Speaking almost exclusively about World of Warcraft and Diablo III, Blizzard employee Chris Metzen revealed more information regarding expected updates to these immensely popular franchises during the BlizzCon Opening Ceremony.

A new character class, the Monk, was unveiled for Diablo III. The cinematic trailer didn't really reveal anything new, other than what appears to be a firm bias towards the Middle Eastern setting. Fans may recall the Sierra-created update pack for the original Diablo entitled Diablo Hellfire, which featured the addition of the Monk as a staff-wielding caster. The gameplay trailer seemed to confirm this, with magical and aura attacks shown.

The new World of Warcraft expansion Cataclysm was shown, to rapturous applause from the hundreds of fans assembled. The character cap will increase to 85, and the Goblin and Worgen classes will be introduced along with new flying mounts and the requisite stack of new quests. Azeroth will be forever changed by this update, in-game footage shown reveals an emphasis on volcanic ruin, and a story arc that features refugees and a "resource challenged" world.

We're attending panels this afternoon and will be live twittering additonal updates as they occur. Stay tuned!