Behind the Scenes: Bringing “Blizzard: The Next Chapter” to Life

"Blizzard: The Next Chapter" honors Blizzard's history and heritage over the past 35 years while celebrating the future, kicking off the developer-led spotlights of the Blizzard Showcase. Each item, audio clip, and artifact was chosen to represent the moments, releases, and memories that form the foundation of who we are, and to set the stage for what's to come as we lift the curtain on some of our latest developments. Read on to discover how members of the Blizzard archives, brand & creative, and events teams brought it all to life.

Fun Facts

• The long table in the video is really long-35 feet, to be exact, for 35 years since Blizzard's founding.
• The Blizzard archives team was instrumental in making this video happen. As collectors and keepers of Blizzard's history, their team preserves physical items and digital assets as a real-time record of where we've been and how far we've come.
• All of the items featured are real physical objects, and the camera makes a continuous sweep over the table in one long uninterrupted shot. The camera never cuts away or changes angles as the creative team wanted the focus to be solely on the craft and legacy represented by the pieces gathered.
• Approximately 1,600 assets and artifacts were pulled from the Blizzard archives for the shoot, offering the production team lots of options to choose from, including magazines, plushies, collectibles, and more.
• In the end, approximately 400 pieces made it onto the table. These artifacts represent the entire 35-year span of Blizzard's history with nods toward the future.
  • The oldest item is a receipt for the very first order of business cards for Silicon & Synapse, the company's original name when founded.
  • The newest item is all that remains of Talon's former leader, Doomfist.
• The hands that pop in and out of frame throughout the video are all of Blizzard employees-the same hands that bring our games and experiences to life helped make this production happen.
• The archives team estimates there are 13,500 cubic feet of physical assets stored (excluding large statues) in both on-campus and off-site storage facilities. The team receives and catalogs new submissions every single week.

The Vision

"The 'long table' idea landed for me in wanting to showcase our archive like a family sharing its history, the way you might walk someone through a photo album at a dinner table," says Jens, senior creative director, who developed the concept behind the video. "It's an invitation: the seats are open and the story is still being written. The objects we chose aren't relics-they're proof of what's been built and a hint at what's ahead."

The Production

"When Jens pitched the idea to me, I thought it was so cool, and even though we only had a few weeks with a very small working team to put it together, I knew I wanted to be a part of it," says Emily, senior producer on the events team. The shoot presented its own challenges as the set was completely practical and the length of the table had to be captured in a single take, but she and the production crew were up to the task. "Blizzard is one of a few game developers able to do a project like this because of our storied games and universes, and the archives to pull items from. The celebration of Blizzard's 35th anniversary isn't just a moment to celebrate the past, but an opportunity to look toward the future and the next phase of Blizzard. I feel so fortunate to be a small part of our history and am so excited about what we've got on the slate."

The Legacy

"Anniversary projects are an archivist's dream," says Jessica, senior physical archivist. "While we couldn't include everything from the archives, we made a conscious effort to include aspects from all departments within Blizzard, past and present, to highlight all the parts that combined to create our history. I'm beyond humbled and honored to be a part of Blizzard's archive team, and I strive to make sure every employee has a little piece of their personal legacy represented in the archives in some way, even if they don't know it. When I look at the table, I see 35 years of dedication, creativity, and hard work that the amazing humans at Blizzard do every day. I'm looking forward to celebrating Blizzard in the years to come…and if something goes missing from the archives, it's not my fault!"

The Celebration Continues

"Blizzard: The Next Chapter" honors our history and celebrates what's to come. Tune in to the Blizzard Showcase for big announcements, sneak peeks, and teases across our universes that you won't want to miss. Check out Blizzard.com for showtimes and where to watch.