Blizzard Leisure has canceled this yr’s fan conference BlizzCon, which was anticipated to be held in Anaheim, California in November. The corporate, which is now owned by Microsoft, introduced the cancelation on Thursday, however promised to convey the occasion again “in future years.”
“After cautious consideration during the last yr, we at Blizzard have made the choice to not maintain BlizzCon in 2024,” Blizzard posted to its web site. “This determination was not made evenly as BlizzCon stays a really particular occasion for all of us, and we all know a lot of you look ahead to it. Whereas we’re approaching this yr in another way and as we’ve got explored completely different occasion codecs up to now, relaxation assured that we’re simply as excited as ever to convey BlizzCon again in future years.”
As an alternative, Blizzard expects to announce particulars about its upcoming slate of video games — like World of Warcraft: The Warfare Inside and Diablo 4’s Vessel of Hatred growth — later this yr, by itself and at “different business commerce exhibits” like Gamescom, which is scheduled for Aug. 21 to Aug. 24 in Cologne, Germany. Overwatch 2 esports are nonetheless on the schedule for Dreamhack Dallas and Dreamhack Stockholm, Blizzard wrote, whereas in-person World of Warcraft occasions will likely be hosted for the sport’s thirtieth anniversary. “Whereas these occasions are distinct from BlizzCon, we’re harnessing all of our creativity and creativeness to make sure that they carry the identical spirit of celebration and togetherness,” Blizzard mentioned.
This yr’s BlizzCon was anticipated to mark the second yr in a row that the occasion can be held in-person after it was canceled in 2020 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The present went digital in 2021, and was canceled once more in 2022. BlizzCon 2024 would even have been the primary occasion since Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard was finalized. That deal took 21 months to finish. Months later, Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees throughout its gaming divisions, which included heavy cuts to Activision Blizzard.
BlizzCon is often Blizzard’s massive, barn-burner occasion the place the corporate declares its largest video games and updates. Blizzard does have the aforementioned World of Warcraft and Diablo 4 expansions this yr, however there is probably not a complete lot else after the developer’s untitled survival recreation was canceled alongside the layoffs. The survival recreation was introduced in 2022 as “an unlimited realm of risk, ready to be explored” — and the studio’s first new franchise since Overwatch in 2016. The sport was reportedly in growth for six years earlier than its cancelation, based on Bloomberg. Overwatch 2’s deliberate story mode, Hero Missions, was additionally canceled final yr, with its Story Missions reportedly in jeopardy, too. Which will go away little else to headline a present.
Blizzard followers are, understandably, upset in regards to the occasion’s cancelation. Past new recreation bulletins, BlizzCon has additionally been a uncommon place for gamers — a few of whom have performed on-line collectively for years — to fulfill and collect.