BlizzCon, Blizzard’s annual get-together for followers of their video games, was halted by the pandemic in 2020 and solely returned as a bodily occasion final 12 months. One 12 months later, it’s cancelled once more, Blizzard have introduced.
“After cautious consideration over the past 12 months, we at Blizzard have made the choice to not maintain BlizzCon in 2024. This resolution was not made flippantly as BlizzCon stays a really particular occasion for all of us, and we all know lots of you look ahead to it. Whereas we’re approaching this 12 months otherwise and as we’ve got explored totally different occasion codecs up to now, relaxation assured that we’re simply as excited as ever to deliver BlizzCon again in future years,” Blizzard wrote within the announcement.
They go on to say that they’ve “some thrilling plans for different business commerce reveals and conventions like Gamescom”, at which they’re going to “have a good time” the upcoming launches of World of Warcraft: The Conflict Inside and Diablo IV’s first growth, Vessel Of Hatred. They’re additionally planning “a number of, international, in-person occasions to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Warcraft, which can be held along with the in-game celebrations throughout our Warcraft video games all through 2024.”
BlizzCon occurred as an completely on-line occasion in 2021 and 2022 earlier than returning bodily in 2023. This 12 months’s occasion would have been the primary since Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In a press release shared with PC Gamer, Blizzard expanded on the choice to cancel the occasion by clarifying that, “It is a Blizzard resolution,” and never one dictated by their new dad or mum firm. “We now have explored totally different occasion codecs up to now and this is not the primary time we’re skipping BlizzCon or attempting one thing new. Whereas we’ve got nice issues to share in 2024, the timing simply doesn’t line up for one single occasion on the finish of the 12 months.”
It is secure to say that it has been a tricky few years for occasions – hello, we’re nonetheless owned by an occasions firm – but it surely’s additionally been a tricky 12 months for Blizzard extra particularly. Again in January, the corporate introduced that they had cancelled an in-development survival recreation and had been among the many studios affected by Microsoft shedding 2000 workers throughout their video games division.