BlizzCon, Blizzard's annual get-together for hardcore fans of its games, is happening this weekend. This event is always an exciting time full of announcements and new information on all of Blizzard's catalog. It's also the stage for the World Championship events in Blizzard's impressive line-up of competitive games.
If you're not headed to Anaheim in person, you'll need a BlizzCon 2015 Virtual Ticket to watch most of the panels going on during the two-day convention. However, a few of the bigger events and the eSports finals will be broadcast live for everyone.
Here's the full schedule for when those events will be taking place, as well as links to where you can watch them live.
BlizzCon 2015 Opening Ceremony
When: Friday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m. PT
What: A staple of BlizzCon, the Opening Ceremony kicks off the event by offering up surprise announcements and reveals for all of Blizzard's major franchises. Last year's Opening Ceremony included the announcement of Overwatch, a new Hearthstone expansion and more. What surprises await this year? We've got no clue, but expect big news on the future of StarCraft, World of Warcraft and all of Blizzard's major franchises.
Where: You can watch the BlizzCon 2015 Opening Ceremony live on Blizzard's official Twitch channel. For the first time ever, the Opening Ceremony will also be streamed on Xbox One via the Xbox Live Events app.
2015 Hearthstone World Championship
When: Beginning Friday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. PT; continuing Saturday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m. PT
What: Hearthstone's group stages last week cleared the competition from 16 players down to eight. Those eight — Thijs, Kranich, Ostkaka, Pingingho, DieMeng, Kno, Zoro and Hotform — will meet in a best-of-five quarterfinals on Friday. As with the Group Stages, all of the Hearthstone World Championship matches will be Conquest format, which means that players must bring three different decks and win with each of them to advance. The semifinals and Finals will both take place on Saturday.
Where: You can watch the 2015 Hearthstone World Championship on the official Hearthstone Twitch channel. Videos on demand (VODs) will be added to this YouTube playlist as the event goes on.
2015 Heroes of the Storm World Championship
When: Beginning Friday, Nov. 6 at 4 p.m. PT; continuing Saturday, Nov. 7 at 9:30 a.m. PT
What: Though it had a presence at last year's BlizzCon, this year marks what many consider to be the true debut for Heroes of the Storm as a real eSport. That debut will begin on Friday with the completion of group stages. Right now, Cloud9 and Natus Vincere are advancing to the Semi-Finals for sure. TeamYL and GIA will compete for the chance to take on Team Dignitas for the remaining Group A Semi-Finals spot. Meanwhile in Group B, Brave Heart and Tempo Storm will be fighting, with the victor taking on Team DK. These matches will decide the shape of the semi-finals, which will begin early in the morning on Saturday. All group stage and semifinals match-ups will be best-of-three, while the finals will be a best-of-five.
Where: You can watch the 2015 Heroes of the Storm World Championship on the official Heroes of the Storm Twitch channel. VODs will be added to this YouTube playlist as the event goes on.
StarCraft 2 World Championship Series Global Finals
When: Beginning Friday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. PT; continuing Saturday, Nov. 7 at 12:30 p.m. PT
What: Following a single-elimination first round yesterday, eight of the world's best StarCraft 2 players remain. On Friday, her0, Classic, Innovation, Life, Rain, sOs, Hydra and Rogue will meet in a best-of-five quarterfinals. Winners will move on to a best-of-five semifinals bracket on Saturday, wrapping things up late in the day in a best-of-seven finals match.
Where: You can watch the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series Global Finals live on the official StarCraft Twitch channel. VODs will be added to this YouTube playlist as the event goes on.
2015 World of Warcraft Arena World Championship
When: Beginning Friday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. PT; continuing Saturday, Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. PT
What: World of Warcraft may not be immediately thought of as a competitive game, but Blizzard has always pushed it as just that at BlizzCon. This year's World of Warcraft arena match-ups will begin on Friday, with teams who received one loss during the Group Stage competing for two open spots in the Semi-Finals. Tempo Storm, Solari Gaming, Cloud9 and Followesports will be fighting for those positions. Two advancing teams will go on to meet SK Gaming and Skill Capped EU in the semifinals later that day. On Saturday afternoon, the last two teams standing will meet up for the grand final.
Where: You can watch the 2015 World of Warcraft Arena World Championship on the official Warcraft Twitch channel. VODs will be added to this YouTube playlist as the event goes on.