Does Blizzard's revival of its classic games signal a return of the 'old Blizzard?'

Does Blizzard's revival of its classic games signal a return of the 'old Blizzard?' Maybe not, but a cautious optimism has emerged as Blizzard finds opportunities to recapture goodwill. There's a generation of millennial gamers who are haunted by an entity known as 'old Blizzard,' an allegedly more competent, creative, and virtuous version of the present-day Microsoft subsidiary based in Irvine, California. For the nostalgia-afflicted, BlizzCon 2026 felt like a nod to those good ol' days of Blizzard—at least in terms of ambition and scale—as developers rolled out a slew of major announcements including World of Warcraft: Forever, Diablo 5, and an open world shooter in the StarCraft universe. Huge updates for Diablo 1: Resurrected, Diablo: Immortal, and Diablo 4 have been rolling out this year in celebration of the series' 30th anniversary, but the absence of Diablo 3 content has been conspicuous—especially considering that Blizzard has lauded the game's staying power with millions of players.