BlizzCon 2019 officially begins today, November 1, with the convention's Opening Ceremony expected to be full of major Blizzard game announcements. The BlizzCon 2019 Opening Ceremony will be streamed by Blizzard for free on both Twitch and Youtube and will officially start at 11:00 am PT. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled to last just an hour, so it's guaranteed to be packed full of huge announcements. It's not something Blizzard fans will want to miss, so tune in here.

Expectations for BlizzCon 2019's Opening Ceremony announcements are very high. Blizzard's official schedule for BlizzCon 2019's scheduled panels and events includes 6 mysterious, unlabeled "Coming Soon!" panels. Each of these panels is certain to be tied to a major announcement planned for BlizzCon's Opening Ceremony. That could mean announcements for 6 different games or multiple announcements for big franchises like Overwatch or World of Warcraft. Fans will have to watch to find out.

RELATED: More Diablo 4 Art Leaks Before BlizzCon Begins

Ahead of BlizzCon 2019, several major leaks and rumors have spread online. Substantial rumors like the forthcoming announcement of both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are considered very credible. Other rumors like Diablo 4 being a first-person action game and the World of Warcraft Classic team taking over the future direction of the MMO are less than credible. What's accurate and what isn't remains to be discovered.

Behind the BlizzCon 2019 convention looms the reality of the Blizzard's ongoing controversies, however. Blizzard's ongoing Hong Kong-related controversy has already been confirmed to have resulted in a protest event outside the convention hall. Blizzard and BlizzCon attendees are certain to be worried that the protests will find their way into the event. But obviously everyone involved in both the convention and the outside protests want nothing but safety for all individuals involved.

In order to get the full BlizzCon 2019 experience, fans will either have to attend or purchase Blizzard's $49.99 Virtual Ticket. The Virtual Ticket is the only way to watch Blizzard's game-focused panels. Only BlizzCon's Opening Ceremony and tournaments will be available to watch for free. But whether fans tune in or not, they can expect lots of news to be coming out of BlizzCon hour to hour.

BlizzCon 2019 lasts just two days, running from November 1 through November 2.

MORE: Blizzcon 2019: All Leaks and Rumors So Far