Blizzard Cancels BlizzCon, Promises Alternative Showcases

Blizzard has made the decision to cancel this year’s highly anticipated BlizzCon event. The company reassures fans that the event will make a return in the future, but for now, they plan to showcase their upcoming games in a different way over the upcoming months.

Alternative Showcases Planned

In a recent blog post, Blizzard announced their intentions to reveal details about their highly anticipated games such as World of Warcraft: The War Within and Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion at other major trade shows like Gamescom. Additionally, the company has exciting plans to host “multiple, global, in-person events” to celebrate Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, which will be distinct from the traditional BlizzCon experience.

Blizzard’s Focus on Community

According to the blog post, Blizzard’s goal is to create unique and immersive experiences for their community through live-streamed industry events and other platforms to keep players updated on their favorite game universes. The company is dedicated to capturing the essence of what makes the Blizzard community so special in all of their future events.

Blizzard’s Statement

A Blizzard representative clarified to Windows Central that the decision to cancel BlizzCon was made solely by Blizzard and was not influenced by Microsoft, who acquired the company last year. The representative emphasized that while they have exciting news to share in 2024, the timing just wasn’t aligning for a single event at the end of the year.

A Pause, Not Goodbye

BlizzCon, known for being an annual celebration of all things Blizzard, first began in 2005. Last year’s event showcased the reveal of the next World of Warcraft expansion, The War Within, and hints at two more expansions in the pipeline. Fortunately, fans can take solace in the fact that this year’s cancellation is just a temporary pause, not a permanent goodbye. It will be interesting to see how Blizzard’s alternative events will unfold in the upcoming months.