BlizzCon 2022 Canceled As Blizzard Looks To 'Reimagine' Event

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Blizzard moved its annual event, BlizzCon, online. The resulting show was dubbed BlizzConline, and it was one that Blizzard planned to host again early next year. Unfortunately, it looks like that's not happening as planned, as Blizzard has canceled BlizzConline 2022.In a statement published on its website today, Blizzard announced BlizzConline will no longer happen in February as originally planned. The company says that the decision to "step back and pause planning" on the event was a tough one, but that the energy which would have gone into creating the event is best spent supporting its various teams and progressing development on its games.

Blizzard then said that a lot has changed since the first BlizzCon was hosted 16 years ago and that when BlizzCon returns in the future, it wants the show to be inclusive and accommodating. "Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible," Blizzard said. "We're committed to continual communication with our players, and we see BlizzCon playing a big role in that going forward. We're excited about what we'll do with the event when we revisit it in the future."

While BlizzConline may not be happening, Blizzard says that it will still announce new updates for its games. Presumably, this will happen in a more spread-out fashion once we're into the new year, but Blizzard doesn't say when it plans to share these updates.

Blizzard currently finds itself at the center of a sexual harassment and abuse scandal that has seen several high-level employees and executives depart the company. Blizzard alluded to that scandal in its statement today, so it's safe to say that it influenced the decision to cancel BlizzConline. We'll let you know when a new date for BlizzCon is announced, but considering that BlizzConline wasn't slated to happen until February 2022, we might be waiting some time yet.