| For past news, see the news archive. |
17 February—Blizzard No Longer Supports Windows XP and Windows Vista
Blizzard has announced that it will no longer support older versions of Windows for World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, Hearthstone, and Heroes of the Storm at some point later this year. The games will no longer run on these operating systems when that happens. Blizzard pointed out that, with three major upgrades, the majority of its player base have stopped using the older operating systems.
31 January—Patch 3.10.1 and Call to Action
The newest patch is a small bug fix patch. Blizzard also issued a Call to Action: changes to the hydralisk and carrier are being tested, as well as some bug fixes.
24 January—Patch 3.10 Goes Live
Patch 3.10.0 has gone live, including a TotalBiscuit announcer and balance changes to several Co-op Missions commanders.
28 December—Diablo 20th Anniversary Goodies Coming Soon
The 20th anniversary of the Diablo franchise is coming soon. To celebrate, Blizzard will be releasing goodies in their other games, including Diablo-themed worker portraits in StarCraft II.
20 December—Patch 3.9.1 Bug Fixes
Blizzard produced a small bug fix patch.
20 December—Balance Update
Blizzard published small nerfs to the baneling and carrier.
20 December—Patch 3.9.1 Bug Fixes
Blizzard produced a small bug fix patch.
13 December—Patch 3.9 Goes Live
09 December—Blizzard Publishing and the Cinematic Art of StarCraft
Blizzard has announced the creation of a new publishing label, Blizzard Publishing. Alongside republishing Warcraft novels and mangas, one of their first announced pieces will be an artbook named Cinematic Art of StarCraft.
29 November—Nova: The Keep
A new comic has been released bridging the gap between Legacy of the Void and Nova Covert Ops. Nova carries out an incredibly difficult mission...
22 November—Patch 3.8 Goes Live
A massive balance patch launched, as well as the last part of Nova Covert Ops.
17 November—Nova Covert Ops finishes up Nov 22nd.
Patch 3.8 will contain the last three missions of Nova Covert Ops. See the preview here.
8 November—StarCraft: Evolution has gone live
StarCraft: Evolution has gone live via ebook and physical. Find out what strangeness is happening on Glystt in the aftermath of the End War!
5 November—StarCraft II Teaches AIs
Blizzard and Deepmind teamed up to teach AI to play StarCraft II. Deepmind has been taught to play Go and has defeated a Go champion. Deepmind wants the AI to learn how to play without being directly told what to do as part of its research. Please participate!
4 November—Thrilling News from BlizzCon 2016!
Blizzard gave us a glimpse into the future. War Chests will be unleashed in 2017, and will contain goodies such as new skins. Each year will have two seasons linked to major esport events. Nova: Covert Ops finishes up November 22nd, hoping to resolve the Defenders of Man conspiracy. Nova gets a comic, Nova: The Keep. Three more comics will be found in the War Chests. And ... Alexei Stukov is the next co-op commander.
Blizzard also foresaw upcoming changes to multiplayer. All three races are getting changes. Terran mech will become more powerful and less mobile, tempests will see their range reduced but gain an ability to paralyze enemy units, and the hydralisk will reclaim its status as a core unit.
Blizzard also foresaw upcoming changes to multiplayer. All three races are getting changes. Terran mech will become more powerful and less mobile, tempests will see their range reduced but gain an ability to paralyze enemy units, and the hydralisk will reclaim its status as a core unit.
27 October—WCS Top 16 Portraits Inbound for StarCraft II!
A portrait bundle commemorating the top 16 WCS 2016 finalists is available for purchase through the Battle.net shop. The portraits will become available in-game soon after the conclusion of the WCS Global Finals.
18 October—Patch 3.7 goes live! Nova is now a Co-op commander!
Patch 3.7 has gone live! Features include Collections, Nova as a purchasable co-op commander, announcers, the ability to show off portraits and sprays, new unit skins, and various fixes.
In addition, 2016 Season 5 has opened up today, and is the first season to use the new separate MMR per race rules.
18 October—KeSPA has shut down
Sad news for the progaming world. KeSPA has shut down after over a decade of operations.
14 October—StarCraft: Evolution Excerpts
Random House has already released an excerpt and Blizzard has recently released another one.
3 October—Collections, Nova and Announcers
Details on Patch 3.7 have been announced, including a Nova Co-op Commander, purchasable announcer packs, separate MMR for each race, and a collections tab to store unlocked skins, decals, portraits, and announcers.
12 September—Chris Metzen Retires
Chris Metzen, Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development, has retired at age 42. He left a goodbye message on a forum.
12 September—Patch 3.6.0
Read the extensive patch notes. Blizzard is adding Alarak, Mist Opportunities, a custom mutator and a testing matchmaker to the game. The patch goes live in North America on September 13th.
5 September—The Next Evolution
Blizzard is currently holding a mutations contest. Players have until September 15th to submit mutation ideas for implementation in Co-op Missions.
16 August—Alarak, Mist Opportunities and Collections. Balance Testing.
Highlord Alarak is ready to crush his enemies as the next co-op commander. New Co-op Missions map coming, "Mist Opportunities". A new way to organize rewards named collections is also on its way. And finally, the massive balance changes from two days ago are ready for testing in a special balance map!
14 August—Massive Balance Changes in the Works
Blizzard is planning a wave of balance changes affecting all three races. The cyclone, thor, siege tank, liberator, viking, battlecruiser, raven, tempest, zealot, carrier, dark templar, swawrm host, ravager, hydralisk, baneling, infestor and brood lord will all undergo a variety of potential changes.
4 August—Patch 3.5.1
Blizzard released a bug fix patch, fixing a major error in Trouble in Paradise.
1 August—Patch 3.5.0, and Nova Covert Ops Mission Pack 2—is released.
Mission Pack 2, the next three missions for StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops has been released as part of Patch 3.5.0.
28 July—Nova Covert Ops Part 2—Releases Tuesday August 2nd
In the second mission pack of StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops, Nova rushes to Tyrador IX to protect it from a staged zerg attack, and will travel to the abandoned Umojan Protectorate colony of Jarban Minor.
25 July—BlizzCon 2016 Virtual Ticket
For those who can't attend BlizzCon 2016, do so virtually by purchasing a ticket here.
22 July—Celebrating StarCraft II's 6th Anniversary
Celebrations for StarCraft II's 6th anniversary have begun. There's a new portrait, bonus experience for ladder and Co-op Missions, and special cake minerals, all until July 28th.
12 July—Patch 3.4 is Out!
The newest patch revamps the ladder and MMR system. There's also new portraits, emotes, and changes to the Co-op Commanders... and bug fixes.
6 July—Legacy of the Void Balance Update and New Map Pool
The new patch confers anti-air benefits on the zerg; the queen's anti-air range increases, and spore crawlers deploy more quickly. Check out the new map pool, featuring ten new maps!
28 June—Upcoming Patch 3.4 Ladder Changes
The new patch will unveil your "hidden" MMR ratings in a new ladder tab. It will also give split each league into three tiers, so a player can see where they fall within each league. Grand Master League players will have to play a certain number of games per week to stay there. The bonus pool will not apply to the Grand Master League. Changes are explained in this video.
28 June—Call to Action: Zerg Anti-Air Changes
Blizzard is testing a couple of changes to zerg anti-air. In the test map, the spore crawler can will be able to root more quickly, and the queen's anti-air attack range will be extended.
13 June—Patch 3.3.2
A new patch has gone live. This covers emoticons, tweaks to co-op missions, and bug fixes.
10 June—2016 Season 2 Locking, Season 3 Soon
Blizzard is locking 2016 Season 2 on June 13th. Season 3 opens Monday, June 20th. Season 3 will be shorter due to the WCS League and map pool changes.
2 June—Portrait Votes
26 May—Patch 3.3.1
A small bug fix patch has gone live.
13 May—Balance Update
Blizzard's extensive thor testing has gone live. The thor's anti-air attack mode can switch between splash damage and powerful single-target attacks. The immortal underwent a major change (cutting the Barrier in half), and minor changes have been made to the liberator, cyclone, colossus, and swarm host.
17th May—Patch 3.3.0
Blizzard unleashed a multi-faceted patch: Abathur, is a new Co-op Commander, and Co-op features Mutations, bounties, mastery levels and various special awards. There are numerous bug fixes. Some more new features, such as chat emoticons and landing screens are described in further detail in that link.
13th May—Call to Action: Thor Testing
Blizzard wants us to test changes to the thor, specifically changing its anti-air attack. In this Call to Action, tested on the DuskTowers map, the thor can switch between splash damage and powerful single-target anti-air attacks. In addition, there is a small change to the liberator requiring testing.
12th May—Abathur is the newest Co-op Commander
Abathur will be added to the roster of commandersin Patch 3.3. Abathur can create brutalisks and leviathans: his units will collect biomass, and any unit that collects enough will transform into one of these powerful units.
10th May—Patch 3.3 Previewed Again
Blizzard Entertainment previews Patch 3.3 chat emoticons and a Call to Action.
9th May—Patch 3.3 Preview
Blizzard Entertainment previews Patch 3.3; mutations and mastery levels are coming to Co-op Missions.
22nd April—BlizzCon Ticket On Sale Again!
BlizzCon 2016 tickets are on sale again on Saturday, April 23rd. The first set sold out on their first day!
19th April—BlizzCon Ticket Sale
BlizzCon 2016 tickets go on sale April 20th!
21st April—Call to Action
This Call to Action tests the photon cannon, swarm host, thor, banshee, and liberator on (2)DuskTowers (3.2.2 Balance v1.0).
19th April—Heart of the Swarm/Legacy of the Void Twofer!
Until April 25th, those who purchase a copy of LotV will get a free copy of HotS too. If you already own Heart of the Swarm, you'll get a HotS key you can give to a friend. Offer valid until April 25th.
19th April—Patch 3.2.2
Blizzard squashed a few bugs.
14th April—Map Tweaks
Blizzard incorporated fan feedback into tweaks of the following maps: Frozen Temple, Korhal Carnage Knockout LE and Invader LE.
5th April—Patch 3.2.1
Blizzard released a new patch that fixes a number of bugs.
1st April—April Fools!
Blizzard announced a fourth race: birds! Co-Op missions got Carbots' zergling as a new hero. The new Balance Manager lets players create their own buffs and nerfs. And Nova returns in her own game: Maximum Novadrive. Play it!
31st March—Mission Accomplished
Blizzard post a summary of the Defenders of Man Network Access Point ARG.
31st March—Call to Action on Ruins of Seras
Blizzard issued a Call to Action to test changes to the banshee, liberator, corruptor and major changes to the thor.
29th March—Nova: Covert Ops is out! Patch 3.2.0 is out.
Blizzard had a busy day. StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops is out! Patch 3.2.0 went live, with many new features, including improvements to installing the patch while playing a game. And 2016 Season 2 is now open.
25th March—Nova: Covert Ops: Betrayal Trailer
A new trailer showing snippets of Covert Ops lore has gone live.
24th March—Legacy of the Void Season 2 Map Pool
Blizzard announced the newest iteration of the map pool. Enjoy.
22nd March—Nova Covert Ops Preview; Launches March 29th!
Blizzard teased fans with a little info on the upcoming three mission pack; plot and unit upgrades displayed.
22nd March—Liberty Radio Is Back
Radio Liberty has a high-ranking secret agent reporting on a new intelligence scoop. Linking with Kate Lockwell's Twitter (CHIRP) and Nova: Covert Ops, fans can decipher Radio Liberty's messages to continue the storyline.
21st March—Kate Lockwell's Twitter Feed
Kate Lockwell's Twitter feed has gone live. Lockwell reported on the post-war state of the Dominion, including a video on the disappearance of ghosts.
21st March—2016 Season 1 Locked
Season 1 of 2016 has been locked. Unlock occurs on March 28th.
23rd February—Call to Action
Blizzard's newest Call to Action tests changes to the ravager, siege tank, medivac and liberator.
23rd February—Patch 3.1.3
Blizzard's newest patch made some changes to Co-Op Missions. The AI will use more varied tactics, and Kerrigan, Raynor and Vorazun all underwent balance changes.
1st February—Patch 3.1.2
Art updates! The biggest change is the Wrathwalker skin for the colossus, which you can add to your collection of skins by winning two games. You can set this under Options > Gameplay
29th January—Balance Update
A balance update has been posted for Legacy of the Void. Photon Overcharge, the adept and the viper have all seen some change.
26th January—Season 4 Locked
Season 2015 Season 4 has just been locked. 2016 Season 1 opened on February 1st.
22nd January—Call to Action
Blizzard has issued a Call to Action to test protoss and zerg changes.
23rd December—Holiday Game Bonuses
For this holiday season, from December 24th to January 3rd, games will grant double XP, and there will be automated tournaments every hour.
22nd December—Call to Action
Blizzard is testing changes to the disruptor, zergling, viper, thor, adept, ravager, and Photon Overcharge ability. Unlike previous calls to action, the extension mod can be tested on multiple maps.
15th December—Patch 3.1.0
LotV's newest patch is here! Karax is now available in Co-op missions, and there are numerous Battle.net and map editor changes.
1st December—Nova Covert Ops
Nova Covert Ops is available for pre-purchase. Buying early grants some rewards.
30th November—Call to Arms: Burrow Testing
Blizzard is testing a UI change: different buttons for burrow and unburrow. Test it out on Orbital Shipyards.
26th November—Celebrate with LotV Tournaments
Until the 6th of December, LotV tournaments run every hour and you gain double experience for participating. Go and enjoy!
13th November—The World of Shakuras
Learn about Nerazim history, especially Ehlna and Shakuras.
11th November—Legacy Maps
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void brings a new map pool and a new map philosophy.
10th November—Forge Your Legacy
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void has gone live, bringing the StarCraft II saga to an end. You will need to download patch 3.0.4, the "day one" patch. Afterward, you can test out the new units, which are spotlighted here.
7th November—BlizzCon!
BlizzCon 2015 is now over. Get news as it becomes available, such as StarCraft II mission packs, including Nova Covert Ops. See the Legacy of the Void launch trailer here!
30th October—Legacy of the Void Co-Op Missions
Formerly known as Allied Commanders, co-op missions in LotV will let you and people of the same skill level play randomly-selected missions. Each time the same mission comes up, the AI will act differently. Your commanders will gain levels individually, with higher levels allowing a greater variety of units.
27th October—Sector 6
Blizzard posted the fourth Legacy of the Void web story, Sector 6, today. It focuses on the Moebius Foundation and its Brute Squad.
27th October—HotS Patch 3
Blizzard posted a new UI and bug fix patch for HotS today.
26th October—LotV Beta Ending Soon
Blizzard intends to end the beta for Legacy of the Void on November 2nd. Please remember to uninstall the beta afterward, as it doesn't use the same files as the finished game.
23rd October—LotV Beta Patch
The newest LotV patch focuses on changes to the liberator and carrier.
20th October—New Artanis Comic: Sacrifice
Blizzard unleashed a new webcomic focusing on Artanis, the different factions, and the Brood War timeline.
16th October—LotV Beta Patch
The newest LotV patch makes changes to the cyclone's Lock On system. There are also minor carrier changes and bug fixes.
15th October—HotS Patch 3.0.1
The newest HotS patch focuses on the interface (including community interfaces) and the map editor.
13th October—Children of the Void
Children of the Void, a Legacy of the Void short story featuring Vorazun and Mohandar, has gone live.
9th October—Legacy of the Void Balance Update
The newest LotV beta patch went live. Terran and protoss changes include MULE and warp-in modifications.
6th October—Heart of the Swarm Patch 3 and Play Whispers of Oblivion for Free
Blizzard unleashed Heart of the Swarm Patch 3. As a result, Whispers of Oblivion is playable for free for HotS players.
6th October—Perdition's Crossing
Jim Raynor was assigned a hard mission in the newest Legacy of the Void short story, Perdition's Crossing.
2nd October—Legacy of the Void Balance Update and UI Changes
Blizzard's newest LotV beta patch changes all three races. Blizzard also previews the Battle.net UI for Legacy of the Void here.
1st October—Legacy of the Void Short Stories
Blizzard is publishing a series of five short stories ahead of Legacy of the Void. The first, Ascension, concerns the followers of Amon, the Tal'darim.
18th September—New Blizzard Novels from Random House
Blizzard has introduced a new partnership with Random House to publish Blizzard universe novels. Timothy Zahn is writing a StarCraft universe novel.
17th September—LotV Balance Update
Blizzard unleashed the latest balance patch for LotV beta.
13th September—LotV Release Date Announced!
Blizzard announced the release date of Legacy of the Void today. They also unveiled a cinematic.
11th September—SC2 Fan Visual Novel
Blizzard has posted information about a fan visual novel featuring a StarCraft II pro-gamer. More information can be found at the news site Kotaku and the official fansite.
3rd September—Balance Update
Blizzard has posted a balance update for Legacy of the Void.
1st September—Save the Date
On September 13th, the intro cinematic and release date of Legacy of the Void will be revealed, along with the conclusion of Season 3 of the WCS.
20th August—Leagcy of the Void beta Patch 2.5.5
The new LotV balance patch, 2.5.5, has gone live! Macro mechanics are getting removed, and units and even spawn points are undergoing changes.
27th July—Happy Anniversary!
The 5th anniversary of StarCraft II has come - get your goodies. By playing between July 27th and August 3rd, you'll get a cool new portrait and every time you kill a worker, it'll explode into confetti!
16th July—Legacy of the Void Balance Update
Blizzard unveiled new changes for all three races in today's beta patch.
15th July—Legacy of the Void Pre-Order
If you pre-order Legacy of the Void, you are automatically entered into the beta, and can play Whispers of Oblivion! Get it now.
13th July—LotV Beta Patch 2.5.3
A LotV beta patch focusing mainly on bug fixes went live on this date.
26th June—Season 3, 2015
Blizzard previews the maps for Season 3, 2015.
22nd June—Whispers of the Void info
Escapist Magazine previews the first two missions of Whispers of Oblivion.
19th June—Balance Update
A balance update has been posted for Legacy of the Void
17th June—Oblivion Awaits
Blizzard has announced Whispers of Oblivion, a three mission prequel campaign for Legacy of the Void
13th June—Balance Preview
Blizzard has posted a balance preview for the Legacy of the Void beta.
13th June—PC Gaming Show
Blizzard has announced that Legacy of the Void will be featured at the PC Gaming Show on June 16th.
2nd June—Heroes of the Storm Launches
On June 2nd, Blizzard hosts the launch event for Heroes of the Storm!
27th May—Introducing the Liberator
Blizzard introduces the liberator with a video and comments from David Kim.
27th May—LotV Patch 2.5.2
The newest LotV patch introduced the liberator, zerg changes, and a host of bug fixes.
21st May—LotV's New Terran Unit: The Liberator
Blizzard's newest LotV balance preview features the new terran starport unit, the liberator! Blizzard is also changing upgrades, vespene rates, and subgrouping.
14th May—LotV Beta Balance Update
Blizzard's newest LotV beta patch focuses on protoss abilities.
12th May—HotS Bug Fix
Blizzard's newest HotS patch stomps a few bugs.
11th May—LotV Balance Preview
Blizzard plans on testing changes to the clock, protoss and zerg in this preview.
28th April—LotV Beta Update
Blizzard made changes to all three races, especially to the terrans and zerg.
27th April—Matchmaking and Ladder Changes
Blizzard is changing the way the ladder works due to feedback from last season, especially the way new players are rated.
27th April—LotV Beta Preview
Blizzard is exploring a new terran unit, plus changes to units for all three races and a small economy change.
23rd April—Gamescom 2015
Blizzard has announced that it will have a presence at Gamescom 2015, on August 5-9. Legacy of the Void will be playable.
17th April—BlizzCon Tickets On Sale Again
Blizzard will be selling BlizzCon 2015 tickets again on Saturday April 25th!
15th April—Legacy of the Void Balance Update
All three races saw balance updates in the newest LotV beta patch. In addition, Blizzard released LotV Beta Patch 2.5.1, a bug fix patch.
14th April—Legacy of the Void Balance Update Preview
Blizzard previewed and explained an upcoming LotV patch.
13th April—BlizzCon tickets on sale soon!
BlizzCon 2015 tickets go on sale Wednesday April 15th at 7 PM PDT, and again Saturday April 18th at 10 AM PDT.
10th April—Templar Time
9th April—HotS Balance Patch
Blizzard unveiled a zerg-focused balance patch. The swarm host underwent significant changes, similar to its Legacy of the Void incarnation.
6th April—2015 Season 1 Locked
2015 Season 1 was locked today. Season 2 opens on April 13th.
2nd April—Legacy of the Void Beta Patch 2.5.0!
Blizzard unleashed a small Legacy of the Void bug fix patch.
1st April—April Fools!
31st March—LEGACY of the VOID BETA STARTS!