Two Blizzard games due by end of 2012

By Fred Dutton Published 9 February, 2011

But which ones?

Blizzard plans to release at least two games by the end of 2012, the publisher has announced.

Speaking at an investor call, Activision-Blizzard CFO Thomas Tippl announced that in the event that the World of Warcraft developer didn't release a game this year, it would expect to launch "a minimum" of two titles in 2012.

He didn't confirm which titles those would be, but long-awaited action RPG Diablo III and the next entry in the StarCraft II saga, Heart of the Swarm, are the likely contenders.

Its as yet unannounced new MMO, codenamed Titan, is another possibility, though recent speculation has placed that as a late 2013 release.

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About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • sfp_noodle #1 1 year ago

    "Call of Warcraft" or
    "World of COD" or even
    "World of COD Warcraft: Mystical Warfare"

    Most likely won't be any of those, but with Activision on a bit of role atm with the way they're kicking people out and killing franchises, you never know.

  • Hunam #2 1 year ago

    Seems like with the rest of Acti falling around them it's time to start sticking their nose in Blizzard's business.

  • NickD35 #3 1 year ago

    No Diablo this year?, then why the **** have they been showing so much of it last year. Blizzard release the game in 2011 surely you can manage that?.

  • Hunam #4 1 year ago

    sfp_noodle

    Blizzard ARE owned by Acti. Blizzard haven't been independent since like the early 90's.

  • Sharzam #5 1 year ago

    @Hunam

    I thought that Blizzard were owned by Vivendi but then Vivendi bought most of Activision so then blizzard basically merged with Activision hence the official name for the company "Activision Blizzard" as Vivendi pulled out of gaming for the most part (also part of the Siera mess). Blizzard are equal partners with Activision but thats not to say they wont try and 'direct' blizzard but for the time being they know to leave Blizzard alone.

    Also agree with all saying its a shame there together at all.

  • Scopeh #6 1 year ago

    @Hunam

    Your Wrong. Blizzard is owned by Vivendi. Activision is half owned by Vivendi. They merged the two companies under one name hence Activison Blizzard, but there both owned by Vivendi. Activision have no control over what Blizzard does, they only help them publish there games.
    Edited by Scopeh at 09/02/11 @ 23:45

  • Hunam #7 1 year ago

    Except that the head of Blizzard does in fact report to Tippl, who reports to Kotick

    "The report claims that, in an email from company head Bobby Kotick, Activision revealed that business head Mike Griffith will now serve as vice chairman and adviser to Kotick, while Thomas Tippl's new job is detailed as "the only executive reporting directly to Kotick" (and overseer of Blizzard head Mike Morhaime).The report claims that, in an email from company head Bobby Kotick, Activision revealed that business head Mike Griffith will now serve as vice chairman and adviser to Kotick, while Thomas Tippl's new job is detailed as "the only executive reporting directly to Kotick" (and overseer of Blizzard head Mike Morhaime).

    From: http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/report...
    Edited by Hunam at 09/02/11 @ 23:58

  • davisorle #8 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • davisorle #9 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • Scribble #10 1 year ago

    XBLA Lost Vikings HD and Starcraft for iPad.

    Actually, both those things would be kind of great. Make it so Mike Morhaime!

  • Spekingur #11 1 year ago

    Wasn't there some news about Vivendi recently?
    In any case, if Blizzard do not release anything this year then they will break the cycle and the world shall be doomed. Also, Torchlight 2 might gain a few new customers when it is released this year.

  • levitate #12 1 year ago

    By the time Blizzard release their next game most people will be excited about other things. Like girls.

  • Sutorcen #13 1 year ago

    Halloooooooo this is the year 2011????? How about releasing somthing... this year?... it's the Diablo 2 story all over again...

    Even the olympics happen sooner than Blizzards games...

  • gmjapan #14 1 year ago

    How long does it really take to polish the best bits of other peoples ideas?

  • dingo75 #15 1 year ago

    My guess is WoW expansion + Diablo 3.
    They can't run Cataclysm until 2013...
    Take my word: next summer all content is cleared and we are ready for the next expansion.

  • pr0ev0lution #16 1 year ago

    well its most likely going to be diablo 3 at the end of this year/early 2012 all depends when they start the multiplayer beta testing really since they have showed off new aspects of the game at the last few blizzcons. heart of the swarm though can't see that coming any earlier than last 2012 since its most likely, with blizzards record, that they will show off the first footage of that (and possibly a release date for diablo 3) at blizzcon in october.

    either way the activision side should keep out of blizzards business even though i don't think mike morhaime would allow them to force them to release. lets face it blizzard, along with probably only valve (hi there hl2: episode 3) are one of the last great developers around who can pretty much say to there publisher "screw you its not ready we are delaying". compare that to treyarc who made a high selling game but if there next cod game isn't ready by christmas they will be forced to release.
    Edited by pr0ev0lution at 10/02/11 @ 12:08

  • Genji #17 1 year ago

    "By the time Blizzard release their next game most people will be excited about other things. Like girls."

    Somehow I doubt it. :)

    Anyway, I suppose I'm looking forward to Diablo 3, but waiting almost 2 years? I know Blizzard are finicky about wanting their games to be "perfect", but that's an awfully long time considering how long it's already been in development.

    And it still baffles me why they outright refuse to get a team working on consoles.

  • Jlad #18 1 year ago

    The line "He didn't confirm which titles those would be, but long-awaited action RPG Diablo III and the next entry in the StarCraft II saga, Heart of the Swarm, are the likely contenders" is pure idiocy.

    Both Diablo 3 and the first SC2 expansion are slated for 2011. This means their announcement that if they fail to release one of those by the end of 2011, then it will (obviously) be released in 2012. So, yes, they are "likely contenders" to be two of the games released by the end of 2012. In fact, it's plainly obvious. But good work, detective. The only thing that you can extract from this is that whatever "one game a year" is due in 2012 might get knocked back, too.

    Diablo 3 and Heart of the Swarm that game is not. It could, however, be the third SC2 expansion or a Diablo 3 expansion. They have a history of 1 year waits between expansions in these franchises. With the exception of Starcraft being less than a year.

    Diablo 1: Nov '96; Expansion: Nov '97 (yes, we all know it's Sierra)
    Diablo 2: June '00; Expansion: Jun '01
    Starcraft: March '98; Expansion: Nov '98

    Or it could be another addition to the lovely wow cow. That online mecca of evolutionarily handicapped teenage virgins degenerating into giggly robotic sludge. As far as expansions for that go, though, they're rather slow. Only three in seven years. Its predecessor had twelve by the seven year mark.