For many people, BlizzCon is THE event of the year. Blizzard finally brought back an in-person version of the event in 2023, but now it appears there won’t be a 2024 event. The company announced today that they’re skipping 2024 in favor of having a presence at several smaller events.
BlizzCon 2023 was a return to form for the company and the event with some major announcements like a new World of Warcraft expansion, and an initial look at Diablo 4‘s first expansion. Now, fans of the company and their games are going to have to check out other events to see first-looks and gameplay from their biggest games.
Here’s what Blizzard had to say in a statement:
“After careful consideration over the last year, we at Blizzard have made the decision not to hold BlizzCon in 2024. This decision was not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you look forward to it. While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years.”
This will be the fifth time that BlizzCon has been canceled. The previous times were 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The other two times were 2006 and 2012. ’06 didn’t have a reason given and for ’12, they were honest about the cancelation, citing “nothing new or cool to talk about.” This year’s cancelation seems like it could be for that same reason. Blizzard is notorious for taking their sweet time with almost everything they do, and making sure if something is announced, that it’s ready for people to see. Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred and World Of Warcraft: The War Within should both be ready to release this year. There are also two rumored WoW expansions in the works, but those likely wouldn’t be ready to announce at an event this year.
They added this in the announcement for other events that you might see Blizzard at.
“To celebrate these upcoming releases and to bring our communities together in new and special ways, we will soon share some exciting plans for other industry trade shows and conventions like Gamescom. We can’t wait to tell you more about those plans soon. We’re also looking forward to the Overwatch Champions Series’ stops at both Dreamhack Dallas and Dreamhack Stockholm. And we’re thrilled to be planning multiple, global, in-person events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Warcraft, which will be held in addition to the in-game celebrations across our Warcraft games throughout 2024. While these events are distinct from BlizzCon, we’re harnessing all of our creativity and imagination to ensure that they carry the same spirit of celebration and togetherness.”
So while we won’t all be able to celebrate Blizzard together this year, they’ll still be at several events this year.
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