroes of Azeroth to the shattered and fel-scarred realm of Outland to stop an invasion of the demonic Burning Legion. In 2021, Blizzard Entertainment’s recreation of the first World of Warcraft expansion will give players from around the world a chance to return to Outland as it once was to relive an era of timeless adventure—or experience what awaits beyond the Dark Portal for the first time.

Hearthstone: 2021 is the Year of the Gryphon

A handful of Hearthstone updates were announced during the Opening Ceremony:

• A 235-card Core set will be released, replacing the existing Core and Basic sets. This new set will be free to all players. Launching alongside this core set is an option to play a classic version of Hearthstone as it was when the game first launched in 2014.
• The first expansion for the Year of the Gryphon, Forged in the Barrens, is available for pre-order. 
• Hearthstone Mercenaries is a new single-player mode where players collect, upgrade, do battle with characters across Azeroth. 

The world of Diablo brought us multiple updates across a handful of games within the universe. 

Diablo IV: The Rogue is joining the list of playable characters when Diablo IV releases. Take a look at the announcement trailer for a glimpse at how versatile the Rogue will be to play. 

Diablo II: Resurrected announced

Diablo II: Resurrected takes the 2D sprite-based classic and brings it into the present with full 3D physically-based rendering, dynamic lighting, revamped animations and spell effects—all stunningly delivered in up to 4K resolution. All 27 minutes of the game’s classic cinematics, chronicling the journey of the mysterious Dark Wanderer, are being remade—shot for shot—from the ground up. The nightmarish sounds of Sanctuary and its memorable soundtrack have also been reinvigorated to support Dolby 7.1 surround sound. By leveling up the game’s audio and visual capabilities, Diablo II: Resurrected will showcase the depth of gameplay and hallmark designs that continue to entertain players around the world to this day. 

Not covered during the Opening Ceremony of BlizzConline were the Overwatch, Starcraft and Heroes of the Storm game franchises. Individual game panels during BlizzConline may have announcements for these games that just didn't fit into the Opening Ceremony. 

Disclaimer: Photos/videos and information provided by Blizzard Entertainment.