For the first time in three years, video game giant Blizzard Entertainment held its BlizzCon fan convention, a massive gathering that organizers expected would draw 40,000 fans of “World of Warcraft,” “Diablo” and “Overwatch” over the course of two days. |
Throughout the Anaheim Convention Center this past weekend, fans of the games mixed and mingled, eager to hear the company’s plans for the future. |
And that future is going to involve a lot more than games. As Hollywood’s thirst for IP continues, video games have emerged as the next frontier — particularly because of their built-in fan bases. |
During the convention’s opening ceremony on Saturday, Blizzard President Johanna Faries announced that the company was in development with Netflix on a “Diablo” animated series, a pronouncement that was nearly drowned out by cheers from the 7,000 fans crowding the hall (with countless more watching a livestream in other parts of the convention center and online). |
Over the course of “Diablo’s” 30-year history, more than 130 million people have fought demons to save the fantasy world of Sanctuary depicted in the game. And “Diablo,” Faries promised, is just the beginning. |
“To our ‘Overwatch’ community, to our ‘Warcraft’ community,” she said, “Just know that there are great discussions being had.” |
I spoke with Faries a few hours after her speech to hear more about her plans to expand Blizzard into what she calls “entertainment with a capital E.” |
Since taking the helm at Blizzard in 2024, Faries has pushed to expand the Irvine-based company’s gaming intellectual property into other mediums, including film and TV. She said Blizzard plans to be “very involved” with the “Diablo” show and that game development leaders will have a seat at the table. |
Already, Blizzard has a history of building narratives. The company is known for its movie-level trailers and in-game cinematics that add to the story of the game. |
“It’s meeting people where they are,” said Lydia Bottegoni, executive vice president of story and franchise development at Blizzard. “The franchises themselves and the characters in the worlds have a lot of depth and a lot that we can share.” |
Faries mentioned the success of rival studios, such as Bethesda with its “Fallout” show on Prime Video and Riot Games’ “Arcane” animated series on Netflix, as good case studies to learn from. And of course, there’s also the example set by Blizzard parent company Microsoft and the theatrical success of “A Minecraft Movie” last year. |
“We have so much fandom around Blizzard that doesn’t always necessarily translate into hardcore gaming time,” she told me. “This is another way to deepen the relationship with our ‘Diablo’ community and expand and broaden the conversation with our fans and potentially attract new fans, who may not have the time ... to be able to devote hours to the game play, but certainly can devote hours to being engaged in this new form of storytelling.” |
As I wandered through the convention center on Saturday, that fan interest was evident. I did a double-take at a flash tattoo set-up called Hell’s Ink, where 10 tattoo artists offered appointments for a menu of “Diablo”-themed tattoos (By 2:30 p.m., the line was closed for the day, with staff telling passersby to check back the next morning at 9 a.m.). |
Attendees parked themselves at one of the dozens of computers lined up in rows throughout various themed areas, eager to play the latest versions of “Diablo” or “World of Warcraft” that were announced earlier that morning, or even older versions of their favorite games. |
One crowded area allowed fans to bead friendship bracelets together, while others packed in to watch a live “Overwatch” World Cup match between Saudi Arabia and Spain. During the morning’s opening presentation, game developers got rousing ovations of applause, with attendees specifically shouting out their love for “World of Warcraft” vice president and executive producer Holly Longdale. |
When I asked Faries what she wanted convention attendees to take away from the event, she had a one-word response: joy. |
“To be a place where there’s a sense of joy and optimism and connection is fundamentally important to us as a company,” she said. “To be able to take that as an opportunity to represent the joy that comes off of our games and being a part of Blizzard, no matter what role you play, that’s really the centerpiece emotion and outcome that all of us have been striving for.” |
Lately, it’s been tough in the video game business. Just two months ago, Microsoft said it planned to cut 3,200 jobs, or about 20% of the staff, in its video game division as the gaming landscape struggles. |
Faries acknowledged the anxiety, saying she shares in it. |
“I empathize with that,” she said. “There’s not a day that goes by that we’re not mindful of having to figure out how to row forward with optimism and with confidence, while also understanding that these can be unsettling times.” |
Although the move toward entertainment is a way to diversify Blizzard’s portfolio, it’s also about growing its fans. |
“I don’t even think we think about it as much from a business growth perspective,” Faries said. “This is really about community growth. Let’s continue to make sure that we are at the forefront, ideally at the cutting edge, of where entertainment is going.” |
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Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” keeps sailing into uncharted waters. |
The movie is now Universal Pictures’ biggest film of all time with a worldwide box office haul of $1.68 billion. That total surpassed the previous record held by 2015’s “Jurassic World” of $1.67 billion. |
In a statement Saturday, NBCUniversal Entertainment Chairman Donna Langley called the film “one of the most ambitious and brilliantly executed films in cinematic history.” |
So far this year, Universal has grossed more than $4.9 billion at the global box office. |
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What I’m watching |
I caught a couple of FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup games this past week, though I sadly missed the gold-medal match between the U.S. and France. I did see the U.S.’s blowout win against Czechia and Australia’s narrow win against Italy. |
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