Today, Blizzard has officially announced its cancellation of BlizzCon 2020, ending speculation as to whether the event would go on as planned later this year.
Shared on the official BlizzCon website, Saralyn Smith, the executive producer of BlizzCon, announced the cancellation citing the challenges in planning and holding an event with the uncertainty surrounding the world due to the crsis caused by Covid-19.
Several weeks ago, I shared an update about our uncertainty around holding BlizzCon this year. Since then, a lot has changed . . . and a lot also hasn’t changed. During this time, we’ve had many discussions about what holding a convention could look like in light of all the health and safety considerations we’d want to make. We’ve 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. Ultimately, after considering our options, we’ve come to the very difficult decision to not have BlizzCon this year.
Saralyn did float the prospect of holding an online even in someway to ensure fans stil can enjoy a resemblance of a BlizzCon experience, but as of now nothing concrete looks planned. If it happens, though, it's seems likely it would take place, according to Saralyn, some time next year. Also impacted are the Esports competitions that take place at BlizzCon and the team is looking into how this can be supported moving forward.
Recently, Activision Blizzard reassured stakeholders and fans that their 2020 releases were still on track this year, including the next Call of Duty and the upcoming expansion for World of Warcraft.
