The big event of the year for many gamers is the annual convention BlizzCon, which takes place in the Anaheim Convention Center each year. However, it has been cancelled twice in the last three years, with both times being replaced with a livestreamed event available to anyone, and the second time will be happening again next year.
In a shock announcement at BlizzCon, Blizzard announced that, after three consecutive years of hosting the annual BlizzCon fan convention in Anaheim, California, the company was canceling its annual event for the last time and replacing it with an online event.
It will be a bust for anyone who was hoping that this year’s BlizzCon would be a blockbuster event that would turn the company around: Blizzard has just announced that BlizzCon will be cancelled, again due to continued uncertainty about what form Pandemic will take at the end of 2021. As California continues to develop rules for in-person gatherings and the status of the pandemic fluctuates worldwide, Blizzard teams discuss what this means for one of the events we miss the most: BlizzCon. We know that some of you are planning to cross the country – not to mention the oceans – to gather in California with your friends, family and community members. So we would like to inform you that we have decided not to host a BlizzCon this year. Hosting a BlizzCon is an epic and complex event that requires many months of preparation, not only for us, but also for the many talented production partners, esports professionals, presenters, artists, hosts and other staff with whom we work locally and globally to put the pieces together. The ongoing complexity and uncertainty of the pandemic has affected our ability to move forward appropriately on many of these fronts, and we have finally passed the point where we could develop the kind of event we would like to host for you in November. The good news is that Blizzard is planning another BlizzConline event for early next year, though it’s not explicitly mentioned. And of course this isn’t entirely a bad thing for Blizzard, as pipeline problems are well known, but at least as MMO players we’re waiting for the reveal of the WoW expansion and the Diablo Immortal expansion itself. But I think most people prefer a large set. Keep your fingers crossed for us next year. View
