BlizzCon 2019 Schedule: Opening Ceremony Start Time, Livestream Details

Blizzard has announced its schedule for BlizzCon, which is set to take place this weekend, starting on November 1. Though the schedule doesn’t give specific announcements, it does give insight as to when to tune in for the possibility of news and announcements.

The festivities will kick off as usual with the opening ceremony on November 1 at 11 AM PT, which will be simulcast across all of its stages. Traditionally the opening ceremony is where the company outlines the broad strokes of its announcements, with individual panels throughout the weekend taking more of a deep dive.

Some of those game-centric panels include a Heroes of the Storm update at 3:15 PM PT, a Hearthstone update at 5:15 PM PT. The next day, November 2, includes a World of Warcraft update at 11:15 AM PT, and an Overwatch update at 1:15 PM PT. There is no Diablo update listed throughout the weekend, but there are two art panels scheduled for 10:30 AM and 4:15 PM, respectively, on November 2.

Rumors have circulated that this year’s BlizzCon will include Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2, which would likely lead the announcements in the opening ceremonies if they pan out. None of that is confirmed, however.

BlizzCon Highlights – November 1 (PT)

• Opening Ceremony – 11 AM
• Quarter Century of Warcraft Audio – 12:30 PM
• Life at Blizzard: Career, Culture, and Insights – 2 PM
• Heroes of the Storm Update – 3:15 PM
• Blizzard Animation: The Art of Setting the Scene – 4:15 PM
• Hearthstone Update – 5:15 PM

BlizzCon Highlights – November 2 (PT)

• Artists at Work: Diablo – 10:30 AM
  
• World of Warcraft Update – 11:15 AM
• Artists at Work: Overwatch – 12:00 PM
• Overwatch Update – 1:15 PM
• Warcraft 3: Reforged Update – 3:15 PM
• Closing Entertainment – 7:30 PM

The opening ceremony is usually streamed live for free to everyone, but most of the other events are locked behind the Virtual Ticket. This year the Virtual Ticket costs $50 and comes with bonus cosmetic items for each of Blizzard’s big games. That includes special skins for WoW, a cardback for Hearthstone, and for the first time, skins that reference Warcraft in Overwatch.

The community is also watching especially closely this year as Blizzard may attempt to respond to recent controversial moves. After last year’s event faced criticism after the announcement of Diablo Immortal, this year the company banned a player for expressing support for Honk Kong protesters. That has resulted in a renewed backlash against the company, with a protest planned for the event. It will remain to be seen if Blizzard officially addresses the controversy in its panels.