Blizzard has just revealed that BlizzCon 2024 won’t be going ahead. It was marked as a decision that ‘was not made lightly’, with Blizzard opting to ‘approach this year differently’ and explore various other formats. Instead of hosting BlizzCon, the company will make announcements and reveal updates at other shows, such as Gamescom, which is due to take place in Germany in August.
In a press release, Blizzard confirmed that the Overwatch Champions Series events due to take place in Dallas and Stockholm will not be impacted by this change. There are also planned events for the thirtieth anniversary of Warcraft games – these are also unimpacted by this news.
BlizzCon Blown Over
BlizzCon first took place in 2005, with Blizzard welcoming gamers to the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Since then, every successive BlizzCon showcase has taken place at the same venue. It has become a staple of the games industry, with big-budget events taking place during the showcase. Historically, top-tier bands have hosted live performances during the show, new Blizzard games have been revealed, and incredible cosplay contests have been hosted.
This isn’t the first time that BlizzCon has been cancelled – it’s the fifth. It was most recently cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and then again in 2022 when Activision Blizzard was facing legal issues in response to workplace harassment allegations. Before that, there was an eight-year streak that went uninterrupted.
BlizzCon has remained relatively popular over the years, but it has gotten increasingly expensive. Last year, tickets to the showcase came with a whopping price tag of $299.
Here’s what Blizzard had to say about cancelling BlizzCon 2024:
‘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.’
So, it’s not the end of all things and BlizzCon will be back. Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the event, so Blizzard likely has big plans for the showcase.
For more industry news, Esports.net
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