WEBVTT
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Hello, Blizzard community.

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As we look toward the end

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of a very unusual year,

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I wanted to pause
and connect with everyone briefly,

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as we're unable to have our physical
BlizzCon experience this year.

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It's hard to believe that
the first ever BlizzCon was 15 years ago,

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in October of 2005.

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I personally have a deep love of BlizzCon,

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and these are strong words from someone
who's actually a shy introvert.

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It's a great opportunity for us
to show games in progress,

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talk to players face-to-face,

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and see the creative community in person.

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It also recharges our geek batteries.

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And while we won't have
a physical show this year,

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we're very much looking forward
to BlizzConline early next.

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We want it to be
a big virtual celebration,

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so BlizzConline will be free to watch
and engage in.

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Adjusting to the isolated Covid world
that many of us are living in

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has been a challenge.

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That said,
at Blizzard we deeply love video games,

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and we are grateful
that games are offering

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millions of people around the world
a way to stay connected.

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This connection is happening
not just in-game,

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but in the surrounding communities
as well.

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We've been cheering together
from our homes

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while watching Hearthstone,
World of Warcraft

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and StarCraft II esports,

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as well as this season
of the Overwatch League.

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We held the Grand Finals
in Seoul, Korea last month,

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and it was the most watched
Overwatch League match of all time.

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Congrats again
to our first back-to-back champions,

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the San Francisco Shock.

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We've seen Blizzard communities
rally in compassion this year,

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providing support to each other
during the pandemic,

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taking part in Pride Month activities,

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uniting in grief over lost friends,

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and activating
in support of social justice.

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I'm proud of these communities,
and I'm also proud of our teams.

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Despite the many challenges
of the pandemic,

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over 95% of the global Blizzard workforce
is working from home,

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working hard to bring
the great experiences that you expect

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across all of our games.

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Speaking of games,

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we recently announced
our new Shadowlands release date,

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and we're looking forward to getting
the game in your hands on November 23rd.

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Delaying the release
was a difficult decision,

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but we felt it was the right one.

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We appreciate the positive feedback
that we've received on this news.

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The team is currently pouring
a lot of love

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into bringing
the best experience possible.

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Until then, Shadowlands Pre-Patch is live,

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where you've been exploring
our revamped character leveling,

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the new player experience
of Exile's Reach,

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and perhaps, most importantly,

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getting all those hours
at the barbershop out of the way,

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with new character customization.

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So far, you have completed
over ten million visits.

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For WoW Classic we've announced Naxxramas.

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The storied 15-boss and final raid
from this era will go live in December.

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Kel'Thuzad is, personally,
one of my all-time favorite bosses in WoW.

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It looks like you're preparing
for this event.

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Already you've crafted
over six-and-a-half million

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Greater Frost Protection Potions.

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Be careful out there.

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We've already seen nine billion Ghosts
and Wisps from WoW Classic this year.

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It's a good note
to be nice to your healers.

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Experiencing this content again,

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both as developers and as players,
is awesome.

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It's great to see the excitement of those
who enjoyed it the first time around,

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as well as a new generation of players

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who have joined WoW Classic
for the very first time.

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2020 is already a big year
for World of Warcraft.

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To date, you have created
over 100 million characters in WoW,

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and dinged over 1.5 billion levels.

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And all of this has happened
ahead of the Shadowlands launch.

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Moving on to Hearthstone.

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We recently announced
the newest expansion,

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featuring a visit
from Azeroth's traveling carnival,

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the Darkmoon Faire,
along with a healthy dose of the Old Gods.

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It also comes with a new mode
called Duels.

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We've had a lot of fun
playing it internally,

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and we're really excited
to hear what you think.

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Diablo Immortal is also coming along.

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We recently conducted
our largest ever internal playtest,

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and we'll be sharing more about our plans
as the work progresses.

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You also know some of our ideas
around Diablo IV

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and Overwatch 2.

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And it's safe to assume that we're
exploring other things further out

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on PC, console, and mobile as well.

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When we think about development,
the highest value to us

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is the moment-to-moment gameplay
that players experience.

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We are constantly asking ourselves,
"Is this idea fun?

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Is this an awesome expression
of the universe?"

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We're going to apply
the same level of craftsmanship

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that we've always demanded of ourselves
to future games,

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regardless of platform,
with the ultimate goal of bringing deep

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and compelling gameplay experiences
to players, even more than we already do.

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Part of having a good game experience

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is finding ways to ensure
that all are welcome within the worlds,

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no matter their background or identity.

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Something we've spoken about publicly
a little bit in the past

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is our machine learning system
that helps us verify player reports

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around offensive behavior
and offensive language.

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This system has been in place in Overwatch
and in Heroes of the Storm.

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It allows us to issue
appropriate penalties quicker,

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and we've seen an incredible decrease
not only in toxic text chat,

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but an overall decrease
in re-offense rates.

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A few months ago, we expanded this system
into World of Warcraft's public channels,

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and we've already seen a decrease

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in the time disruptive players
stick around by half,

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and we're continuing to improve the speed
and the accuracy of this system.

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In Overwatch, we recently increased
the severity of penalties,

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and have implemented
improved profanity filter options,

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giving you, the player, more control.

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You can choose three different levels
of accepted language,

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and you have the ability
to customize those settings as well.

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These are small steps,
but they can add up to lasting change.

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Combating offensive behavior

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and encouraging inclusivity
in all of our games and our workplaces

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will always be an ongoing effort for us.

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Games have been a home
to many of us for many years,

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and they, as well as the communities
surrounding them, are worth protecting.

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In February, we'll be celebrating
our 30th anniversary as a company.

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Thirty years is a long,
long time in video game years.

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Through it all, we've explored and pursued
many different gaming experiences

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to keep up with
not only the creativity of our teams,

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but also the interests of our players.

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You don't survive long
in the video game world without adapting,

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and you don't survive
without people who believe in you,

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celebrate with you, when you get it right.

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We'll be doing our best to get it right
for the next 30 years and beyond,

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and I want to thank everyone in the
community for their continued enthusiasm.

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February is also when we'll be holding
BlizzConline.

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We're very much looking forward
to channeling

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as much of the BlizzCon spirit as we can
into an online, virtual celebration.

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The communities across these games

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are really at the heart
of everything that we do,

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and so,
in addition to sharing our latest news,

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we're also really excited
to be spotlighting

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the very creative
community contest submissions,

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and connecting with everyone again,
albeit virtually this time around.

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Until then, stay safe,

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wear a mask,

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wash your hands,

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be good to each other.

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This is the way.

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En Taro Adun, friends.

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# EPIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC FADES OUT