Blizzard announces Diablo V for 2029 and StarCraft FPS for 2030 in rare early reveal

Blizzard Entertainment made an unusual move this past weekend at BlizzCon, announcing two major games with specific release years attached: Diablo V for 2029 and StarCraft, described as a new open-world first-person shooter set in the StarCraft universe, for 2030.

The announcement stands out because studios rarely commit to release years so far in advance. Game announcements typically come much closer to launch. When asked why now, Blizzard president Johanna Faries told Bloomberg: "We want to convey confidence in some of our biggest bets coming forward."

The rarity of this approach becomes clear when examining upcoming release schedules. Wikipedia's crowd-sourced list of upcoming games shows roughly 270 titles for 2027, but only eighteen games listed for 2028 including The Witcher IV and Tomb Raider Catalyst. Before these Blizzard announcements, Diablo V was the only game listed for 2029, and StarCraft the only game for 2030.

Other major releases are likely coming in that timeframe but remain unannounced. NBA 2K30 will almost certainly release in 2029 given the franchise's annual cycle. EA recently renewed their NFL license, ensuring Madden NFL 31 can release in 2030, though the publisher will need another deal extension for Madden NFL 32.

LucasFilm Games announced Fate of the Old Republic, a successor to the acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, in December with only a trailer and a small startup studio. Game director Casey Hudson promised the project would launch "before" 2030, though that timeline remains uncertain.

On Steam, dozens of PC games appear on the platform's upcoming releases list for 2029 and 2030, though most are unknown indie titles like Goojeegoop and Greeblings. Campo Santo's In The Valley of Gods, the studio behind Firewatch, shows a December 2029 listing. However, the first-person narrative game was announced in 2018 and had development halted in December 2019 after Valve acquired Campo Santo, with no updates since.