Blizzard halted plans for BlizzCon in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic (opens in a new tab)and then later in the year press “pause (opens in a new tab)on plans for a surrogate online event due to widespread allegations of discrimination and sexual harassment (opens in a new tab) at Activision Blizzard. The allegations were still relatively new and in development at the time, with Blizzard saying “the energy it would take to put on a show like this is best directed at supporting our teams and progressing the development of our games and experiences.”
That hiatus will continue into 2022, but Blizzard president Mike Ybarra said in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab) which aims to bring BlizzCon back in 2023.
“We previously announced that we will be taking a break from BlizzCon while we reimagine it for the future, but we want to return to a live event that allows us to celebrate the community,” said Ybarra. “We recently hired a new BlizzCon leader, April McKee, who is hard at work on that plan… We are committed to bringing BlizzCon back in 2023.”
BlizzCon was for years a fairly well-established routine of big announcements, developer panels, esports competitions, and a cosplay contest, but it’s possible that could change significantly when it returns. When Blizzard canceled the live event for 2021, for example, it thought about combining a big online event with “smaller in-person gatherings.” Some of those ideas could continue into 2023, especially if the pandemic continues to wreak havoc. And given the timing of previous BlizzCon events, which have been held in the fall since 2010, there’s plenty of time for Blizzard to come up with some interesting new ideas.
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