Blizzard Entertainment are currently working on an unannounced open world game, based on the latest information.
According to a job listing for the position of Senior Art Director at Blizzard Entertainment, the studio is currently working on an unannounced title that is set in an open world. Among the listed qualifications for candidates is mention of understanding of open world asset and production requirements.
Given that the new recruit is required to have an understanding of open world asset and production requirements, the unannounced project is expected to feature an open world. No other information, such as the genre or camera perspective, is available regarding the game at this point. It’s possible that Microsoft will lift the curtains on it at a forthcoming Xbox Showcase presentation.
Another unannounced that that had previously been in development at Blizzard Entertainment was the now canceled Odyssey. It was a survival game set to be the studio’s first new IP since Overwatch. Beginning its development in 2017, the project envisioned portals linking modern Earth with a fairytale realm. Planned for Windows and console platforms, gameplay aimed to support up to 100 players simultaneously on expansive maps.
However, in 2024, following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the game was scrapped, accompanied by an 8% reduction in the gaming staff. Reasons for its demise included technical challenges, such as abandoning Unreal Engine due to online player count constraints, internal instability due to turnover amidst a sexual harassment scandal fallout, and Blizzard’s requirement for on-campus work, forcing many staff to resign due to living costs in Irvine, California.
Conceived by Craig Amai in 2017, Odyssey was envisioned as a refined take on survival gaming, drawing inspiration from titles like Minecraft and Rust. Initially prototyped on Unreal Engine, it shifted to Synapse, an in-house engine meant to serve multiple projects. However, this transition caused significant setbacks, with artists continuing to work in Unreal despite knowing their efforts would be discarded.