If this were any other year, there would be hype surrounding the upcoming BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment’s yearly convention. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BlizzCon 2020 was cancelled like many other conventions in the interest of public health and safety. Blizzard previously talked about the possibility of interacting with fans online and it seems a virtual event will be happening in early 2021 after all.
This was confirmed during Activision’s recent financial earnings report by Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. Brack noted that, “We are planning on channeling the spirit of BlizzCon into a virtual event in the early part of next year. We’re really fortunate to have a passionate and engaged community that’s really looking forward to what we’re creating and what we’re working on. And we’re looking forward to sharing what the teams have been working on for that event.”
BlizzCon is usually the site of major announcements for the company’s upcoming titles – last year’s show saw Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 announced, for example. However, Blizzard also hosts different tournaments, cosplay contests and developer panels, some which could translate over to a digital format. The Overwatch League is a good example of this, having switched to a completely online format due to the pandemic.
We’ll have to wait and see how things pan out. In the meantime, stay tuned for more details and take any rumor about Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2 releasing this year with a large grain of salt.
