BlizzCon 2020 has been cancelled, digital event may take place early next year

Blizzard has announced that it has cancelled BlizzCon this year due to the health and safety issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and the difficulty of holding such a mass gathering with so much uncertainty around. Blizzcon normally takes place in November and thousands of people attend as it is where Blizzard makes some major announcements. Last year, it was where the developer revealed Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4. However, Blizzard has stated that it may do an online event but planning is in its early stages, and it is likely the online event will not take place until early next year.

The full statement from Blizzard’s Saralyn Smith can be read below.

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Hello Blizzard community,

Several weeks ago, I shared an update about our uncertainty around holding BlizzCon this year. Since then, a lot has changed . . . and a lot also hasn’t changed. During this time, we’ve had many discussions about what holding a convention could look like in light of all the health and safety considerations we’d want to make. We’ve also talked about different paths we could take, and how each one could be complicated by fluctuations in national and local health guidelines in the months ahead. Ultimately, after considering our options, we’ve come to the very difficult decision to not have BlizzCon this year.

We’re feeling deeply disappointed about this decision, and imagine many of you will feel the same. I truly love BlizzCon, and I know that’s a sentiment shared by everyone at Blizzard. We will sorely miss connecting with so many of you at the convention and “recharging our geek batteries” this fall.

But we will meet again!

We’re talking about how we might be able to channel the BlizzCon spirit and connect with you in some way online, far less impacted by the state of health and safety protocols for mass in-person gatherings. We’d want to do this as soon as we could, but given that this is new-ish territory and the different factors involved, it will most likely be sometime early next year. BlizzCon is also a stage for big esports events in Blizzard games each year, so we’re also looking into alternatives for supporting some of the high-level competition that would normally take place at the show.

We’ll tell you more about our plans as they develop—but in the meantime, we hope to see you exploring the Shadowlands, hanging out in the Tavern, pushing the payload (do it!), and wherever else in the Blizzard universes you may roam.

Stay safe and stay well,

Saralyn Smith
Whirlwind Barbarian, Executive Producer of BlizzCon

Blizzcon joins the likes of TwitchCon Amsterdam, Paris Games Week, QuakeCon, and E3 which were all cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Blizzard

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