Overwatch's roadside diner was meticulously recreated at BlizzCon, complete with apple pie

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Blizzard partnered with Coca-Cola to recreate every last detail of the Panorama Diner.

(Image credit: Nicky Films, Coca-Cola)

There is a growing trend of adding immersive experiences to fan conventions. While undoubtedly complex to create, build, and decorate, their theatrical flair makes it feel like you're walking around a theme park instead of a standard convention with spaced-out booths. I haven't been to many BlizzCons, but this one compared to others over the last few years seemed to have a much greater emphasis on bringing the virtual worlds of Blizzard's games into the physical—which in addition to everything that happened over BlizzCon weekend, helped to make it one of the more memorable ones in recent years.

The Darkmoon Faire had the same whimsical and ethereal feel of the once-a-month World of Warcraft event, right down to the moving eye atop the entry gate. The Blizzcade was awash in '80s font and neon. The Diablo Dark Gallery was something straight out of a Halloween Horror Nights or Knott's Scary Farm maze. There was even an entire Hearthstone pub with a real bar and real bartenders. This BlizzCon looked and felt much more interactive.

But the one that stood out to me the most was the Panorama Diner, which any Overwatch player knows all to well. There was the same coffee ring-stained Route 66 postcard on one of the tables from the "Reunion" cinematic. You could pick up the payphone receiver and hear Ashe's voice on the other side. McCree's hat and holster hung off one of booths. The cash register. The wall clock. The posters. The jukebox. The scuff and stains on the seats and floor—all of it was meticulously replicated to the last detail.

You couldn't shoot coffee pots or ketchup bottles of obvious reasons, but the diner was fully functional, serving food all day long for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and the menu was the same one from the diner in-game. You could eat apple pie at McCree's booth if you wanted to.

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(Image credit: Nicky Films, Coca-Cola)
Joanna Nelius
Joanna Nelius
When Joanna's not writing about gaming desktops, cloud gaming, or other hardware-related things, she's doing terrible stuff in The Sims 4, roleplaying as a Malkavian, or playing horror games that would give normal people nightmares. She also likes narrative adventures.