It's been a few years since developer Blizzard Entertainment has launched a brand new game, with 2016's multiplayer hit Overwatch being the company's first new intellectual property in quite some time. While expansions and DLC have paved the way to keeping players invested in many of Blizzard's long running franchises, many are curious as to when a full-fledged release from the developer will come next.

It turns out those interested will have to wait a while longer, as it's been revealed there will not be any "major frontline" releases from Blizzard Entertainment coming in its 2019 fiscal year. News comes by way of publisher Activision Blizzard's recent financial earnings call, which stated that while the company saw success from expansions and re-releases such as World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth and Diablo 3: Eternal Collection for Nintendo Switch, respectively, the company is expecting revenue to drop off in the next 12 months.

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The earnings call was also filled with somber news for many employees working under the Activision Blizzard umbrella. Despite posting record revenue numbers in 2018, the company proceeded to lay off eight percent of its total staff, which equates to nearly 800 workers. While rumors in the days leading to conference cited possible layoffs amidst the upcoming earnings call, Activision Blizzard's struggles in recent months have been well documented.

The majority of the company's layoffs on Tuesday revolved around departments outside of development, with Activision Blizzard stating it expects to increase its development workforce drastically in the near future. Given the company is just starting to push for more bodies in game development, plus the time it takes to produce a AAA game of high quality, this falls in line with the tempered expectations of Blizzard for the next future.

There are, however, a couple of more minor releases still planned. First up is World of Warcraft: Classic, which is the original version of the online MMO when it first released back in 2004, without any of the current available expansion content. The other game coming this year is Diablo Immortal, which will release exclusively on iOS and Android, not to the liking of long-time Diablo fans, however. Despite the backlash of Diablo Immortal being announced, Activision Blizzard has confirmed it plans to adapt all of Blizzard's major properties to mobile sometime in the future.

Source: Polygon