Blizzard fans across the world have tuned into Friday's BlizzConline presentation expecting some major announcements. Yet surprisingly Blizzard's first BlizzConline reveal was somewhat understated. It wasn't for Diablo 4 or World of Warcraft. It was for the Blizzard Arcade Collection, a bundle of three of Blizzard's earliest classic game releases. Blizzard fans now have the opportunity to revisit the studio's history with The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne.
The Lost Vikings, originally released in 1992, is a puzzle platformer in which players swap between three vikings, each with their own key power. Rock N Roll Racing is an isometric racing and vehicular combat game. Lastly, Blackthorne is a 2D cinematic platformer set in a heavy metal sci-fi setting. In these three original Blizzard games, fans will be able to see many of the ideas that would grow to become StarCraft and Diablo in a matter of years, but they're each uniquely interesting on their own.
If the re-release of these three classic games wasn't enough on its own, Blizzard has also gone out of its way to create definitive editions of each title. This includes functionality like the ability to rewind the action as needed, remap buttons as necessary, instant save functionality (except for Rock N Roll Racing), and a new Watch Mode that lets players jump into an automated playthrough. Of course, players can instead decide to play the original retro versions of each game instead, too.
One question fans may be asking is why Blizzard stopped at just three games. There are other Blizzard classic games, too, like RPM Racing, The Death and Return of Superman, and Justice League Task Force. The reason why the latter two aren't being remade should be obvious, as they're both licensed games. As for RPM Racing, publisher Interplay went bankrupt in 1998, so the license is likely adrift as well. These games may be lost to time.
The bundle itself will be available across multiple platforms for a low price. $20 will be the recommended pricing for the Blizzard Arcade Collection whether it's on PC, PS4, Switch, or Xbox One. The game will, of course, also be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. One notable detail for PC gamer, however, is that the Blizzard Arcade Collection will be available strictly through The Celebration Collection bundle, rather than on its own.
For those curious about The Celebration Collection bundle on PC, it's basically a smorgasbord of goodies from the spectrum of currently-available Blizzard titles. It comes in three different tiers, ranging in price from $19.99 to $59.99. The Blizzard Arcade Collection is included in all three, along with Hearthstone packs, Overwatch loot boxes, a Diablo 3 pet and portrait, a World of Warcraft pet, and more. Upgrades include a rare World of Warcraft mount, Overwatch skin, golden Overwatch loot boxes, and other exciting things.
Blizzard Arcade Collection is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.