During the publisher's earnings call, Blizzard's president Collister Johnson said that the company expects materially lower financial performance in 2019 because they are not planning a major frontline release during the current year.
If you remember the whole Diablo Immortal fiasco back at Blizzcon 2018, you'll know that Blizzard had to assure the fans that multiple Diablo games are currently being developed for all major platforms.
Well, that may be the truth but it's a pretty sour one at the moment, as the publisher officially confirmed they don't have any plans for a "major frontline release" in 2019.
What does a major frontline release mean you may ask. Well, it certainly doesn't stand for a game that will bring Blizzard a lot of money as the company also confirmed that they expect a lower financial performance in 2019 when compared to the previous year.
“We expect materially lower financial performance this year. 2018 benefited from the release of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, whereas we are not planning a major frontline release for 2019,” Blizzard's president Collister Johnson said in an earnings call.
With World of Warcraft Classic, Warcraft 3 Reforged and Diablo Immortal currently in development, it really depends on how Blizzard see these games. They certainly look like big frontline releases. Well, maybe not Diablo Immortal.
World of Warcraft Classic and Warcraft 3 Reforged are basically remasters of classics, but they are something that fans are very excited for. This could potentially put them in the "big release" bracket meaning we'll have to wait until 2020 for the release.
Blizzard
Also, it's expected that Blizzard continues with regular content updates for Overwatch. They also teased new projects by saying that "the Overwatch you know is just a small part of the overall franchise".
All in all, 2019 is set to be a pretty quiet year for Blizzard. If you had just a tiny bit of hope that the publisher could drop Diablo 4 in 2019, it's probably time to let it vanish now and keep your hopes up high for Diablo Immortal. After all, you guys do have phones, right?
Diablo Immortal, a mobile game by NetEase and Blizzard
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