Blizzard: Six "Proven Property" Titles by 2014

Friday during the Citi 2011 Technology Conference, Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl said that Blizzard will release six "proven property" releases over the next three years. These will include two expansion packs for World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2's Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void installments, and the action-RPG Diablo 3. As for the sixth unnamed release, Tipple indicated that it could possibly be a Diablo 3 expansion pack.

As of this writing, Blizzard has not stated anything in regards to the post-Cataclysm expansion packs save for wanting to get them out once a year at the very least. As for the next two StarCraft 2 installments, Battle.net project director Greg Canessa already indicated that Heart of the Swarm will be available in mid-2012. With that in mind, the StarCraft 2 team may close the three-part series by the end of 2014.

So far there's no set release date for Diablo 3 although the team is shooting for a Q4 2011 release. In fact, they're currently getting ready to launch the public beta in the next several weeks. However, Tippl added that the upcoming action-RPG has not been factored into the company's earnings report expectations for the calendar year, leaving room for a possible delay. Still, an expansion pack is expected to hit retail shelves before the end of 2014.

As for Diablo 3 on console, that version wasn't mentioned and may not even be considered as "proven property" given that the Diablo IP hasn't been seen on a console since the original hack-n-slash title landed on Sony's PlayStation console back in 1998. Blizzard's mysterious "Titan" project is also not considered "proven property" given that it's reportedly a new casual MMO separate from the company's existing properties. That said, the company's list of six seemingly consists of PC-based IPs that are currently active and long-standing.

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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

33 Comments Comment from the forums

cmaki2008

Please don't rush the masterpiece that is Blizzard.
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bak0n

Until they make a lan playable version of those games I'll never buy one.
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mianmian

bak0nUntil they make a lan playable version of those games I'll never buy one.I guess you have to wait 70 years.
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Wish I Was Wealthy

At least they're bringing out something for us to try,or should I say that it gives us something to do on a boring day.
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cmaki2008

Wow, one thumb down already? Really you want another SC2 b.net 2.0 Beta? This is what has happened since Activision was in the picture. Rush the games out for our stocks!! If you like that then go ahead and thumb down this one GO FOR IT!! lol
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I hate wow with passion but i totally love starcraft 2 and im sure i will love diablo 3, blizzard is THE company for pc gamers just like valve
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amk-aka-Phantom

BioWare >>> Blizzard :P
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Mid 2012 for the next expansion... >_
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6 games in 3 years?
the activision in this one is strong...
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secolliyn

The great thing about Blizzard games is they don't give them a release date until it's done when it's done and in the can that's when they will tell us it's hitting shelves and not a moment sooner and that's the correct thing to do make a great game then release it i have said it for years PC and no Console game makers have gotten lazy the push out a game when it's not ready and that's how we end up with day one patches the only game i will buy outright before letting them drop to the $20 bin are Blizzard,Bioware,Bethesda and ID games mainly because when i buy those games i know im getting something worth while
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