Bad news, everyone: BlizzCon is cancelled. Again.
That’s right, Blizzard has confirmed that there will be no in-person BlizzCon 2021, just like the convention was cancelled in 2020 too.
Instead, fans should look forward to a smaller online event, set to take place in early 2022.
Why was BlizzCon 2021 cancelled?
In case you couldn’t guess, this year’s convention, which normally takes place every autumn, was cancelled due to the ongoing Covid pandemic.
“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,” explained Saralyn Smith, executive producer of BlizzCon, on the event’s blog.
What about BlizzCon 2022?
We’re not sure yet if next November will see a full BlizzCon 2022 or not.
What we do know is that a smaller online and in-person event will take place earlier in the year, presumably as a direct follow-up to this February’s BlizzConline 2021.
“We’re planning a global event for the early part of next year, combining an online show along the lines of our recent BlizzConline with smaller in-person gatherings, and we’ll share more as our plans come together,” Smith wrote.
What to expect from BlizzConline 2022
BlizzConline 2021 ran across five separate tracks – World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Diablo, Overwatch, and Strategy – and we’d expect a similar structure to next year’s event.
Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are likely to dominate the event, as neither is likely to launch before the show kicks off.
Expect online panels and discussions streamed worldwide for free, though we’re not sure what the “smaller in-person gatherings” will entail.
