Out of all the things that have leaked out of Blizzard in the past few years, the Warcraft mobile game has remained a secret. The working title for it—which is really just a description—is all there is to know, and that’s not saying much. Warcraft could mean a variety of things, from the classic RTS series, to World of Warcraft, to Hearthstone. Next week, on May 3 at 10am PT, Blizzard plans to finally reveal the game so you can wonder no more.
The announcement tweet comes from the Hearthstone account and it continues the illusion. All you have to work on is a thunderbolt surrounded by a gear with electricity popping off of it. The symbol could be removed and you would still know the same amount about this game. Warcraft mobile remains the best kept secret.
Join us for the reveal of a new mobile game set in the @Warcraft Universe.📅 May 3rd🕙 10am PT🌐 https://t.co/ydd3sO9fTu pic.twitter.com/gyruM9JU8xApril 28, 2022
Warcraft mobile has been kicking around since 2018 as a possibility. The initial suggestion was that it would be a game that resembles Pokémon Go with reasons to go outside and participate in battles. Blizzard has since confirmed that it has and will be working on multiple mobile games, so it’s unclear if the Pokémon Go-style game was something other than what you’ll see in the upcoming reveal stream. I’m not sure launching a game that incentivizes you to go outside is the call right now though.
Other than that, I can only speculate on what a Warcraft mobile game will look like. Blizzard just announced that Diablo Immortal, its miniature action RPG, will come to PC in open beta in early June. That game takes most of what makes Diablo Diablo and squeezes it into a mobile-friendly format, while also adding things like more involved multiplayer and progression systems than even Diablo 3. Warcraft mobile is likely not a mobile version of WoW or even classic Warcraft, but something that fits with how people play games on their phones: in bursts and with systems to keep you coming back every day.
That leaves me with questions about monetization and how and why that will inevitably enrage some of Blizzard’s fans, especially after the Diablo mobile reveal back four years ago. I also want to know how I can play it on PC and maybe my new Steam Deck.