- BlizzCon will not take place in 2021 as Blizzard prepares to host an alternative event in early 2022
- Blizzard has decided to wait on BlizzCon a little while longer as the event will be a massive organizational feat that can hinge on unknowns
- BlizzCon will return in-person once travel restrictions and in-person gathering limitations are lifted
BlizzCon will not be taking place in 2021, Blizzard has confirmed, as the company prepares to make it up to fans by hosting a separate event in early 2022.
Second Year Without BlizzCon Live Event
BlizzCon is dead, long live BlizzCon. Don’t you worry now, because the rumors of BlizzCon’s demise are somewhat exaggerated. Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that BlizzCon won’t be taking place in 2021 and instead, a new “global event” details about which are forthcoming will happen in early 2022.
This is the second event in a row that Blizzard has had to postpone after the company scrapped BlizzCon 2020 plans amid the worst of the pandemic. While many fans expected BlizzCon to not actually take place in-person, and be replaced by a sort of a BlizzConline format like before, many hopefuls are still disappointed.
COVID-19 numbers have been declining in much of the United States and across Europe, as vaccinations have been on the up, but live events are not quite in the clear. So, rather than offering a barebones event with many restrictions, Blizzard is choosing to bid its time a little while longer.
The company cited evolving guidelines about live events as the reason why Blizzard would want to try and postpone the event until such a time that it can shift resources without limitations and people can attend freely.
“We know some of you might be wondering about your own plans to potentially cross the country—not to mention oceans—and meet your friends, family, and fellow community members in California, so today, we wanted to give you a heads-up that we’ve decided we will not be holding BlizzCon this year,” the statement read.
BlizzCon is an expo that focuses on the company’s franchises which have become recognized gaming and cultural phenomena around the world and draw crowds of Blizzard loyalists without a failure every fall since 2005 when the event was first held.
Bringing the Best BlizzCon Experience Takes Months
BlizzCon executive product Saralyn Smith ventured to motivate the company’s position even better, arguing that BlizzCon was an “epic and complex affair” that takes many months of preparation ahead, and that it would be unwise to let all of this hinge on many uncertainties around travel restrictions and in-person gatherings.
“The ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic have impacted our ability to properly move forward on many of these fronts, and ultimately we’re now past the point where we’d be able to develop the kind of event, we’d want to create for you in November,” Smith added.
For all that is worth, though, Blizzard with proceeding with a smaller event that will combine BlizzConline and still have something to do with in-person attending, but on a much smaller scale, Smith hinted. Details are forthcoming.
