If you’re one of those excited about BlizzCon this year, well, it’s been officially cancelled. This was revealed by none other than BlizzCon Executive Producer Saralyn Smith. BlizzCon 2020 is the latest in a number of big events scheduled this year that have been canceled. Then again, when you think about it, this was mainly more a question of when instead of if.
Back in early April, Smith said in a statement that it was still too early to tell if holding BlizzCon 2020 was possible. The top consideration remained to be “the health of our community, employees, and everyone who helps with the show is our top consideration.” Smith went on to say that they would continue to work on finalizing any plans despite changes in the workplace resulting from the pandemic.
In her latest statement, Smith said that after that early announcement “a lot has changed and a lot also hasn’t changed.” She related that they “also talked about different paths we could take, and how each one could be complicated by fluctuations in national and local health guidelines in the months ahead.” After considering all the options, Smith added, Blizzard came “to the very difficult decision to not have BlizzCon this year.”
If BlizzCon 2020 pushed through, it would have been held in California this November. This is not the first year we've gone without a big Blizzard convention, as BlizzCon was also not held on 2006 and 2012. In 2012, in particular, instead of BlizzCon, Blizzard hosted the 2012 Battle.net World Championship. Aside from highlighting its esports, Blizzard was also focused on launching Diablo 3, Mists of Pandaria, and Heart of the Swarm.
While BlizzCon is indeed canceled, Smith said that they “might be able to channel the BlizzCon spirit and connect with you in some way online.” While Blizzard wants to do this as soon as possible, the event is likely going to happen “sometime early next year.” It’s worth noting that BlizzCon is also focused on esports and, according to Smith, they’re “also looking into alternatives for supporting some of the high-level competition that would normally take place at the show.”
Smith ended by saying they’ll provide updates on their plans as they develop. In the meantime, she hopes for everyone to explore Shadowlands or even hang out in the Tavern.
Was Blizzard right in cancelling the event? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.
