BlizzCon Cancelled For 2021, But Not Forever

Blizzard posted this week notifying the public that they will not be holding a BlizzCon for the year 2021. They've suggested that the "guidelines in California around in-person gatherings continue to evolve" and the status of the pandemic "fluctuates around the globe," and as such, they will not be holding BlizzCon this year. So don't go buying any tickets, if you've not already done so.

Per the Blizzard release this week, a true in-person BlizzCon "takes months of preparation" for Blizzard, 3rd-party partners, participants, and attendees. With the "ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic" still in play, Saralyn Smith, Executive Producer of BlizzCon wrote, the company's "ability to properly move forward on these many fronts" has been impacted to the point that they've decided to cut out completely.

Instead of cancelling the very idea of BlizzCon completely, Smith suggested that waiting another year, for another November, would be too long to wait. As such, the company is planning "a global event for the early part of next year." This event is expected to be an online show sort of like the recent BlizzConline combined with "smaller in-person gatherings."

Blizzard will likely ramp up efforts to connect with gamers around the world in more events than just the one BlizzCon per year, from this point forward. Like other companies taking advantage of the impossibility of in-person events, Blizzard will likely continue to create far more curated, smart, all-access events where they'll show their latest creations.

Take a peek at the timeline below for more information about BlizzConline and see what the future is all about. That's assuming we don't see a sudden and all-encompassing cure-all for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses for all humanity in very short order. What better way to stay alive and healthy than to stay home playing video games forever?