Blizzard has announced a brand new IP in the survival genre, marking their first new foray since Overwatch.
Not even a week after being purchased by Microsoft, Blizzard is making good on at least one of their promises. They've unveiled that they are working on a brand new, untitled survival title.
Not much is known about the new title beyond some key artwork, which shows off some high-fantasy artwork with isekai (or another world) leanings. In the artwork, it shows off two youths that apparently come from a cityscape, complete with a bike, stumbling upon a gateway to a fantasy world.
What consoles will the new Blizzard survival IP be on?
The title is said to be on PC and console, with no hint as to whether the game will show up on mobile devices eventually. There is not yet a hint as to which consoles the game will be on, but currently, Blizzard products are released on all major consoles including Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft's Xbox.
It's possible, though, this is a look towards Microsoft's first Blizzard exclusive. After all, Activision Blizzard was just purchased last week for $67.8 billion. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has gone on record saying that the company wants to continue to engage with their current communities and that they will honor all existing contracts. That doesn't say anything for the future, however.
"A place full of heroes we have yet to meet, stories yet to be told, and adventures yet to be lived," Blizzard described in their posting. "A vast realm of possibility, waiting to be explored. Every story needs a teller. And every world needs builders. For thirty years, Blizzard has been creating universes for millions of players around the globe. This requires a diverse team of developers willing to lend their voices, to listen, and to be heard. That is our mission."
As the news piece suggests, Blizzard is recruiting the following roles to help build the new IP.
Art
- Environment Artist
- Senior Character Artist
- Technical Artist
- FGX Artist
- Senior Character Concept Artist
Design
- Associate Level Designer
- Level Designer
Engineering
- Lead Software Engineer, Engine
- Audio Senior Software Engineer
- Server Senior Software Engineer
- Tools Senior Software Engineer
You can find the posting for these positions over on Blizzard's careers site.
A new era for Blizzard?
With Blizzard still reeling from ongoing workplace issues, the company is clearly looking to move forward from that after Microsoft's purchase.
Blizzard knows it has its work cut out for them if they want to earn the trust of their community again. This announcement is just one of several from Blizzard this week showing progress they've made on current and upcoming IP.
“We also know we need to deliver content to our players on a more regular basis and innovate both in and beyond our existing games,” Ybarra said. “We have some exciting things to announce, and I’ll be sharing more next week.”
Additionally, Yberra promised last week to take the following steps to improve the culture at the company following its purchase. This includes the creation of roles that will:
- a Culture leader who will help us maintain the best aspects of what we have today, and change and evolve where needed to ensure everyone brings their best self to Blizzard
- a new organizational leader for Human Resources who will build trust, empower our teams, and help foster a safe, positive work environment for everyone
- a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) leader solely focused on our progress across multiple efforts in this area
It's a promising first step - let's see if Blizzard can follow through.
For all the latest on Blizzard's work on their upcoming new IP, keep it locked here to Esports.gg.