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BlizzCon Is Returning In Virtual Form In 2021 After Skipping This Year
BlizzCon is returning as a virtual-only event in 2021 after skipping 2020. Blizzard Entertainment cancelled its annual fan festival this year due to COVID-19 concerns, at first tossing around the idea of switching to a virtual format to accommodate the community, but eventually deciding to forego the event altogether. With World of Warcraft: Shadowlands releasing this year, fans had been hoping to receive more details regarding the expansion’s gameplay, lore, and content updates, though the developer has shared some exciting details coming to the expansion, including controller support.
The annual festival is the company’s version of E3 and other organized events that bring gamers together, but focused on Blizzard’s own content, such as World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Starcraft. At BlizzCon 2019, Overwatch 2 was revealed, an example of the kind of big-name reveals Blizzard likes to save for its annual get-together.
According to GameSpot, BlizzCon 2021 is definitely happening, albeit in a fully virtual format, after the event skipped this year. The publication reports that Activision-Blizzard discussed its plan to host a virtual BlizzCon 2021 during a financial call, and confirmed the event wouldn't have a physical component. A specific date for the festival was not provided, nor were the logistics of the virtual festival, though the format change and date do provide the company with plenty of time to prepare.
The cancellation of E3 2020 and BlizzCon 2020 created a void in the gaming industry, leaving fans without a centralized way to learn more about popular games from Blizzard and other developers. Fans enjoy traveling to annual festivals to get their hands on the newest games from their favorite developers and publishers. The pandemic has fostered a great deal of restlessness among gamers, who want nothing more than to interact with likeminded people and share their common love of gaming. Deprived of some of their primary social outlets, gamers are experiencing more angst and frustration with developers. One only needs to peruse comments sections to see the exacerbated effect quarantine has had on the community.
Despite quarantine, however, the gaming community remains dedicated to experiencing their favorite content. Engagement with subscriptions services such as Xbox Game Pass is at an all-time high, largely due to people being stuck at home. Frustrations are balanced out by more time to spend with friends, albeit through a headset and virtual worlds. While BlizzCon’s return in a virtual format is a small remedy to a larger problem, gamers wait for the day when they can resume physically attending their favorite events, whether it’s a tournament or a fan festival.
