Blizzard is well aware of the value its existing gaming IPs carry, which is why we will continue to see new games carrying the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo names. But the older games in the series are also being revisited, with Warcraft III and Diablo II now up for the remaster treatment.
This news hasn't been officially confirmed, but BlizzPlanet managed to spot a job listing that gave away a little bit too much information. It's for a senior software engineer who'd be working in the Classic Games department in Irvine.
In the description for the position it states, "Compelling stories. Intense multiplayer. Endless replayability. Qualities that made StarCraft, Warcraft III, and Diablo II the titans of their day ... We're restoring them to glory, and we need your engineering talents, your passion, and your ability to get tough jobs done."
I don't think that could be made any clearer: both games are being remastered for re-release. The listing also mentions "evolving operating systems, hardware, and online services" making it difficult to keep playing these games in their original form, so work is needed to make them easily playable in 2017.
You may remember back in April Blizzard offered the original StarCraft for free. However, that was only after an extensive update patch was released allowing the game to be playable on modern PCs. We can also look forward to a re-release of the game in 4K later this year. Could Blizzard be following the same method of updating Diablo II and Warcraft III? Few would complain if they were.
It may be a while before we are officially told both games are being remastered. It's worth pointing out that BlizzCon 2017 begins on November 3. Could that include the big reveal?