Blizzard confirms BlizzCon will be a digital event next year
It'll be... conline
Blizzard have confirmed that they’ll be hosting BlizzCon as an online event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual celebration of their games and communities was cancelled this year, with a suggestion that they’ll be holding it virtually in 2021. During a recent earnings call, Blizzard’s president J. Allen Brack confirmed that it will be happening “early 2021”.
Brack said: “We did announce that we will not be bringing the community together this fall, but we are planning on channelling the spirit of BlizzCon into a virtual event in the early part of next year. We're really fortunate to have a passionate and engaged community that's really looking forward to what we're creating and what we're working on.”
There’s still not a huge amount of detail about what’s going to happen, just confirmation it's happening. BlizzCon has a virtual ticket for those who are unable to attend, so they’re not in uncharted territory. The developer discussions and game reveals wouldn’t have an issue moving online, but it would be a shame to miss out on the elaborate cosplay events they hold. So many shoulder pads will go unworn.
It’s not the first convention to have to shift to a fully online format. This week's QuakeCon is online only. It's simply a vast, organised Twitch stream, but has plenty of events that I'd like to watch. They have masterclasses, tours, tabletop games, and have even planned a cosplay stream. It'll be a good look at how these sort of events are held in the future.