Sadly, Blizzard has canceled the BlizzCon 2021 live event due to concerns over COVID-19. However, the gaming giant will replace it with a global event in early 2022 with both a physical and digital presence.
The information comes from an update posted by Blizzard on the BlizzCon website. In this update, the show’s executive producer, Saralyn Smith, got straight to the point. “As California guidelines on in-person meetings continue to evolve and the status of the pandemic fluctuates around the world, Blizzard teams have discussed what it means for one of the events we miss most: BlizzCon.”
Continuing, he wrote: “We know some of you may be wondering about your plans to potentially cross the country – not to mention the oceans – and meet your friends, family and other community members in California, so today we wanted to give you a warning. that we have decided that we will not hold BlizzCon this year. “
As disappointing as it is, Smith had some good news to share. He confirmed that Blizzard will hold a different event in the “early part of next year”. And unlike Blizzard’s online-only event last February, the BlizzCon 2022 event will be a physical event that will also have online elements.
Eventually, Smith apologized to fans and underscored Blizzard’s commitment to organizing a quality event. “Building a BlizzCon in person is an epic and complex affair that takes many months of preparation,” he wrote. “The ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic have impacted our ability to move forward adequately on many of these fronts and, ultimately, we have passed the point where we would be able to develop the kind of event we would like to create for you at November”.
The cancellation is no surprise. Blizzard had to cancel the BlizzCon 2020 live event due to similar COVID-19 concerns, instead hosting the BlizzConline virtual event in February 2021. Despite the fact that things are improving as more people are vaccinated and California plans to fully reopen on June 15, there are still uncertainties, the possibility of changing the guidelines and logistics to plan a large-scale event in a short time frame.
Blizzard plans to release more information about their 2022 event as it becomes available. Meanwhile, old-school Blizzard fans can’t wait to play World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic when it releases on June 1st.
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