Given the frequency (or lack thereof) with which Blizzard releases new games and the general critical and fan acclaim those games receive, it counts as reasonably important news when the company merely announces that they're ready to announce a new game in the near future. And Blizzard has done just that, teasing press with word of a new game announcement they're preparing for Boston's Penny Arcade Expo East next month.
"We've been working on a little something, different from our other games, and we're pleased to invite you to be the first to see it," the company wrote in its e-mailed note. "It's not a sequel, expansion or that rumored next-gen MMO, but it's something we're excited for you to get your hands on."
Considering that every single game Blizzard has released since 1998 has had either the word Warcraft, Starcraft, or Diablo in its title, the promise that this new announcement isn't a sequel or expansion is particularly noteworthy. The company also seems to be ruling out an official announcement of the long-teased MMO codenamed Titan, further piquing our curiosity.
While Blizzard is obviously keeping quiet until the official March 22 unveiling, current rumors suggest the company may be getting ready to unveil Blizzard All-Stars, a multiplayer online battle arena game. That game was first unveiled back at Blizzcon 2010 as a Starcraft II custom map, but it eventually morphed into its own standalone game project inside Blizzard. You may also remember this as the game that was called Blizzard Dota before Valve won the rights to use the Dota name in game titles as part of a legal settlement.
Is the game finally ready for a proper unveiling now? Well, StarCraft II Production Director Chris Sigaty told Eurogamer last month that Blizzard All-Stars was still in active development and that the company is working on integrating a smart free-to-play business model into the design. The official website for the game just says that it's "coming soonish," which isn't much help.
Whatever Blizzard has planned, we'll bring you word as soon as we get it straight from the PAX East show floor.
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