Microsoft purchased Blizzard as part of its big Activision acquisition a few years ago. The Warcraft maker has had a roller coaster decade in a variety of ways, with downturns in hit franchises like Warcraft and Overwatch prevented the legendary studio from finding its mojo.

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Free from the reins of Activision, Blizzard now operates as a limited-integration entity within Microsoft's Xbox division, and the results well and truly speak for themselves. Overwatch is arguably better than ever, with a razor-sharp focus on fan feedback and new content. World of Warcraft still has issues with its writing and polish, but the content cadence has never been so consistent. Genre-defining franchise Diablo has also seen a stunning return to form, with an overhaul of the endgame loop atop a truly spectacular expansion in the form of Lord of Hatred.

All of that painstakingly hard work has seemingly paid off. A new email sent by Blizzard President Johanna Faries to staff this past week celebrated the division's roaring return to growth.

Blizzard President Johanna Faries opened the email rallying the team ahead of BlizzCon 2026, set to go live in Anaheim on September 12, "the weekend will reflect the bold and collaborative work of everyone reading this," she said. "It's my hope that the event can shine a light on the work underway at Blizzard, and that it can serve as a powerful springboard into a new era of momentum and excitement behind our mission to bring joy and belonging for communities worldwide."

Faries also laid out Blizzard's performance through FY26, which just ended for Microsoft with Xbox 11% down overall (owing to some big franchises like Call of Duty and Candy Crush having a difficult year). While Xbox overall has struggled, Blizzard is one area that continues to thrive and grow.

"In FY26 Blizzard ended the year as the top-performing studio in Xbox's studios division, and this past year has marked our third highest fiscal for top line revenue in Blizzard's history."

Faries went on to explain that Blizzard has begun seeing consecutive years of growth again for the first time since Overwatch launched back in 2016. It's a huge feat considering intense competition from the likes of Roblox, Fortnite, and other service-type entities eating up a lot of the attention.

"FY25 and FY26 were our first back-to-back years of growth since FY17," Faries explained. "Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and Overwatch drove exceptional performance in particular, with Overwatch delivering its strongest quarter since 2022." Faries emphasized that the success will help them invest even more in Blizzard games, staff, and other initiatives that will "shape Blizzard's future."

BlizzCon could be a really huge moment

The news comes against a fairly negative backdrop at Xbox over the summer, who is known to be seeking cuts to the tune of thousands of employees throughout the next 12 months. Microsoft has already laid off thousands of staff across its divisions, with divestitures hitting Xbox staples like Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, and others. id Software of DOOM fame has been particularly hard hit with cuts, and it remains to be seen what other studios might be hard hit in the coming months.

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Given Faries' upbeat note, it would be dire indeed if Microsoft's c-suite spreadsheet spectres decided Blizzard also needed to bear some of the burden of higher-up managerial failings of late. Xbox's confused strategy over the last few years hurt the division's revenue diversification, leading to an over-reliance on mega-franchises like Candy Crush, Minecraft, and Call of Duty to subsidize growth. A lack of investment in Xbox's core, i.e. console, has led to a decline in the division's most lucrative user base by Microsoft's own admission. Although incoming Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has begun work to strengthen this aspect of the business.

In September, BlizzCon will offer a glimpse at the near and long-term future of Blizzard's universes. We should see the next Warcraft expansion, dubbed The Last Titan, revealed in full. I've heard Blizzard is working on a variety of mobile game spin offs with partners too, as well as potential trans-media projects similar to Cyberpunk Edgerunners or the Fallout TV show for its own franchises. Blizzard is also known to be working on a StarCraft third-person shooter led by Far Cry director Dan Hay, and the next core Diablo project is also moving ahead.

Who knows what other surprises could be awaiting us? A Heroes of the Storm revival maybe?! Higher-quality remakes of Blizzard classics? Something completely new?! It's exciting to think about as a long-time Blizzard fan, but more importantly, it's encouraging to see Blizzard's industry-leading devs have a spot in the sun after many years of turbulence. Faries and the team at Blizzard should serve as an example for Xbox CCO Matt Booty to follow. Let's hope (and pray) Microsoft continues to let them cook.

What Blizzard franchise do you want to hear most about at BlizzCon? Vote in our poll!

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Rumors of a crossover between World of Warcraft and Dungeons & Dragons have become true, as these two iconic franchises have confirmed they are working on D&D: World of Warcraft, as announced during an official D&D Vision Keynote livestream on July 30, 2026.

This TTRPG will blend the rich roleplay mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons with the expansive lore, playable races, and classes of World of Warcraft, allowing players to create their own custom-made adventures within the realms of Azeroth.

Here's everything you need to know about this crossover.

According to World of Warcraft's news post, D&D: World of Warcraft will include:

• Six new Subclasses and thirteen Class Skins modelled after the classes of World of Warcraft — the new subclasses are the Oath of the Ebon Blade and Oath of the Holy Paladin, the Demon Hunter Ranger, the Shadow Domain and Discipline Domain Cleric, and the Path of the Elements Barbarian. Plus there will be updates for the Swashbuckler Rogue, Path of the Spiritual Guardian Barbarian, and Warrior of Mystic Brews Monk subclasses.
• Playable races from World of Warcraft — including WoW-themed updates for existing D&D races and 11 new races for D&D, including Dracthyr, Draenei, Earthen, Forsaken, Haranir, Mechagnome, Pandaren, Tauren, Troll, Vulpera, and Worgen.
• Sixty new Spells, twenty-five new magic Items, over ten new Professions, new mounts, and new companion creatures.
• Over 50 new monsters and 30 dungeon bosses, each with their unique stat blocks.
• Seven iconic World of Warcraft dungeons reimagined for Dungeons & Dragons — These locales include Azjol-Nerub, Blackfathom Deeps, Deadmines, Dire Maul, Onyxia's Lair, Scarlet Monastery, and Shadowfang Keep.
• Twenty-five factions to earn renown rewards with.
• D&D: World of Warcraft, Icecrown Citadel Map Pack and Digital Adventure — these include five double-sided poster maps (22"×30") covering 10 of Icecrown Citadel's boss arenas, two taken sheets for the Lich King's forces, a digital adventure spanning 16-20 levels across five chapters, 10 maps, and 10 boss encounters, and sixteen new magic items to grab such as the infamous Frostmourne sword.
• A D&D: World of Warcraft Dungeon Master's Screen.

Pre-orders for D&D: World of Warcraft are now available at D&D Beyond, where players can grab the core D&D: World of Warcraft gameplay expansion rulebook ($39.99), Icecrown Citadel Map Pack ($19.99), and the D&D: World of Warcraft Dungeon Master's Screen ($24.99) separately or all together in one of two Ultimate bundle packs.

The D&D: World of Warcraft Ultimate Bundle will contain the core D&D: World of Warcraft gameplay expansion, the Icecrown Citadel Map Pack and Digital Adventure, the D&D: World of Warcraft Dungeon Master's Screen, a limited edition Murloc Promo Miniature, and digital pre-order bonus items, which include in-game World of Warcraft items like a Black Dragon Mount, a Gazer pet, a Mimic Chest toy, and a Mimic Chest decor.

The Collector's Edition of the Ultimate Bundle includes all of the above along with special versions of the core rules with book covers modeled after World of Warcraft's Horde and Alliance factions.

Windows Central's take

I was wondering what a World of Warcraft x D&D TTRPG crossover was going to look like, and it did not disappoint.

Its pre-made adventure module is modeled after Wrath of the Lich King, one of my favorite World of Warcraft expansions. Plus, every class and race from World of Warcraft has been ported to D&D's 5th Edition tabletop system, which opens up all kinds of cool party synergy combinations if you combine them with the traditional classes of Dungeons & Dragons.

Most importantly, however, this module will allow us to craft our own stories and adventures within the World of Warcraft universe. So if you're sick and tired of seeing the Horde being pushed to the side, or you miss the "WAR" in World of Warcraft and want the Alliance and Horde killing each other again, now you can, since it looks like actual World of Warcraft has moved on forever from faction wars between players.

As for me, I'll be busy pre-ordering it so I can get my hands on the limited edition Murloc miniature because A) It looks awesomely adorable, and B) I want to take it apart and combine its parts with my Warhammer 40,000 miniatures to make a hilarious Murloc Space Marine figure.

But what about you? Are you impressed with D&D: World of Warcraft? Would you like to see World of Warcraft make more crossovers with other franchises, like, say, Final Fantasy, for instance?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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